- July 17-19, 2024, Wednesday to Saturday.
- I really really missed Thailand and I'm glad I had the chance to go back after 8 years! My third time in Thailand was a work trip; I had to present a paper at a conference held at Mahidol University on the Indian diaspora in Asia.
- After arriving in Bangkok on the 17th, I immediately checked in the hotel provided by the conference in Nakhon Pathom (the province right beside Bangkok), and immediately set out to inhale some Bangkok air! My first agenda was to visit Bangkok's "Little India", a neighborhood called Phahurat/Pahurat. It is closest to Sam Yot MRT station, though these days, getting a Grab in Bangkok is not only cheap, but comfortable too (compared to the Philippines, the same price can go twice as far in Bangkok more or less; traffic is far better there too!).
- I passed by some notable establishments in the area, including Old Siam Plaza mall and its Siamese-European architecture, and Nightingale-Olympic department store. I wandered the streets of Phahurat, and realized that this is one of the places to buy Thai traditional costumes and accessories.
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| Old Siam Plaza, opened in 1993. The site used to be an old market. |
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| The ground level was made to replicate a market. |
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| Not the biggest fan of mango sticky rice, but I guess it is a must in Thailand. |
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| Nightingal-Olympic, the oldest department store in Thailand. It opened officially in the 1960s, but its earlier incarnation opened in the 1930s. |
- I later ventured to the Sri Guru Sabha Gurudwara, opened in 1981, though its roots go as far back as the 1910s when the first Indian Sikhs went to live in Bangkok.
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| Gurudwara facade. |
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| Main prayer hall. |
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| Facade from across the street. |
- I also peeked inside India Emporium beside the gurudwara, a mall that sells Indian clothes, accessories, and fabric. It is a modest-looking mall with great finds!
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| Inside India Emporium. |
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| Mall facade. |
- From the gurudwara, I walked a few blocks to Yaowarat, at least the part closest to Phahurat, and looked around Wat Chakkrawat Rachawat Woramahawihan (Wat Chakkrawat for short). It was built probably in the 1700s, and is not only known for its golden Buddha in the ordination hall, but also its crocodile pond based on a legend concerning a wild man-eating crocodile that was caught and taken care of in the temple.
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| One of the smaller halls. |
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| At the ordination hall, overlooking the other halls. |
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| Outside the ordination hall. |
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| At the courtyard. |
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| Real crocodiles at the pond. |
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| The ornate ordination hall (I actually had to take a photo of this on another day since the hall was already closed when I first visited the temple.) |
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| Such detail! |
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| Golden Buddha. |
- I was so tired from all the walking in Bangkok's humid heat that I had to return to the hotel afterwards to cool off and work on my research. (Honestly, this was one hectic trip!) At least I was able to maximize whatever time and energy I had on my first day!
- The next days were devoted to the Indian Diaspora in Asia conference in Mahidol University. I appreciated Mahidol's campus: it's really big but cozy, or maybe that's just the building where we had the conference. I presented a paper on how Indians in the Philippines use malls for their cultural events - and what malls mean to the Philippine society.
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| Conference ready, with my new Indian vest from Phahurat! |
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| At the Prince Mahidol Hall, one of the newest buildings in Mahidol University, built in 2014. It was patterned after the United Nations building in Bangkok. |
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| This was one of the snacks prepared in the conference. I initially thought it was something like tanghulu, but the outer coating is like jelly with the sweet mung beans inside. |
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| Mahidol University is home to some....wildlife. This is one of the few monitor lizards I saw on campus. I don't know why it's carrying a stick. |
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| Dressed nicely for the day, and at the same spot. It was the day I was presenting. Coincidentally, it was also my mom's birthday. I wore the colors of the flag of India because of the conference, but the shawl and my necklace are Thai, honoring the location of the conference. (Yes I really thought that out.) |
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| Conference ready once more. |
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| My conference presentation. think I did a good job. |
- I had an eventful first few days in Thailand, and I couldn't believe how time flew so fast because of my hectic schedule (+ other work after going back to the hotel). However, this was just the start of many things to experience in Bangkok!
- Check out my other adventures for this Thailand trip!
Part 2 (Nakhon Pathom): here
Part 3 (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Kudeejeen): here
Part 4 (Chinatown, Wat Saket, Giant Swing): here
Part 5 (Ancient City, Erawan Museum, Terminal 21): here
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