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By Bonnie Bartel Latino

Columnist

Gracious beautiful people; historic sites; bustling street culture; sunset cocktails on “long-tail” boats as they explore a maze of klongs (canals); tropical flowers, especially orchids of every hue; Buddhist monks wearing saffron-colored robes; amazing food, and lovely hotels are a few of the many things Tom and I discovered in and near Bangkok.
Readers who missed last week’s column will also want to read my first installment about our 1974 vacation from Guam to Bangkok. The week we spent in Thailand has become a blur of color, smiling people and activities galore.
Let’s begin with The Grand Palace that, since 1782 has been the home and offices of the Kings of Siam (later Thailand). It is nothing like Buckingham Palace or any other Royal Residence avid travelers may have seen in Europe or Scandinavia. The area, which is the heart of Bangkok, encompasses many acres of landscaped gardens, courtyards, temples, shrines and gigantic stone warriors standing guard. All this right in the heart of the city. The architecture is literally palatial with a multitude of glimmering gold buildings. The interior of those gilded buildings are nothing short of spectacular.
The number one attraction of the Grand Palace is The Emerald Buddha. Their website (link below) describes it best: “The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is purpose-built to house a figurine of the meditating Buddha seated in a yogic posture. Carved from a single solid piece of green jade and adorned with gold and diamonds, the statue is placed high above the heads of (Thai) worshipers and tourists as a sign of respect and honor.
While only 26-inches in height, The cultural and religious stature of the Emerald Buddha is virtually unlimited. One belief is that the meditating Buddha was discovered in a Buddhist Monastery located within a bamboo forest in Northern Thailand in 1434. The tiny Buddha receives costume changes according to Thailand’s seasons: Cool, hot and rainy. It is so sacred that only the king himself is allowed to make those changes.
To see pictures of the magnificent Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha visit https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Products-g293916-d317603-The_Grand_Palace-Bangkok.html and https://www.emerald-buddha.com/emerald-buddha.
South of the Grand Palace on Rattanakosin Island stands the famous Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), which is a top-grade Royal Monastery. The gilded gold resting Buddha, built in the eighteenth century, is memorable because it’s 151-feet long and surrounded by an additional 1000 Buddhas.
Tourists fortunate enough to visit the Emerald Buddha and/or the Reclining Buddha, should dress modestly. Even though Westerners may feel as if we are in a museum, visitors should be mindful to dress and act with personal dignity and respect as if visiting revered religious shrines in our own Christian churches.
The day I enjoyed most was to a Thai Culture Center. We watched time-honored (female) Thai dancers in exotic and colorful traditional costumes. Think of the movie “The King and I.” (Literary buffs will want to research the history of Anna and the King, the 1940s novel, which is still banned in Thailand, was based on the memories of the governess to the children of King Mogkut of Siam in the early 1860s.)
At the Cultural Center, we also watched a Thai kick-boxing exhibition and Thai sword fighting, plus a demonstration of working elephants. There were two highlights for me. I loved the Thai dancers so dramatic in their facial expression and ornate costumes from ancient times. The accompanying male musicians, seated behind the dancers, were energetic and fun to watch. Of course, one of us had to ride an elephant. Readers who know Tom and me, understand that it was not Tom Latino.
Another day we toured the ancient city of Ayutthaya, only 50-miles north of Bangkok, for a sense of old Siam’s history. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, their website provides a thumbnail history. Ayutthaya was founded around 1350 as the second Siamese capital until the 18th century when the Burmese destroyed it. Since rebuilt, its prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries provide glimpse of the past splendor. To me, it felt as mysterious as it was beautiful.
Our favorite restaurant was the fabled Nick’s Number One. The concierge at the Siam Intercontinental Hotel made our dinner reservations. On our last night, the front desk called a taxi for us. We had no idea where the restaurant was. As our driver drove farther and farther from Bangkok city center, Tom thought we were being scammed or kidnapped. Eventually we arrived at Nick’s, a well-known steak house since the 1950s. The restaurant looked dark, but there were cars parked on both sides. The taxi driver took our fare from Tom and drove off. Tom thought the place looked haunted. Never mind, we went in anyway.
An online travel blogger described the dark restaurant as reminiscent of Casa Blanca. I agree. We were quickly seated and handed menus. Although the owner Nick DeWolf was Hungarian, the menus were in Thai. Not to worry. A late middle-aged man with silver hair and wearing a dinner jacket rolled up to our table in a wheelchair. When he offered to help us with the menu, I blurted out on a hunch, “Are you Nick?” Indeed, he was. That night we had the best steaks we’d had since eating a filet mignon in Atmore at Bill Bartel’s table. Nick’s Kobe Beef steaks proved as delicious as they were legendary.
Thanks to Tom Latino for insisting we visit a new place, a new culture, rather than return to Hong Kong. We shall never forget either trip.

Due to medical issues and knee surgery, this will be Bonnie Latino’s last column until June 4.