ICU: Bangkok Trip
On the trip to Bangkok on February 26, we took the overnight train which took approximately 12 to 13 hours ride. We stayed in the Bangkok Christian guest house which was next to the red light district area. We got there at 8 am on Wednesday morning and after a quick shower and breakfast, we took a sky train for the city tour on the boat. Although I was really excited to go on a boat tour, I was really exhausted so I was kind of falling asleep during the middle of the tour. Also I felt like it was a little long and hot for me to relax but I did it for the most part. After having lunch, we went to Siam museum. I really enjoyed this place because it has something unique to it, for instance one of the divided sections was about the formation of Thailand and what made it Thailand. Another section was how Thailand is today; people’s daily lives such as farming, trading etc. However, since I was so exhausted, I ended up falling asleep in one of the rooms with microphones and am pretty sure it was giving the history about Thailand but since it was Thai, I couldn’t understand it so it made it easier for me to fall asleep. Despite short nap, I really enjoyed all the different sections they had. The day was exhausting but it was quiet fun
Early on Thursday morning, we visited Duang Prateep Foundation. It is an NGO that works with kids who live in the slums, they provide education and any type of support they can. After listening to a presentation about the foundation, we headed over to the kindergarten section and played around with the kids for 15 minutes or so and we had a tour to the slums area where the people in the community lived. It was quite disturbing but a reality check for everyone because we got to see that not everyone in Bangkok lives a nice and relaxing life. After having lunch together as a group, we headed over to the Bangkok Refugee Center. As it was emphasize that the place was not a refugee camp but a refugee center. A place where asylum seekers and refugees from all over the world such as Somalia, China Lao, and Congo came for help through an organization called United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These people are practically considered as statelessness because they cannot go back to their country due either been banned or their safety due to war. Though they reside in Thailand, they are not considered as Thai citizens, so they have to be careful about the police. This day was very interesting; it was nice seeing little kids in the slums getting education which will always get them far but walking through the slums made it a bit depressing yet an eye opener for me. Going to the refugee center made me a bit sad because I couldn’t imagine what they are going through knowing that they have no written documents that signify their home.
We had the democracy tour with Dr. Paul Chambers on Friday morning. We visited different historical sites such as a monument for democracy and the absolute monarchy in Thailand. We also went to Thamasat University to see where the students were massacred during October 1976; we then saw the elevator in which the students were trapped in. After launch, we went to Wat Phra Kaeo to see the Emerald Buddha. I really enjoyed this part of the trip because I got to see the mixture of Buddhism, Brahmanism and kingship in there. With the Emerald Buddha well kept in a sacred room, there were murals of Ramayana all over the Wat. Since we had Ajan Rebecca with us on the trip, she explained most of structures and others things in the Wat to us.
Saturday was for us to do whatever we wanted until 6:00 pm which was the time we had to depart to Chiang Mai. Kathy, Laura, Bintu and I went to the JJ market early in the morning since it got so hot during the afternoon. We then went to the Siam shopping center which was extremely huge. We then took the sky train back to the guest house where we took our luggage and headed to the train station. Seeing Bangkok, it reminded of New York City, with the big buildings and public transportation; I felt as though Bangkok has lost its traditional essence. Am actually glad that our program is based in Chiang Mai; it gives me a very good understanding of the real Thailand and their traditions.
