Bangkok and the rivers of Thailand on board the Mekhala (Documentary, Discovery, History)

the chao praya is a symbol of love for this kingdom which is our pride and joy born in the rejoicing hearts of its people a song can be heard wherever a thai heart beats this simple verse composed by the poet nara what fong fai boon poignantly expresses the importance of the chao praia river to the thai people descending from its source in the northern mountains the chao praya irrigates over 250 miles of the country's broad central plains before flowing into the gulf of siam [Music] a natural artery around which the lives of millions of ties are still organized even today the chao praya has played an essential role in the country's history since the middle of the 14th century a means of invasion for the powerful burmese sovereigns a means of conquest for the kings of syam the chao prior's strategic role is confirmed by the successive presence on its banks of three capital cities first ayutthaya from 1350 to 1767 when it was destroyed by the burmese then tom bury and finally bangkok thailand's present capital bangkok has become a modern metropolis with more than 5 million inhabitants on the banks of the chao praia luxurious international hotels have replaced the simple wooden houses that occupied the site when the city was founded in 1782 name the city of angels by the ties bangkok and the other riverside towns have nonetheless managed to preserve their charm sailing along the waters of the delta and the maze of canals that infiltrate the town's center is to discover all the charm exotism and mysteries of the ancient kingdom of siam as well as being a principal artery of communication the chao praya is also a sacred river to mark the end of the buddhist fasting period the sovereigns celebrated the caffeine that is the offering of new robes to the monks this ceremony which for centuries gave rise to a majestic procession of the royal barges between the palace and the monasteries now only takes place on very rare [Music] occasions [Music] [Music] [Music] propelled by 50 uniformed oarsmen with 14 other members of the crew holding the royal emblems the royal barge the centerpiece of the procession was built in 1911 by king rama 6 from a single 130 foot long teak tree trunk [Music] [Applause] [Music] respecting the ancient ritual the oarsman rowan synchronized movement to the chanting while the drums beat the rhythm certain processions between the royal palace and watarun the temple of the dawn were over half a mile long and comprised more than 50 barges accompanying the royal barge whose prow is in the shape of the golden hansa the mythical bird that served as a mount for the god brahma after witnessing such a spectacular sight we can well understand the enthusiastic accounts of the first french visitors in the 18th century to ayuthaya the former capital of siam [Music] [Applause] leaving bangkok we head in the direction of nakhon patom situated 38 miles to the west of the chao priya delta the festivities commemorating the king's birthday have just ended the strings of lights that adorn the nakhon patom sheddy for the occasion are now being taken nakon down cheri is 406 feet high and is the tallest in the world with its slender tower-like forms symbolizing the ascension to the state of nirvana the thai chidi like its model the indian stupa reproduces the eight sepakers where buddha's ashes were enshrined nakhon meaning first and patom meaning town nakan patam is said to be the oldest city in thailand and the one which first welcomed buddhism in the early centuries of our present era in the 13th century when buddhism separates into two major forms thailand like burma laos and ceylon remains faithful to the older original form of buddhism named teravada despite having long ago attained the status of state religion buddhism is imprinted with tolerance this explains the frequent cohabitation inside the very temples even of bahamas rights reflecting the khmer influence and certain pagan practices of chinese origin such as shaking a lucky taper out of a wooden box the buddhist temple is a place open to everyone at the northern entrance to the nakhon patom cheri stands a buddhist statue that is visited by thousands of the faithful for a tie a visit to the temple is accompanied by an offering incense sticks which symbolizes the perfumes of life lotus buds which evoke the ephemeral nature of beauty or candles which represent the fragility of existence [Applause] receiving blessings with purifying water from the bonzas offering lotus flowers or rubbing gold leaf on the buddha statues all these practices far from being anecdotal reflect the deep attachment of the ties to their religion foreign [Music] situated a little farther west in the chao praya delta [Music] ah we are now in the province of ratchaburi about 70 miles from the capital in this part of the delta the river and the clones or canals often constitute the sole means of communication between the villages the rows of wooden houses on stilts on the banks of the clong bear witness to this as it is here where everything takes place social life as well as commerce this explains the natural development of the floating markets which provide the local inhabitants with an opportunity to sell their homegrown produce [Music] [Applause] then i leave home around six o'clock okay i set off along the canal and sell my produce as i go i arrive at the market at 7 30. all the food i sell is from my own garden today at the floating market i'm going to sell guava fruit bananas taros and tomatoes it's sunday there are many people about a lot of tourists it's a good day for business [Music] [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] in