FLY IN AND JOIN THE ANGELS - - - Allan Rogers visits THAILAND© Bangkok is known to the Thais as "The City of Angels" but I that has more to do with the presence of many temples than it having more than its fair share of outstandingly beautiful girls.

I imagined Thailand as a land of colourful temples, with dragons lurking in the hills. I was half right.

I saw the first of the temples just before the plane touched down. They glinted in the sun beside water that sparkled in the rice fields. It was magic.

The journey into Bangkok revealed another picture. It was humid, dusty and one great traffic jam.

We gazed at crowded busses bearing strange lettering. There were odd three wheeled vehicles and trucks with giant umbrellas on the back.

But what I found strangest of all was the crowds of happy smiling faces. Forget road rage, Agression is not in the nature of the Thais. The din of horns and traffic might have been deafening but out of their cars you find that they are polite gentle people who speak in soft voices.

Bangkok is known to the Thais as Krung Thep,
which means "City of Angels" I think that has more to do with the presence of many temples than the place having more than its fair share of outstandingly beautiful girls.

As to getting about, the idea of driving a rental car is not really practical, you are best to settle for a taxi.

The odd, little three wheelers are called "tuk-tuks" and can be fun to travel in, that is if you enjoy the thought of riding on what seems like asmall wobbly couch on the back of a motor bike. They are cheap but perhaps best for only short distances, otherwise stick to the regular taxis.

Another way of getting around is on the long tailed boats that ply on the Chaophraya River. These along with the shuttle ferries provide a fast and agreeable way of travel with with the bonus of a built in breeze.

 

It is certainly worth getting afloat and exploring the "klongs," the canals which cut through the sprawling suburbs.

Organised tours include, The Emerald Budda Temple, The Grand Palace, and opposite it Wat Arn, The Temple of Dawn.

Also popular are tours to the old capital city of Ayutthaya, The River Kwai and nearer to hand The Floating Market, where people who live on the water trade from little sampan boats.

There women in straw hats paddle backwards and forwards in little craft loaded with everything from bananas to sprots.

You take a fast boat to get there and along the way get smiles and waves from children who dive from houses raised on poles above the water.

It is a real life market but nearby, and specially created for the tourist is The Rose Garden Cultural Show which presents scenes from Thai village life.

It includes a village wedding, traditional dances and elephants at work. There is even a display of Thai style kick boxing and if you dont get a kick out of that you can always slide into the snake show. It includes a deadly duel between a cobra and a mongoose. Needless to say, poor old hissing sid" hasn't got a chance.

Now if all this seems cruel and likely to depress you, then the antidote is to be found outside in the temples. There you are offered a small bird in a wooden cage. No. It is not a packed lunch. It is presented with the sole purpose of making you feel good when you open the cage and give the little bird its freedom. Ahh!

There are literally hundreds of temples and one of the most impressive is Wat Trimitr with its golden Buddha.

There is another one at Wat Po, where you find the collossal "Recining Buddha." He is nearly 50ft high and is usually surrounded by novice monks in bright saffron robes while an international crowd mill around dropping donations into cups.

Wat Po is the oldest monestary on Bangkok and the other major attraction is the spectacular grand palace.

After spending part of their time in Bangkok most visitors head for one of the seaside resorts. Pattaya with its palm fringed beaches is only two hours drive south east of the city and well worth the trip.

Report by Allan Rogers