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Chinatown in Thailand. Chinatown in Thailand? Yelp…. I guess so….there is probably a Chinatown in every town. Harry and I traveled by tuk-tuk to the most atmospheric overwhelming section of town. The vibrant colors, pungent smells, overpowering cacophony, and frenetic hustle of Chinatown make this site quite unique. Between two congested traffic-choked thoroughfares lie sidewalks lined with intrigue. A maze of narrow alleyways marks the boundaries of the market stalls. Bangkok does not have sidewalks….it has concrete boundaries for the street vendors.
Old wooden buildings and wholesale spice shops line the parameter of madness. Street vendors include fresh seafood, spices, fresh produce, dries meats, spices, Chinese herbal medicines, snack stalls, fabric markets, and Chinese merchandise as far as the eye can see. Buddha’s, Chinese dragons adorn metal, jade, wood, bamboo, clothing, any surface available. The most glistening of sights are the Gold shops. Bling-bling for days. Every other shop lining the street is a shop full of gold nuggets, chains, rings, bracelets, or just gold by the rope. A radiant and decorative experience just to walk by and window shop.
Wat Aran. Wat Aran represents the mythical Mount Meru and ornamental worlds within. The main prang is 220 ft tall and the circumference of the base 768 ft. The prang in accessible by steep steps, which represent the difficulties in reaching higher levels of existence. The found the steps to be just unbearable. Their idea of a step is actually what I would refer to as 2 and a third steps. You try walking up that….higher level of existence my burning thighs!! And to make matters worse…there are NO handrails on the sides. I have a hard time with steps. I tend to fall both up and down them….I think it started with my eyeglasses. Because the rims are so thick and the frames so narrow…I see double lines when looking at the ends of steps….which causes me to misstep and bite the big one. So the steps were particularly challenging for me….that and I am deathly afraid of heights. Heights, steep steps, and no handrails equate to disaster for me and me knees. …..so Harry made the trek up the prang by himself. And he did such a good job. I watched him from below…safely on even level ground.
Water Taxi. From the Wat Aran….we were on the Chao River and decided to take the river taxis. Quite the experience….not exactly like the water taxis of Venice. Bangkok’s water taxis go very fast and do not dooly long at a stop. The guy from the boat blows a whistle….the guy on the pier blows his whistle….again from the guy on the boat…and another toot from the guy on the pier….it was some sort of Thai river boat Morse code. I tried to decipher and decided to better spend my time enjoying the rapidly passing scenery.
Market Shopping. Yelp…the reason Bangkok exists in my mid…well that and their massages. Knocks-offs and more black market items than I knew ever existed! “Want a handbag….this season or last season? What designer do you prefer?” Even the quality of the knock-offs varied. “Do you want the outside of the bag to look authentic or do you want the really good stuff which looks authentic on the inside too?”
Oh… and the stall that caused my heart to quicken. Tiffany’s. Tiffany’s New York and Company. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but I saw it. There were multiple booths displaying silver with the Tiffany’s logo. The pieces even came in that beautiful turquoise box with the unmistakable recognizable turquoise Tiffany’s bag. Be still my beating heart. The sight to the little bag makes my heart go pitter-patter. “Will the fake stuff turn my wrists or fingers green? Probably….more than likely.” But it looks so real sitting there on the shelf…. On its little turquoise Tiffany bag….on the turquoise Tiffany’s box….in front of the turquoise Tiffany’s signature bag.
**For those of you who receive a little Turquoise bag from me for Christmas….please disregard the last paragraph. And enjoy the gift while it remains its original color.**
Shoes…shoes galore. Payless has nothing on this place. Knock-off shoes of every shape, size, color, material, or designer. Simple amazing. Jeans. Bras. Socks. Undies. Shirts….Polo, Lacoste, Burberry, and believe it or not…they make knock-off American Eagle polos. I was simple stunned that American Eagle has gained the notoriety of having a knock-off. Unbelievable.
And Mont Blanc. I did not know Mont Blanc could have a knock-off. For our 1st year anniversary…while taking a girls trip to Paris….I bought Harry an original, not a fake, Mont Blanc from the Mont Blanc Paris shop on the Champs de Elyse. The first year anniversary traditional gift is paper. So I bought Harry a personalized study Bible and a writing utensil. Pen and paper for our first year anniversary. I was so proud of Harry….he tends to lose things. And for 6 years he has taken his pen to work and returned home with pen in hand. It was not until last fall, when at Chaplain school did the pen not make it home. He swears he has no clue what happened. “Maybe someone took it,” he sadly explains. Hard to believe an entire class of pastoral Chaplains, God-fearing men of the cloth would take Harry’s pen. But of course he could not have just lost it.
I may surprise him with a fake….if he loses it again…so what, it will not cause me such heartache this time. “Will it write? Maybe? For how long? No clue?”
Those are just a few of the items that fell into my line of vision. This weekend are the big markets….with the really good stuff…at least that is what I am told! We’ll see….
Thai food and a Thai massage. That ended our third day in Bangkok. Appetizing noodles. Full belly and off to the women of wonder. This trip I tried the back and foot massage. One only for the die-hard clientele. The first massage I have had that hurt the entire hour. Pain that takes you breath away. The kind of massage that literally makes breathing hard. Some much pressure on your back makes breathing labored to difficult. Knees and elbows on your lower and upper back. Arms pulling you until you feel you might lose a limb. Pressure and pain to your breaking point….and I LOVED IT! I was so relaxed afterwards I could barely walk out into the street. If my body allows I will try it again before I leave.
Harry, who had a foot massage, says he going to try the back breaker tomorrow. He thinks I am being dramatic….where would he get an idea like that??
Blessing from a very relaxed state,
Kristie
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