Bangkok: Father's Day Part 1 The Arrival

Of the many things I wanted to cover in Bangkok,
Fathers day was one of them....
due to some serendipity,
whilst planning my first ever trip to Bangkok,
I discovered that it overlapped with the Kings birthday


even with my shallow knowledge of Thailand,
I knew he was such a revered leader,
and with good reason...
but for reasons unknown to me,
they also coincided Fathers day with the Kings birthday


even on the day of my arrival, the park behind the Grand Palace
was already being prepared for this grand event



so no one would fault me as I got up early on December 5th,
anticipating big things,
and I know I wouldn't be disappointed


Even before I arrived at the Grand Palace,
Everywhere was getting in the mood,
and the government was playing their part
 of getting the crowd in the mood

which was why

as I got held up by the enthusiastic crowd,

All I could see was the tri coloured flags

and people of all backgrounds

which is why the police had their hands full

just handling crowd control

as every devoted and loyal Thai

tried to position themselves

just to catch a glimpse of the King

as he passed by

As expected, I never made it to the Grand Palace

to witness the King as he made his appearance 

at the balcony....

nor would it be right for me to deprive the honour

from a loyal and devoted thai...

So instead I decided to just try and take it the scenes around me

It would be impossible for me to be able to put into words

the scenes as I witnessed

but these are a few highlights, just from the morning itself

First things to catch my eye...

was the soldiers dressed in British uniform...

someone will have to enlighten me,

because as limited as my history and geography is,

I'm very sure that Thailand was one of the few Asian countries

to never have been colonised...

so what gives?


Despite the reasons,

it is a sight to behold...

and the discipline they displayed

standing in the heat is worthy of respect

I'm not very clear on the next scene that greeted me

as I arrived at the park...

I'm guessing it is a religious event

but as usual I'm at a lost as to the significance

especially as to the use of the flowers

which in my limited understanding is used to cleanse 

or bless the devotee as water is sprinkled on their heads

and I was glad to see I was not the only one eager to grab a photo

There were many decorations around the park
like this huge Golden tree
(there was also a silver one)

I am not sure what is the purpose...

but I saw many thai's writing on its leaves...

of course I had no way of deciphering what it said

and it was not only the Thai's who were involved

there were of course well meaning foreigners

wanting to leave their mark on such an auspicious day

of course what is impossible to miss

are the well wishes of the devoted countrymen

for their beloved leader

whilst some were just glad to catch a glimpse 

in any way they could...

however I must say one of the most unusual

and unexpected meetings was with this group of bicyclist

who are cycling in the name of unity

and have started out a few weeks earlier

crossing many borders and countries

(including even Malaysia!)

carrying their flag proudly

to finally arrive here in Bangkok

and I guess this guy became 

some what of a celebrity for a similar purpose

as celebrations were in the air

whilst many laid out makeshift mats

others just came and relaxed nearby

I thought nothing of these big cement blocks with inscriptions

until I took a secod look and realised..

these were elephants!

on both sides! 

(see the head and the trunk?)

But soon the morning was drawing to a close,

as the King made his speech

and was set to leave with the royal family

however some were not ready to let it go so easily

and made a last effort to reach out and touch...

the royal car as it passed by

(think that's it.... cannot see much with the reflections)

All in all

it was a sensory overload...

and it was barely noon....

as I walked back to my room to recouperate

I wondered what the rest of the day held for me...