Bangkok : curiosidades / curiosities

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Las 7 de la maÑana y ya estamos en la calle. Asi no hace tanto calor.

Algunas curiosidades:

- el alfabeto tailandes tiene 44 consonantes y 22. Vocales

- Wa son 2 metros cuadrados, asi una casa de 50 wa son 100 metros cuadrados y cuestan unos 100.000 euros

- El salario media son 250 euros

- Monarquia Democratica como en España, Phumiphol es el rey de 84 a que hace mas o menos lo mismo que JuanCarlos. Es el 9 de la dinastia Rama ( nombre en Thai Chakri ) y dicen que el 9 trae suerte. La gente lo quiere mucho y no lo dejan que abdique en su hijo que tiene 58 a.

- El Buda que tiene la mano derecha sobre la pierna con los dedos hacia abajo significa victoria sobre dragon mara.

- la jerarquia budista es:
1ero Buda, con una punta en la cabeza que significa iluminaciom

2ndo Dioses hinduistas

3ero Espirtus

4to Hombres— los ultimos de la fila

- Thailandia nunca ha estado invadida por ningun pais europeo

- Se conduce por la izquierda porque el primer coche lo trajo un arquitecto ingles.

Continuara…

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7 am and already on the road. Later it gets too hot

Some curiosities

- The thai alphabet has 44 consonants and 22 vowels

- Wa are 2 sq meters, so a house that has 50 wa has 100 sq meters and costs 100.000 euros

- average salary 250 euros

- democratic monarchy as in Spain, Phumiphol is the 84 year old king who does more or less the same as JuanCarlos. He is the 9th of the Rama dinasty ( Chakri in Thai ). People like him a lot and won’t let him abdicate in favor of his 58 year old son.

- Buddha who has the right hand over the leg with the fingers pointing down means victory over the devil Mara.

- Buddhist hierarchy:

1st Buddha, with a point in the head which means ilumination

2nd Hinduist Gods

3rd spirits

4th men…the last of the row!

- Thailand has never been invaded by any European country.

- They drive on the left because the first car was introduced by an Englosh architect

….To be continued

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Bangkok – 2do día / 2nd day

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Hoy ha sido un dia largo y bonito, dedicado a Buddha y los palacios reales. Tras un desayuno con muuuucha fruta tropical a las 9 ya hemos salido del hotel a adentrarnos al trafico caotico de esta ciudad. No se quien gana, si Estambul o Bangkok!!

Nuestra primera parada ha sido en el templo Witthayaram para ver el buda de oro Sukothai…si si..de oro puro! Es impresionante! Lo curioso es que al fabricarse hace 700 años se cubrió de arcilla para preservarlo de los enemigos de la epoca y fue solo durante el año 1955 que al trasladarlo a otro edificio se rompio la arcilla y se descubrio que era de oro. Es bonita ver la veneracion con flores blancas y amarillas y ropas para los monges.

El segundo buda que hemos visto, el mas popular es el buda esmeralda, mucho mas pequeño que en realidad es de jade. Se llama Wat Phra Kaew. Lo curioso que en funcion de la estacion del año el rey le cambia de ropa…bueno ahora el hijo del rey que el rey esta muy mayor.

El tercer buda, el buda reclinado es increible, mide 46m de largo y 15 de alto pero lo que mas impresiona es el templo en el que está, el Wat Pho, que tambien contiene 394 imagenes de Budhas! El buda reclinado me recordaba insistentemente a Gulliver.

Podria seguir hablando del Palacio Real, pero es para verlo.

Despues hemos comido algo, hemos descansado en el hotel y por la noche hemos ido a dar una vuelta por el supuesto mercado de vicio y perversion, el Pah Pong…pero vamos, un mercadillo.

Mañana escribiré sobre curiosidades que es lo que realmente vale la pena cuando uno viaja!

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Todat has been and long but nice day basically dedicated to Buddha and the Grand Palace. After a nice breakfast with lotssssss of tropical food, at 9 we left the hotel to confront ourselves with th chaotic traffic of this city. I don’t know which is worst, Istanbul or Bangkok!

Our first stop has been at the Witthayarm temple to see the golden Sukhotai Buddha. Impressive!! Its pure gold and huge. The interesting story is that it was made 700 years ago and covered with plaster to hide it from the enemies of the time, and it was not until the year 1955 that while moving it in a crane ( weighs 4 tons ) the plaster was broken and then everyone realized it was gold. It’s also very nice to see the people worshiping and offering yellow and white flowers and dresses for the monks.

