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Newsletter #14 - September 18-24, 1959 |
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Newsletter No. 14
September 18, 1959 to September 25, 1959 Mailed from Union of Burma on September 28, 1959 Received in Wilmington, Delaware on October 5, 1959 Sawat Dee (Good morning in Thai language), [September 19] Here we are in Siem Reap, Cambodia after a smooth flight via Thai Airlines. As usual, we spent most of our air time filling out forms and eating. During the last half hour of our flight, we saw the basin of the Great Lake or Tonle Sap and it seemed as if the waters were over everything and quite muddy waters at that. These waters drain the plain and fertilize the soil with alluvial deposits. The plain is separated from the sea by the Cardamom Mountains which we crossed. Cambodia is a monarchy and its sovereigns are His Majesty and Her Majesty. Their constitution is said to be one of the most democratic in the world. Sixty-two members comprise their National Assembly. Since 1950, Cambodia has been a member of the United Nations. The Cambodian people are proud, but peaceful and tolerant and most hospitable. I just adored the elderly gentleman who was manager of Hotel Sukalay in Phom Penh and joked with him as he understood and could speak some English. When we left to go to the airport, I made quite a "to-do"! by my farewells. Meredith makes so many friends due to his interest in cameras and the people are quite interested in his electronic flash equipment. This is because most of these people see very little of this type of equipment and just cluster about him in wonder and awe. He talks to them and they answer in their language even though neither knows what's been said. The usual giggling ensues these conversations and this we receive in every country. Our hotel in Siem Reap is a mess and the hotel management has everyone over a barrel as this is the only place to sleep or eat. [September 20] On Sunday we took a motorcycle with a carriage for two behind it to visit the famous architectural wonders of ornamental monuments, temples and palaces. These structures have towers as high as 200 feet which you can climb rock by rock. Khmer warrior kings built these artistic sites more than 1,000 years ago when the Hindu-Buddhist civilization flourished. These ruins were hidden by jungle until recently when they were rediscovered within the last century. They are still in the process of being restored. The ruins are considered a very great tourist attraction and to be one of the seven wonders of the world. When you view these brick and sandstone monuments from |
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from the majestic Angkor Wat (a huge temple) in Angkor Thom (ancient capital city of Cambodia) looking to the Grand and Petit Circuit, they look like beautiful jewels scattered in the superb, tropical jungles. It is impossible not to be impressed by such greatness and harmony ofarchitectural composition and richness of carved decorations. We trust the pictures Meredith spent two full hot days climbing and perspiring over will show you their true beauty. The roadways to some of these temples were at one time ornamented with great columns, but now only a few remain in place. The gateways or entrances are very beautifully carved with mythological characters and are most ornamental. All of the temples are enormous in size and have passageways blocks long with columns and terraces of lovely relief work. The Buddha is seen many times throughout the temples in all kinds of positions and the natives still come to worship Buddha as their ancestors did before them. We are certainly glad we added Saigon and Cambodia to our adventures even though we feel we have been taken by the tariffs charged at the Grand Hotel, the unfriendly way the hotel managements treats their guests, the garbage fed us and the outlandish prices we have been charged for this so-called food. We will recommend this place, but only if you ask us first. We have learned the hard and expensive way but are not the only suckers. This is not the fault of the native Cambodians, but the imperialistic few French who are robbing the tourists and we feel that they should be exposed. [September 21] I had a short elephant ride this morning which was quite a thrill. As you drive along the Cambodian roads, you occasionally see elephants helping the natives with their heavy chores. Although we were not interested in big game hunting, the country of Cambodia offers some of the best hunting to be found in Asia today. The big game hunter and lover of excitement can hunt elephant, wild buffalo, tigers, panthers and all kinds of deer. Many times on the motor cycle on our way to the many ruins, I was expecting to have a tropical adventure with a ferocious hungry tiger charging us. The curious forms of trees, the tangled creepers, the thick, deep jungle with the chattering of monkeys and the cries of the gibbons makes you feel as if you were on a safari. Perhaps, this is why I expected to have a tiger charging us. Today is Tuesday [September 22] and, after three days at these magnific ruins, we leave by Air Vietnam for a 1 1/2 hour flight to Bangkok. Enroute, we see beautiful panoramic views of the picturesque landscape of rice paddies with their curious water buffalo and the sugar and rubber plantations set against a background of ancient temples and monuments. We now change from riels (Cambodian money - 35 riels to a U. S. Dollar) to ticals, bahts and satongs, which is the currency of Thailand. There are 20 bahts to a U. S. Dollar. We checked into the Oriental Hotel which is very lovely and we can sit on the porch and watch the interesting river traffic. |
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The klongs, or canals, which criss-cross the city of Bangkok serve simultaneously as arteries of transportation. Drainage and sewerage have inspired some visitors to dub Bangkok the "Venice of the East". Bangkok is certainly entrancing. You feel this enchanting feeling as soon as your plane brings into a distant view the fabulous temples which are equally as interesting when you see them at close view. Bangkok is a huge, flat city and it seems as if a number of small villages are thrown together with residences, shops and offices in each section. The buildings and houses are a mixture of the very old and very new. Many of the houses are made of teakwood and roofed with thatch or red tile and shaped like a simplified version of the Siamese temples. On the endless canals winding through the city, the homes which line the canals are built on posts or supported by floats. As in Hong Kong, you find many families living permanently on their sampans which really clog the canal. The streets are really bedlam as they are crammed with busses and automobiles, bicycles and sambors or three-wheel bicycle rickshaws. And, of course, hordes of people rushing to and fro. This country was once called Siam, but the Siamese