![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ebbsbay.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20250124_193630328_HDR-1-300x225.jpg\")
Liz and I are sitting on plastic stools, at a folding table on the side of an alley, eating pad thai, and spicy stir fried squid with basil. It\u2019s delicious. Scooters and tuk-tuks rush by. A few doors further up, a Thai man strums a guitar, crooning Glen Campbell\u2019s \u201cLike a Rhinestone Cowboy\u201d. Welcome to Bangkok.<\/p>\n
The name Bangkok comes from two Thai words, Bang<\/em> \u2013 a village by the river and Makok<\/em> \u2013 a type of olive tree, literally a village with olives by the river. \u00a0But that\u2019s not the official name. Locals call the city \u201cKrung Thep\u201d. That\u2019s a shortened version of the name King Rama I gave it when the city became his capital in 1782. The full version is the longest place name in the world according to the Guinness book of records. It\u2019s a sentence actually. Translated it means, \u201cCity of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the King, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra’s behest\u201d.<\/p>\n Yes, Bangkok has big city problems, but things work<\/span> here. The streets are clean, the subway system is modern and efficient, neighbourhoods are walkable, delicious street food is everywhere and the traffic, while at times harrowing, still moves. I think the latter may have something to do with the deeply ingrained culture of courtesy. In fact, everyone we\u2019ve met so far has been unfailingly friendly and polite. Almost alarmingly so. Happiness abounds \u2013 the Thai word for bathroom is \u201chappy room\u201d and beer and alcohol in general is known as \u201chappy water\u201d.<\/p>\n Sunset on the hotel rooftop terrace has become a ritual for us. Mid-day temperatures are in the mid-30\u2019s and high humidity, but there is a lovely cool breeze in the evening. The lunar New Year is in a couple of days and the streets come alive in the evening. We love to sit on the terrace, watch the sunset, listen to the street noises drifting up from below, and then wander down to sample satay, prawns, noodles and all the many other delicacies offered by the local vendors.<\/p>\n And finally, we visited an ancient temple complex in Ayutthaya, an hour north of Bangkok. Even after centuries, there is a wonderful sense of calm that pervades the area. This head of the Buddha is about 700 years old. It was lost, buried under rubble for centuries. About 200 years ago a tree started to grow. The roots wrapped themselves around the head and slowly started to raise it up above the ground.<\/p>\n I’ve heard that a miracle is simply a totally unexpected event. This certainly qualifies. It struck a chord in me anyway. I’m not a Buddhist, but I lit some incense and a candle in the nearby temple and said a prayer. I’d do the same if it was a mosque. It never hurts to cover the bases.<\/p>\n I had a nice chat with a Thai gentleman later. We agreed that God\/the Creator\/the Essential reaches out and speaks to us in whatever voice we are able to hear. And all those who live and act in love are responding to that voice.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ebbsbay.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20250125_110300143_HDR-2-300x225.jpg\")
I know, it\u2019s confusing. But a village, Bangkok is not. Almost 20 million people live in the metropolitan area, about a quarter of Thailand\u2019s population. It suffers from many of the problems that afflict other megalopolises \u2013 poor air quality, traffic congestion, crowding, infrastructure issues\u2026 And yet, it\u2019s surprisingly comfortable place. At least that\u2019s our first impression.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ebbsbay.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20250122_203617566_HDR-1-225x300.jpg\")
Liz and I decided to arrive 4 days before the start of our first tour, to have a chance to get over the jet lag \u2013 it\u2019s a 12 hour time difference. Aside from adjusting our bio-clocks, we\u2019ve been getting to know the city and surrounding area.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ebbsbay.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20250123_110938390-300x225.jpg\")
A few highlights from our first few days: Of course, I had to visit the fire station closest to our hotel. They were of course, happy<\/strong> to receive me. The highlight was a Fire Motorcycle \u2013 a BMW GS900 with an SCBA strapped on the back seat, two pressure tanks and a hose reel on the back. Why the hell we have one of those on Toronto Fire??<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ebbsbay.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_20250124_092321731-1-300x225.jpg\")
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