Our next stop has been to see the Emerald Buddha which is made of jade. It is called Wat Phra Kaew, and at the beggining of each season the king dresses him with the appropiate clothing ( well, now the prince since the king is quite old ). Now he wears winter clothes.

The 3rd large buddha of the day has been the reclined Buddha which is 46 meters long and 15 high, but I have really like the temple where this one is, Wat Pho, which is beatiful and contains 394 images of Buddha!

I could keep on writting about the Grand Palace but it’s huge.

Afterwards we had Pad Thai for lunch, we rested a bit, and took a walk along the supposedly area of vice and perversion called Pah Pong but it just remainded me of a big bargain market!

Tomorrow I will write about curiosities, which is what is reall worth when travelling.

Enviado desde dispositivo movil.Sent with a mobile device.

Bangkok – Primera noche / First night

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Entre maletas, aduanas, transporte y checkin llegamos al hotel sobre las 6 de la tarde, con la agradable sorpresa que el hotel nos obsequiaba con un descuento considerable en el SPA y una cena. Que maravilla!!!

Despu’es de dejar las maletas y descubrir que nuestra habitaci’on esta en el piso 25 y que mi antes temor a los pisos ha desaparecido, decidi aprovecharme de la oferta del spa. Lujo asiatico nunca mejor dicho. Creo que me dieron ayer uno de los mejores masajes de mi vida !! Como me habian avisado que los masajes thailandeses puede ser como una lucha cuerpo a cuerpo, repet’i hasta la saciedad que queria un masaje RELAJANTE, y lo consegui.

Mi terapeuta me llevo por unos largos pasillos decorados con flores, agua y velas a una habitacion con una camilla. Despues me dio a probar diferentes aromas para que probara y luego durante uan hora y media toque el cielo…tanto que me quede totalmente dormida y el hombre me tuvo que avisar de que ya habia acabado. Supongo que ronque a mas no roncar, pero que gusto!!

Luego fuimos a cenar a la terraza del hotel y sentimos en nuestro propio cuerpo la humedad de esta ciudad. La cena ofrecida era un largo menu de especialidades todas muy buenas y con la ventaja que a la luz de la vela no veiamos lo que comiamos    Excepto un plato que de pescado el resto tenia un picante aceptable. Aqui tambien se impera la lei del no fumador, aunque estes al ire libre..pero con una salvedad – no hay mesas para fumadores mientras cenas, pero si mesas para fumadores si solo quierse tomar un cafe!

Tras la opipara cena Thai y el aroma masaje una servidora quedo totalmente frita como un tronco!…y hasta las 7.30 de hoy, dia de Reyes!!

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After picking up our baggages, going trough customs, changing currency and transportation we finall got the hotel at 6 pm. We had a surprise welcome champagne, and a free dinner voucher as well as a significant discount for a massage in the Spa zone. How wonderful!!!

We went to our room, located in floor 25 and I discovered that my fear to high floors and therefore elevators has dissapeared. Good for me!  I was not very tired from the plane but my back was killing me since yesterday so I decide to use the voucher and go for a massage. As we say in Spanish – “asiatic luxury” . Wow, I think this has been one of the best massages I have ever received. I was told that sometimes Thai massages are like full body contact fights so I repeated once and again that I wanted a ‘relaxing’ massage and I got it.

My male therapist walked me over to the cabin through long corridors nicely decorated with candles, water and candles. There were sounds of birds and relaxing music all over the place. Once in the cabin, he made me chose the oil that I liked and then he started with the massageand during an hour and a half I was in heaven. It was soooo relaxing I slept most of the time. He had to wake me up to tell me he was done.  I probably snored..but..who cares!

Afterwards we went to the Terrace Restaurant for our complimentary dinner and we felt in our body the meaning of the word humidity. The complimentary dinner was a long menu with different specialities and with the advantage that just with a candle light you couldnt really sea what you were eating, but it was delicious! All except one of the dishes were mildly hot.

Bangkok has also this law that doesnt allow you to smoke in restaurants, even if they are outside, …apparently because there were no smoking tables were you could eat, but next to them tables were you could have a coffee and smoke. No difference between them.

Aqui tambien se impera la lei del no fumador, aunque estes al ire libre..pero con una salvedad – no hay mesas para fumadores mientras cenas, pero si mesas para fumadores si solo quierse tomar un cafe!

After a great flight, a wonderful  massage, and a tasty meal, needles to say I dropeed dead on the bed until today at 7.30!!