Bangkok, ovvero, per i Thai:
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit
(กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลก Phop Nopparat Burirom capital. Palace great place rich Amon Piman incarnation Vishnu mounted Sak Ka Mrigadat Tiya Prasit).
No Alpitour? Ahi ahi ahi ahi ahi...
Non sono abituato a fare il turista, un pò li odio i turisti, mi sembrano dei consumatori di posti, così come esistono i consumatori di libri e di cultura.
Ma approcciando la Thailandia per la prima volta, via Bangkok, e avendo in programma di starvi solo per 12 giorni, non potevo che farlo da turista.
Ben mi sta che abbia subito preso un paio di inculate degne di un turista di esperienza medio bassa.
Nella lobby del mio hotel, il Boonsiri Place , campeggia un cartello che dice di diffidare dei Tuk-Tuk che offrono giri della città a prezzi esageratamente bassi, perché faranno delle fermate a qualche negozio e presseranno all'inverosimile affinché tu acquisti.
Mi hanno beccato subito: passeggiavo il primo giorno un pò disorientato (Bangkok è una bolgia inquinata di 12 milioni di abitanti...) e un gentile Thai mi ferma chiedendomi dove stavo andando, e facendomi notare che il tempio di mia scelta - guarda caso - era chiuso a quell'ora. Mi offre quindi un giro in Tuk-Tuk verso altri templi, in attesa dell'ora di riapertura... Mi mostra una mappa per segnalarmi i templi da lui proposti, e vi inserisce anche una bella Thai Factory ... Salgo convinto di poter contrattare l'esclusione della factory, e ci riesco infatti, solo che la negoziazione mi costerà at the end of the original price of the tuk-tuk multiplied by 20 ...
The second is buggered the next day when, on waking from a nap during a long taxi ride to 120 km from the city, I do not resume in time for the bargain price of chartering a boat to take to visit the Floating Market . Consequence, sellers of souvenirs of the Floating Market have not been very successful in their persistent attempts to sell me something, because slowly recovering from the torpor, reply to all "I ran out of money in the boat !"... Tourist
you learn.
Napoletanità Thai
In downtown Bangkok, you can turn quiet, even at night. The risk of being robbed and attacked is very low. The risk of being fucked is instead much higher, as we have seen.
In Thailand, unlike the Philippines, begging is prohibited by law. Ergo, there are children who chase you with outstretched hand, but necessity is the mother of invention, and I happened to find bags of food for pigeons tucked under his arm ... In Khao San Road - a paradise for budget travelers - some blind women singing begging: you have to do something to get, are agree with King Bhumibol .
Land of Smiles?
be, but all these smiles I have not seen them, from arrival at the airport. Not that they're rude, but are accustomed to seeing too many tourists, this is the problem! There is also this anal behind the two previous years (yeah, I gnaw enough ): Not seeing all the smiles that I expected, I have placed me in an attitude of extreme openness. And then quickly use the barricades ...
Among other things, in Bangkok Thai women do not show at all that interest and curiosity towards the Farang Cebuane that have (and you already lost all traces in Manila): capital cities are the first to be contaminated. Although there are similarities in the shade of the color of skin, Cebuane generally seem more beautiful.
Mr. Pod Are you happy?
in Thailand seems to take much of the fact that you are happy (even after you have trimmed a package).
Among the few English phrases that you can understand without difficulty, there is certainly Are you happy? Buddhist teaching will be linked on the cessation of suffering? Detachment from material goods and easing the wallet? Surely
Mr. Siripod glad I did, a taxi driver pack leader (as it is that speaks better - so to speak - English) who spends his days together with two or three, in front of the hotel to stay, offering tourists the taxis available just for one day. E 'with him that I made the triad Floating Market (ahia. ..) - Tiger Temple - Elephant Trekking , of \u200b\u200bcourse - also for the fact that I was alone - a higher price than a guided tour, but in this case the price was fair (I checked!) el ' mutual happiness. With him also Bangkok -> Pattaya, 200 km to the sea.
The eye and the photo
Tourists, you know, make a lot of photos, not just the Japanese. Although I have not stolen and I've done quite a bit (then a lot of the blot, God save the Digital ).
Today's digital cameras also allow you to do some rudimentary video. The problem of the video, however - and I say things known here - is that there is a sequence of still images (although technically it is). The problem here is that video is rudimentary or limited resolution, the fact is that image captures a moment, and makes it everlasting - he said among others Roland Barthes, and I say, because I realized that taking photos at the bottom hope that at least some of them have the quality of petite madeleine of Proust: one day you look back to consciousness and all the excitement that surrounded that moment captured.
