Yes, still alive although I haven't posted in a while. Casey Zhang came to visit last week and Ray is here now, which means that I've spent and will spend quite some time doing the very most touristy things around Bangkok. That's okay, though, since I saved certain activities like the Grand Palace for these visits.
The Grand Palace, only a block away from Thammasat, is made up of the most beautifully ornate buildings I've ever seen (or will probably see). Each building is covered top to bottom with tiny pieces of glass, and each is smeared with gold leaf so that on both of the sunny, hot Thailand days I visited I was nearly blinded:
When Casey and I went she borrowed my school uniform and Meris' i.d. so that she could get in for free. Since the only thing Casey and Meris have in common is that they're Chinese, we weren't sure the palace guards would be fooled. We know that in the UNITED STATES if an Asian girl looks similar to another Asian girl an American probably wouldn't see the difference with a quick glance, but... we're in Asia. Fortunately, the Grand Palace guards scrutinized me much more than her anyway (although I tried to sooth them my speaking what little I know of Thai) and we got in just fine. The COOLEST part was that because we were in uniform and looked like "legit" students, we got to see where the princess is being kept.
I'm not sure if that's the word for it, actually. You see, she died on my fourth day here, January 2, but in accordance with Thai tradition the country will be in mourning at least until May. Her body is in what I think of as a beautiful stupa, although it's smaller than the kind I think of as "normal" and it's indoors. Every day, because Thammasat is so close to the Grand Palace, I see Thais walking around wearing all black, which means they are traveling to the Grand Palace to pay their respects to the princess. I've watched them come and go for so long I wanted to go, too.
Before I went to the Grand Palace (and probably because I took so long to get there, I got a lot of advice on what to do) I heard that if we - even as farang - wear our uniforms, we're allowed to pay our respects, too; as it turns out, that's true! Casey and I were a little perturbed by a sign that read "NO ENTRY" before the area of the palace we wanted to be in, but we walked in anyway, as I was informed was the correct thing to do. Even though I was in uniform and am technically not a tourist, I felt weird and a bit sneaky about the whole thing, and was glad I had Casey by my side. Even though it was her first time in Thailand, I felt like she made them question us less.
We made it through all the guards (although I nearly had a heart attack when they stopped us to tell us we needed to tuck in our shirts) and into the area where we were to be taken into see the princess. We took off our shoes in accordance with Thai respect customs and were shuttled in with about 20 other Thais, all dressed head to exposed toe in black. It was amazing. We were trying to be as stealth as possible at the back of the pack (almost impossible with my blond, curly hair) because we really didn't know what to do. When we got in a man was speaking in Thai and every now and then the Thais would bow. We were always about a second and a half late on that one. (I felt like I used to when I would go to church with a friend or a member of my extended family, and everyone in the congregation would know when to say "Amen," or "Thanks be to God," or whatever. Because I didn't grow up going to church, I was always a second late saying that sort of thing, but at least those sermons were in English. Since we were being spoken to in Thai, I had no hope.)
Eventually we all knelt toward the stupa (casket, I guess), and while we were hearing more about the princess, a guard came over to tell me I was sitting the wrong way. My feet were point back and to the left, when they needed to be pointed back and to the right. He tried to tell Casey in Thai, and when she didn't speak it back to him I was so afraid we had been caught. Instead, though, the guard was happy we were from America! As we were escorted out with the rest of the pack he asked us all about what we were doing here, and he was thrilled "we" (because Casey pretended) had chosen to study in Thailand. That's just what I love about Thais; instead of being put off that there are foreigners in their country they love it.
Even though I couldn't understand what was going on in the ceremony, and even though the casket was closed, paying my respects to the princess was one of the best experiences I've had so far in Thailand. Being with all Thais and experiencing something foreign tourists are actually restricted from seeing - especially such a solemn ceremony as it was - was pretty indescribable.
Since Ray has been here we've shopped and done the Grand Palace bit, too. We went to Bed Supperclub tonight, which is supposed to be the best club in Thailand, and I was only a little impressed. One of the rooms was very cool and was just what it sounded like - beds - but the club was smaller than any of the clubs on RCA (which are so nice they have actual live bands in the bathrooms, and in the men's bathrooms they have attendants to dish out massages... not fair). It was nice, but it wasn't the Bed Supperclub I had imagined. Tomorrow we're heading to Koh Samui, where I plan to take him to a ladyboy show, and then we'll ferry out to Koh Phangan for the full moon party the next day.
Please dear god don't let there be another election!!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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