I was in Bangkok last week on a holiday. I had a good time walking down the streets, exploring the many temples (known as "wats" in Thailand) and of course, shopping. The amazing thing about Bangkok is that for all its crowds and dust and noise, there are so many pockets of calm and serenity, where you can leave all that noise behind.

One thing I like about traveling alone is that I seem to get to meet many interesting people that way. I was attending the guided tour at the National Museum in Bangkok, and one of the other participants was actually a professor of engineering at the Institute of Technology at Madras in India. He turned out to have in-depth knowledge of Hinduism and contributed greatly to the tour as he gave insights on Hindu mythology and history. This is particularly insightful since Buddhism and Hinduism have many elements in common, and Thai Buddhism, in particular, has a lot of Hindu elements. After the tour, we had a discussion over cold drinks on the history of Hinduism, religion in general, how religion develops over time, the relationship between science and the supernatural etc etc. All in all a very interesting encounter and one which I do not think I will have if I have a companion with me at that time.

I also an encounter with a nun at Wat Rakang which left me rather bemused. Wat Rakang is not, to my knowledge, a tourist attraction. However, I decided to visit it because I heard that it is a centre of religious learning. At the entrance to the wat was a white-robed nun, who was selling fish food and bread. She speaks no English, and I speak no Thai, and it seems to be impossible for us to communicate. Suddenly, she started speaking in Teochew, which I have a passing knowledge of, though I am sorely out of practice since it is a language I have hardly used since the death of my grandparents. However, it worked, and we managed to understand each other - who ever thought that Teochew will become a language of communication for me and a Thai? And what on earth possessed her to have the insight to speak to me in Teochew?

My favourite wat, though, must be Wat Pho, which has many hidden nooks and crannies waiting to be explored. I sat on a bench watching some of the boys at the temple school playing football, clambered up the stairway of a chedi (dedicated to King Mongkut) and sat on there for an hour or so, observing the monks and the occasional tourist passing by below me, while soaking in the atmosphere and organizing my thoughts. Wat Rakang, where the music of the wind chimes fill the air, soothing and calming one's frayed nerves, is another favourite. Wat Arun, covered with Chinese porcelain, has its own unique beauty, especially when bathed in the light of the setting sun.

There are other interesting encounters too, such as the Thai hawker who, thinking I am a Thai, started speaking in rapid Thai to me when I tried to purchase a bottle of fresh orange juice from her, and the family relaxing at Chatuchak Park, who kindly offered me a mat to sit on when I decided to rest under a nearby tree and whose young son cautiously approached me, only to run away to hide behind a tree when I smiled at him. And there was this group of boys, who seeing a lost tourist with a map, approached me on their own initiative and provided me with directions to the Golden Mount and who were shocked when they realised I intended to walk there. And how can I forget the embarrassed grin that a tourist (French I think) flashed when I burst out giggling - we were in the National Museum shop, and I had just made a purchase - The Origin of Thai Art (interesting book by the way) - and he approached the counter with a cheery "Hi!" - the three counter girls, acting as one, chorused back, using exactly the same tone - "Hi!". The effect was so comical!

All in all, a really fun trip! I'll put the photos up when I get around to developing the film!