The video, on the contrary, require, if not the events, at least one story . The recovery will surely be fouled by unexpected entries, audio as well, and then it becomes necessary to carry out a task of post-production, editing, a dubbing and background music. No story, no mention is nothing at all and the result is simply disgusting.
Both instruments, photo and video camera, requiring a watching eye.
Then I take this opportunity to say a little something on the eyes, almond-shaped and otherwise.
Before the world is globalized, and even now really, until you take a friendly familiar with "Asians", we make it hard to distinguish a Chinese from a Japanese, a Filipino or a Thai. But a Chinese from a Thai, I would say. Obviously, the same is true for them: the cocks that can distinguish an Italian, a Frenchman, a German or an Englishman. The complexion, height, other elements of the face: after all eyes are : almond eyes = east, big eye, "ball" = West. The first thing we notice is the eyes, we look in the eye. Why? Why basically only the eyes are hollow, windows of the soul ...
Tiger Temple
circulating accusations and denials on the web about how these tigers are treated, the fact that they are doped for tourism or not. I can not judge, I can only refer to the site of the monastery (click on the 'Tiger Temple'). In this case, Google will not help you decide, you should spend time there in person. Known now that completely ignores the existence of alternative programs, such as breastfeeding puppies. It would be going back ...
Indigestion, but only Buddha
I wanted to see Buddhist temples, I have seen in packs. Buddha in every possible way, standing in the lotus position, lying and leaning on one elbow (symbolizing death).
Gold, frankincense, and ignorance. The beautiful temples visited by tourists are anything but places where Buddhism understand something: you could easily confuse it with a idolatry!
There are a few basic rules to be observed in Thailand (as well as non- disrespect to the royal family):
1) Do not point your feet towards the Buddha
2) Take off your shoes when entering a temple
3) Women must cover their backs and have long dresses or skirts to the knee at least until they enter in a temple. And coverage is provided if it is lacking
4) Women can not give anything directly to the monks, because they will not accept anything from the hands of a woman can only file the offer in the bowl, or on the ground in front of them
5) Never touch the head of Monaco.
The typical tourist, needless to say, it invariably violates any of them, especially the 1 and 3, and is immediately taken up by the attendants on duty.
Fortunately, indigestion are only Buddha.
In contrast to the Philippines, eating from street vendors who rained everywhere, it's pretty safe. So I said fifty Canadian of Italian descent on the first night I met and who lives in Bangkok with 500 Baht (12 € / day) for 3 ½ months. Spend little, enjoying the delicious Thai food, and you do not end up in hospital or in the toilet to vomit, as it happens (even to the premises) in Philip. At first nobody trusts, but a bit of courage does not hurt. There is also to say that I am a special case: My gut is pissed off since the days of panic, and the semi-diarrhea has become a habit for me everyday. Thus, beyond some Inflammation and excess gas, the differences are very small ... The real detector quality of food is not for me the gut, but stomach. I have an iron stomach, and when I take the vomiting, no fever or even vomiting, it means that in what I ate were happily grazing of cattle parasites. PS: Today I ate guts to stand, is the litmus test.
The climate and language
I found Bangkok to Cebu slightly cooler, less windy and more humid, On the other hand we are in the cool season ...
Going to the islands south and the cool season is practically nonexistent, is absorbed by the rainy season and leads directly into the hot season.
north instead, to Chiang Mai, now it's really chilly at night and early morning you can go down to almost 10 degrees. E 'for this reason, in addition to that I do not want or to take another plane, or make me a night on the train or bus (there are 700 km from Bangkok to Chiang Mai), the visit to the city in future I will stay at least a year studying Thai , is postponed.
The Thai language is a challenge that I liked a lot: the alphabet embroidered and indecipherable, the musicality of the five tones, 44 consonants and 32 vowels ... and, on the contrary, the English spoken by the Thai, who with all their consonants, can not pronounce the s , and it is not true that turning all r in the , as the Chinese often eliminate completely, because even with the difficult! And yet, there is no clear rule, the only sure thing is that it is very hard to understand them. Imagine how much patience they should have with a stranger who engages with Thai!
I hope to be among those in this life or the next.
Monday I headed to Pattaya - for reasons that Puttanaya imprescrutabili ... but I obviously I booked out of the pit, I have to go ahead with Proust! - For some sea, before returning to Cebu.
สวัสดี ( Sawat-dee)
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