Bangkok Trip Day 2
This morning we went to Ancient City which we got to by train to the last station and then a taxi ride the rest of the way. It's essentially this huge park where they had scaled-down versions of cultural landmarks and monuments. Best part about it - bikes!
Oh my gosh, I had forgotten how absolutely wonderful it was riding a bike. Even though the seat was uncomfortably tiny and low that my knees sometimes jabbed at my arms, and the bike a little wonky, and the sun was trying to burn off my skin, it was just a great feeling pedaling away (I definitely paid for it though, because my ass and legs were extra sore the next day). It immediately made me want to get a bike again once I get home. I remember my old pink unicorn one with beads on the spokes that made a noise every time I rode it. Oh, memories... If I could, I would've just biked around and around. You could either walk, borrow a free bike, or hire a golf buggy.
Anyway, the park itself was awesome. It was relatively empty so we were able to enjoy it at our own pace without disturbance. Lots of interesting stuff to see and stop at. We spent about five hours here as well and that's with us speeding through the last part of it because we were just spending a lot more time than anticipated there.
Afterwards we we went to two bookstores; Dasa Books, a lovely secondhand bookshop, and Kinokuniya, my favourite chain bookstore in Asia. Bought lots of books, unsurprisingly.
We went back to the hotel room for a bit to meet up with Sis#3 before going out to Siam Niramit, a Thailand cultural theatre show. There was a bit of frustration when none of the taxi drivers were willing to take us there, possibly because we had already made bookings which meant that they wouldn't be getting commissions for it. So in the end we just took the trains. Unfortunately, we arrived just when the show was about to start, so we didn't get to walk around taking pictures and such. And I read that you were able to sit on an elephant, too :(
We bought standard seats, but they put us in the pricier golden seats, which I didn't mind ;P Apparently it's one of the biggest stages in the world. The show was quite interesting. It felt like having your history book re-enacted in front of you, if you were studying Thai history, that is.
You know, I think that's a good idea. Like, perhaps in the beginning or end of a school year, schools can have a musical performance depicting whatever is taught within the history books. I always thought history was best enjoyed outside the classroom and I think seeing it like that would make students more interested in knowing the fuller story.
My favourite part was their depiction of 'Fiery Hell'. Now that was awesome. If I remembered correctly, the punishment for people who disrespected their parents had their heads repeatedly bashed in with a giant mallet, and adulterers had to climb a tree of thorns forever etc etc.
Audience participation, though. I'm more of a seer, not a doer. At one point the spotlight shined into audience, and I was like, 'ho humm...' before I realised that WAIT IT'S SHINING RIGHT ON US!!! Thankfully, it was the guy just behind me and he got to be part of this wonderfully funny musical segment. The next time, it was the person right in front of me! Whew. Saved. Until the ending segment. There were these flower floats with a lighted candle in the middle that they let loose on the part of the stage that depicted a river (Sis#3 was so confused as to how they managed to get all that water there) and some of the workers were making their way through the crowd with these tiny floats and I was one of those picked! So I just quickly made my way to the stage and put it down before going back to my seat as painlessly as possibly. I enjoyed the show, overall. Sis#3 found it boring. So. Different strokes.
//I've spent the past two days looking at cute bike pics. Definitely buying one. *nods nods*
Oh my gosh, I had forgotten how absolutely wonderful it was riding a bike. Even though the seat was uncomfortably tiny and low that my knees sometimes jabbed at my arms, and the bike a little wonky, and the sun was trying to burn off my skin, it was just a great feeling pedaling away (I definitely paid for it though, because my ass and legs were extra sore the next day). It immediately made me want to get a bike again once I get home. I remember my old pink unicorn one with beads on the spokes that made a noise every time I rode it. Oh, memories... If I could, I would've just biked around and around. You could either walk, borrow a free bike, or hire a golf buggy.
Anyway, the park itself was awesome. It was relatively empty so we were able to enjoy it at our own pace without disturbance. Lots of interesting stuff to see and stop at. We spent about five hours here as well and that's with us speeding through the last part of it because we were just spending a lot more time than anticipated there.
Afterwards we we went to two bookstores; Dasa Books, a lovely secondhand bookshop, and Kinokuniya, my favourite chain bookstore in Asia. Bought lots of books, unsurprisingly.
We went back to the hotel room for a bit to meet up with Sis#3 before going out to Siam Niramit, a Thailand cultural theatre show. There was a bit of frustration when none of the taxi drivers were willing to take us there, possibly because we had already made bookings which meant that they wouldn't be getting commissions for it. So in the end we just took the trains. Unfortunately, we arrived just when the show was about to start, so we didn't get to walk around taking pictures and such. And I read that you were able to sit on an elephant, too :(
We bought standard seats, but they put us in the pricier golden seats, which I didn't mind ;P Apparently it's one of the biggest stages in the world. The show was quite interesting. It felt like having your history book re-enacted in front of you, if you were studying Thai history, that is.
You know, I think that's a good idea. Like, perhaps in the beginning or end of a school year, schools can have a musical performance depicting whatever is taught within the history books. I always thought history was best enjoyed outside the classroom and I think seeing it like that would make students more interested in knowing the fuller story.
My favourite part was their depiction of 'Fiery Hell'. Now that was awesome. If I remembered correctly, the punishment for people who disrespected their parents had their heads repeatedly bashed in with a giant mallet, and adulterers had to climb a tree of thorns forever etc etc.
Audience participation, though. I'm more of a seer, not a doer. At one point the spotlight shined into audience, and I was like, 'ho humm...' before I realised that WAIT IT'S SHINING RIGHT ON US!!! Thankfully, it was the guy just behind me and he got to be part of this wonderfully funny musical segment. The next time, it was the person right in front of me! Whew. Saved. Until the ending segment. There were these flower floats with a lighted candle in the middle that they let loose on the part of the stage that depicted a river (Sis#3 was so confused as to how they managed to get all that water there) and some of the workers were making their way through the crowd with these tiny floats and I was one of those picked! So I just quickly made my way to the stage and put it down before going back to my seat as painlessly as possibly. I enjoyed the show, overall. Sis#3 found it boring. So. Different strokes.
//I've spent the past two days looking at cute bike pics. Definitely buying one. *nods nods*