TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD: Our Tales of Delights and Disasters Read Online Free PDF Page A

everywhere. Paying respect to the Buddha is part of the New Year’s celebration. At the Golden Mount, monks in orange said prayers over small groups of people and sprinkled them with a small broom dipped in water. Others carefully held a small piece of white paper that contained an even smaller (1 cm) square of gold foil. People kneeled in front of the Buddha and carefully placed the gold square on the statute. The statue was covered with tiny gold squares of paper. It looked like the Buddha was made of paper maché. Others burned incense, hung small bells, or strung banners of paper money like pendants. All were different types of offerings to the Buddha. We would see more in coming days. After stops at more temples, we were back on the boat headed home – sticky with sweat and weary. Mike headed for the sauna at the hotel, and I headed back to the massage shop for a full-body massage (an extravagant $35).
     
    We finally made it to the Grand Palace the next morning, hired a guide, and prepared to enter the Palace grounds. But first, we had to be appropriately attired, which we weren’t. We were in shorts, which were not acceptable. Fortunately, the guides are prepared with skirts and pants. Perfect – well, accept they weren’t the most stylish. My skirt was a tie-dyed rainbow. Mike had drawstring, balloon pants that, well, ballooned. The ensemble effect was rather unfortunate. There was nothing to do but laugh, put them on, and pose for fashion photos.
     
    We entered the grounds to an explosion of color and glitter. The temple was covered in bits of blue, red and gold tiles that gleamed and sparkled in the sun. Roof lines ended with a graceful bird head while a serpent – the protector of the Thai King – wound down the eaves. We saw the emerald Buddha (it’s actually jade) which was wearing his winter outfit (he has an outfit for each season – winter, summer and rainy), a cloak of woven gold. Dazzling. We saw the Palace, which is a shocking contradiction. The building was constructed by King Rama V, who traveled in Europe and brought back European architecture. The first two floors were an understated English design but on top was a multi-colored Thai roof with its swooping, extravagant lines. A pavilion was in front where the King was carried after his coronation. Next to it was a place to tie up the elephants – an elephant hitching post.
     
    Our next stop was Wat Pho. “Wat” means “temple,” and there are “wats” everywhere. Wat Pho is famous for the enormous reclining Buddha. Long and gold, he looks peaceful lying with his head on two ornate cushions. We snapped photos, and walked around the complex filled with giant statues sporting a variety of postures and expressions. Tiring from the heat, Mike and I caught the boat back to our hotel and yet another massage. This one was a foot and back massage. It was a perfect way to end a day of walking in the heat, humidity and smog.
     
    The streets by the hotel were lined with tailor shops. Custom-made suits and dresses are a specialty and they were embarrassingly cheap. Mike took advantage of the opportunity and had a coat and trousers made. They gave him a custom-made shirt for the same price. They took measurements and asked for a deposit but we were short some of the cash and had to run over to the hotel. By the time we got back – fifteen minutes later – they had cut out the suit coat and did his first fitting. That was with no deposit and within minutes of the order. Crazy.
     
    One thing that is remarkably common in Thailand, Egypt and Turkey is the recognition of Barak Obama. Taxi drivers, tour guides, tuk-tuk drivers and hotel staff ask where we’re from. We tell them that we live in the U.S. near Washington, D.C. “Oh,” they say, “Barak Obama! He a good president.” One taxi driver in Bangkok said, “His skin the same color as mine!” The level of recognition and respect that he commands in this part of the world is