Koko – the best guide in Bangkok

Day 5: 3rd Oct, 2008

My last day in Bangkok. I had booked a tour for Grand Palace and The Royal Monastery of Emerald Buddha (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).

I met the most interesting and entertaining women in Thailand - Koko, our tour guide. She was packed with so much life and energy that it effused into the tour and transformed day 5 as the best day in Thailand.

The group was really international in mix – an Indian from Muscat, a Korean couple from KL, 2 girls and 2 guys from the Australian police, an African American from Boston and a Lebanese (honeymoon) couple from Dubai. Koko addressed each of us by our city names except the American guy – she called him chocolate.

En route to the Grand palace, she went on non-stop giving titbits on Thailand, thai culture etc…(10 million population in Bangkok, 5 million cars, 2 million cycles and 50,000 cycles. 95% Buddhist, 3% muslims and 1% greek Christians – no England Church. 44 alphabets in the Thai language, monks eat 2 meals a day and do not eat after 12 pm)

Our first stop was at the Reclining Buddha. A huge gold plated statue. Around the statue there were numerous offering cups and for 10 batts a bundle of coins are available to offer in each of the offering cups. I took a bndle of coins and prayed for a wish and offered the coins in each of the cups – close to a hundered cups.

The Australian lady police clicked a snap for me with the majestic ‘Reclining Buddha’ in the backdrop. She lived up to the reputation of police in GK by asking Koko, of the two statues which one was Marco and Polo (it was two separate statues of Marcopolo).

Koko never entertained questions as she was sure of her script and she knew the answers to those untimely questions would be addressed at a later stage.

I befriended the Indian guy and we both helped each other in clicking our respective snaps. He worked for Gulfar in Musact.

At the Grand Palace (built in 1782) we saw the Coronation Hall, the Royal residence, the Chedi where the remains of Buddha are kept and the temple of Emerald Buddha – carved from a blockof green jade and was first discovered in 1434in a stupa in Chiang Rai. At that time the image was covered with plaster and later a part of the plaster on the nose flaked off revealing the green stone underneath. Initially it was thought the stone was emerald and thus the legend of Emerald Buddha began.

I clicked a photo with Koko and promised to sent it to her hotmail.

On our way back there was stop at a Gem factory and outlet. Koko said ‘ you can buy ruby for your friends or secretaries from here….very cheap’ – taking a dig at the elder executives visiting Bangkok with their girl friends or secretaries.

My flight was at 6.30 pm so I left for the airport at 4 pm and for the first time in 4 days I got to know the traffic jams in Bangkok. The 10 minute drive to the highway took 45 minutes. Sensing the situation, my taxi driver re-negotiated the taxi rate and hiked it by another 100 batt – he lived up to the Bangkok taxi reputation: they are out to fleece the tourists at any given opportunity.

I reached Suvarnabhumi airport content of having a great trip and was already looking forward to my next. Not sure of the destination, I was thinking about the possible destinations. One thing was sure. It had to be Europe. After Turkey, Singapore, Srilanka and Thailand it was time for Europe. I walked into a book store at the Duty Free and found a book and my next destination too – Night Train to Lisbon.