her quest for customers sunni disappears along the canal delicately rowing her way amongst the countless small boats that have converged in the narrow clung of damnawan sadwak which gives its name to the floating market in an amazing choreography of blue tinted parasols the barges pass each other sometimes brushing sides but never colliding the lively chaos that seems to rain here is deceptive the movements are finally synchronized and the small boats which seem to sag under the weight of their colorful cargoes of fruit and vegetables glide with graceful ease along the surface of the water ugh an oasis in the middle of the delta the dan noe sadwak floating market represents a way of life that is today threatened by the nearby hustle and bustle of bangkok and its incessant flow of tourists [Music] aboard a long tail boat we head back towards bangkok leaving the chao praya we advance along one of the innumerable clones that water the city centre [Music] on the banks of the clong discreetly concealed behind a screen of vegetation is a magnificent thai style teakwood house elegant decoration comfortable amenities the privileged guests of this sumptuous guest house are here for a very special reason they're here to discover the secrets of thai cuisine the lesson begins with a description of the spices introduced by the portuguese in the 16th century spices are used in great quantities in thai cooking citronella coriander tamarind ginger cardamom as well as a countless variety of peppers you eat the leaf for the fresh the spices are chosen not only for their flavor but also for their color thai cooking while being one of the tastiest in the world is also one of the most visually attractive the students are eager to learn they ask questions and conscientiously note down the ingredients of the recipe when it's cooked it'll become white never tried it but you don't want to try it and then now on today's program thai noodles they form part of the composition of an infinite variety of recipes accompanying fish balls soups like the famous tom yum that is traditionally served at the end of a meal or even like here with pork noodles form one of the basic ingredients of thai cooking we fry it after the cooking comes the tasting the most enjoyable part of the course for the attentive students and after that everything is cooked just take it off we put upon we didn't plan into teaching cooking before we make homestead and breakfast and then when the people who step in that i serve them the home-style cooking they love it they just ask me what what is it why the flower light is by the color like it i just bring them to my kitchen light it and show them the ingredients and then they said they like to know how to cook why not you stay here already and after that i start teasing cookies that's it are they good people hot are we good students say yes we'll give you a beer [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so we set off once more along the river of the kings the chao praya leaving behind us bangkok and the hustle and bustle of the noisy long tail boats we head north towards ayutthaya aboard the calm and indolent mikala a former rice barge now converted into a passenger cruise boat [Music] so at the helm of the makala captain chanka observes the numerous boats flying to and fro along the river apart from boats like the one we're on the micalla there are many different kinds of boats on the river for example the crashing which are the small vendor boats that are used to transport all sorts of produce for sale they are really floating grocery stores and then there are the hang yao the long tail boats there are short boats express boats taxi boats they're all different as i say there are really all kinds of boats on this river [Music] [Music] the mikala leaves the outer suburbs of bangkok [Music] a new and striking decor comes slowly into view colorful temples scintillating in the [Music] sunlight [Music] as we sail past the ancient leaning city the gentle light of dusk envelopes our vessel the silence heralding nightfall descends over the banks in the ghostly shadows of the barges as the sun begins to set the surface of the sacred river shimmers in its golden reflection [Music] my manager teaches to me [Music] you see i'm the math master the boss master of this board and i must do for everything inside this one and to contour the crew and cooking for the passenger or so so you can see for the kitchen indeed boat it's open kitchen because obviously thai cooking when we cooking for thai food you have a strong smell and so that we take the smell go out from the kitchen i'm cooking for the chinese or the blue prawn soup thai style spicy and green curry chicken fry beef with other salt and sew five pork with vegetable and for thai dishes are we carving for the fruit for you and [Music] so [Music] [Music] guided by the lights twinkling in the night the mekana sails towards the waikai chat temple at daybreak when the river starts coming to life again the monks here at waikaia have already been up for a long time in the buddhist tradition all the able-bodied monks must leave the monastery two hours before dawn and go into nearby villages to receive their daily offering of food from the faithful this practice however isn't assimilated to begging on the contrary the monks provide the donators with an opportunity to earn spiritual merit [Music] the passengers of a barge that arrived in the night pay a visit to the monastery in accordance with buddhist custom they're going to make food offerings to the monks [Applause] [Applause] foreign the captain of the mekana takes advantage of this stopover to visit the colleague who pilots a rice barge identical