people have always called themselves Thai. Almost all Thai people are Buddhists and, again as in Cambodia, the streets are full of Buddhist priests and their novices in their brilliant yellow robes and with shaved heads. All good Thai men go into the priesthood for at least a threemonth period during their lives. The Thai people we've met and dealt with are utterly charming, friendly, understanding and easy-going people. [September 23] Today we took the Floating Market Tour (even though it was raining) which leaves the pier at 7 A.M. You are on private motor launches and you have a light breakfast while cruising along the fascinating canals of Bangkok. Prom the launch you watch the endlessly varied life of the canal dwellers and wave every few minutes to the children who are thrilled by our attention. During the course of the 3 1/2-hour tour we saw the famous floating markets with all types of boats going up and down the canals selling every ware, fruit, vegetable and meat you can mention - plus many we've never seen before - to the people who live on either side of the narrow canals in houses on stilts. We saw the Royal Ceremonial Barge which was used in the movie "Around the World in Eighty Days". We were most fortunate to see the men of the royal navy practicing rowing on this Royal Barge in preparation for Princess Alexandria's visit next week. We were disappointed that the men did not have on their ceremonial costumes. On this same tour, you see the other housed ceremonial barges which are most unique and the Temple of Dawn - an exotic tower beautifully decorated in porcelain. Another day [September 24] we took the Temple Tour and saw the four leading temples of Bangkok: the Marble Temple which is considered the most beautiful s of modern Thai temples and contains the biggest selection of Buddha |
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images; the Standing Buddha Temple which contains the largest standing Buddha in Thailand; the Reclining Buddha Temple which is renowned for its brilliant pagodas, paintings and colossal 160-foot reclining Buddha; and the Solid Gold Buddha Temple which contains a 5 1/2-ton gold statue of Buddha. We really haven't enough adjectives to describe the splendor of these Thailand temples. Enroute to and from these various temples we saw several lovely universities. The Parliament House, the Thieves' Market, Chinatown, the residential suburbs of the city and the center of the shopping district. By the way, all the temples I've mentioned have authentic names, but I only remembered the common name for them. We visited the Grand Palace and saw its many tiered buildings, but because of Princess Alexandria's visit, we were not permitted to see the famous Emerald Buddha or the mother-of-pearl doors. We were allowed within the walls and took general pictures, but I especially wanted to see the Buddha made of a single piece of jasper and the three changes of vestments for this Buddha made of pure gold and precious jewels. The vestments are for the three seasons - the rainy, the cold and the hot. We're here during the rainy season and we surely have had plenty of rain. We visited the National Museum and this building is just as magnificent as the temples and has very interesting displays of old royal thrones, sculpture, textiles, porcelains, chariots, musical instruments, etc. We visited a school room and saw the children at work and their writing was wonderful. They were having penmanship while we were there. Meredith was given permission to photograph the schoolroom while the children were in their seats and the teacher was really beautiful. All of the children wear uniforms and different schools in the city wear different colored uniforms. Bangkok is known for its star sapphires and zircons. So, we bought two rings today which I'm sure I'll enjoy wearing. Also purchased a Thai dancing doll, some Siamese Niellaware jewelry and a few pieces of bronze tableware. We were fortunate our last night in Bangkok [September 25] to see the Prakavali Dance and Music Institute's presentation of Thai classical and folk dances with Thai traditional music and costumes. It is only given on Thursday and Sunday and it was a most beautiful and colorful performance. The graceful gestures of the dancers bear meanings in every motion. The main Instruments of the Thai classical orchestra are the alto xylophone, the set of gongs set in a low circular stand, a percussion instrument made from two pieces of bamboo, a flute, and many types of drums. The dancers are lovely girls and their costumes were authentic and gorgeous. The masked drama was performed by male dancers and was quite unique. The male dancers also did the stylized, version of actual combat and showed the art of self-defense using Thai weapons. |
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All of the classical Thai dancing has been taught by one family since 1896 in a school established by a former court musician. This is a very expensive type of entertainment for tourists, but I believe the natives have a more reasonable rate. However, we were certainly glad to have the opportunity to see these authentic dances by such graceful dancers. This is a must for every tourist. However, we've been here out-of-season and the dancers do not perform very often except during the real tourist season and at special ceremonies. It takes a great deal of training to become a Thai Classical Dancer as their many movements are very difficult to the uninitiated. The movements consist of moving the arms, swaying, advancing and retreating with gliding motions while the fingers are bent back to the uttermost. To execute these gestures, the actors and actresses must start their training in their early childhood. The dancing is a system of signs and very symbolic motions and their gestures, portray various emotions, have to be very pronounced as the faces of the actors and actresses are covered with a thick layer of powder. In the case of the Khon Dances, the dancers faces are hidden by masks. The costumes of the dancers are highly elaborate and, in most dances, they wear high, tapering crowns encrusted with sparkling stones. The upper part of the body is encased in a coat of heavy brocade adorned with precious stones and chains and breast ornaments are worn also. Their legs are either draped in a skirt of heavy brocade or a pair of close fitting breeches while their arms and feet glitter with bangles. We certainly meet scores of interesting Americans in the airports while waiting and in the hotel lobbies and they are all most helpful. The American Embassy or Consulates are always most helpful when we go for our mail and they usually give us helpful advice. It certainly is always a thrill to me when I see our American flag flying on these buildings as its the next best thing to being at home. Shortly we leave for Rangoon, Burma and we're all packed waiting for KLM to pick us up here at the Oriental Hotel. Until next week, Our love Charlotte & Meredith |