to his on board a dozen or so tourists are heading back down the chao praya to bangkok of the thai people the thai people [Music] as the other barge sets off towards bangkok the captain of the mekala pays a visit to the monastery in his turn to make the traditional offerings the monks have to take their one meal of the day before 11 o'clock in the morning this rule forms part of the 227 others that the monks must abide by one of these consists in relinquishing all personal belongings with the exception of nine objects which are three robes a belt a razor a sewing needle a water bowl an alms bowl and a fan [Music] oh my god the mikala leaves watkia in its turn and continues its route northwards in the direction of bang pain [Music] [Music] so [Music] and we started transporting rice then my family and i bought another motorboat finally we stopped our activity and sold all the boats since then i've been piloting passenger boats if i could be the owner of a boat again one day i'd like to have a taxi boat a tugboat like that one there because then you can have your family with you you can live and work together and more than anything you're independent [Applause] [Music] [Music] the mikhaila approaches bang pain it's here on the bank of the chao praya river that king rasat tong built his summer palace in the 17th century [Music] left in a state of abandon for a long time bongpain was first restored by rama iv in the middle of the 19th century but it's rama the fifth who will revive the former glory of the summer retreat by constructing a series of incredible palaces the mekhala negotiates for the last time the branches of the chao praya bang pa in marks the end of our cruise but our journey is far from over oh um italian renaissance style palace or typical thai style pavilion the buildings erected by rama the fifth are an amazing display of architectural eclecticism the mixture of styles undoubtedly betrays the dilemma of a king permanently torn between the desire to preserve the independence of his kingdom from the colonialist designs of france and england and that of wanting to modernize this country at all costs perhaps the sole exception in this baroque ensemble is the chinese-style pavilion that the sovereign occupied during his summer retreat in bangkaine [Music] [Applause] so [Music] so our long tail boat sails back up the chao praya towards ayuthaya the former capital of the kingdom of siam [Music] after 45 minutes of frenzied sailing the boat finally slows down at a bend in the river we catch our first glimpse of the ayuthaya chili when ramatibori the first landed here in 1350 he realized the strategic importance of a site where three rivers converge he decides to establish the capital of his kingdom here after digging a canal between the pasak and chao praya rivers the site becomes an island ayuthaya is born considered in the 16th century to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world ayuthaya has a population of around 1 million inhabitants outnumbering both london and paris at that time with its prong a tower-like shrine symbolizing mount meru the axis of the world according to hindu cosmology the watchai wathanara is a model of the angkor temple the eight small chitty complete the temple complex housing rows of headless buddhas in the center of the island the phrase samphit temple with its three intact chedi containing the ashes of three ayuthaya sovereigns evokes for us the city's past splendor as described by the abbe deshwazi who stayed here in 1741. i paused frequently to admire this strong great city seated upon an island around which flowered a river three times the width of the same there rode ships from france england holland china and japan while innumerable boats and gilded barges road by 60 men flied to and fro the streets are alleys of running water the horizon is tall trees above which are visible the sparkling towers and pyramids of the pagodas i have never seen a lovelier site laid to waste by the burmese in 1767 ayutthaya's days of glory are at an end those of bangkok are about to begin [Music] [Music] after the destruction of ayuthaya the new shakri sovereigns decided to baptize their dynasty the rama after the god-like hero of the ramaken in order to declare its legitimacy gained by the force of arms [Music] the thai version of the indian epic ramayana represents the magnum opus of thai literature through the adventures of its fantastic characters it relates the battle between good and evil passed down by oral tradition from generation to generation these stories are inscribed like comic strips on the walls of all thailand's temples and in particular those of bangkok [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] fierce mythological figures straight out of the ramekin guard the entrance to the wat prakio temple using as its model the royal temple of ayathuya the wat prakyo was built in 1782 by rama the first as a shrine for the mysterious emerald buddha [Music] this statue carved out of a block of jade is the most sacred object in thailand since the 15th century it's believed to have a direct beneficent influence on the well-being of the nation during his conquest of yen tian in 1778 general chakri takes possession of the statue which had been in laos for around 250 years he houses the emerald buddha in a magnificent shrine guarded over by garuda the traditional mount of the god vishnu discovering the wat prakyo is to enter a dazzling world of multicolored tiles and gilded spires peopled with strange deities such as the kinari the female bird humans taken from the hindu or buddhist mythology influence of khmer art the model of the angkor temple situated in the wat prakhyo temple complex reminds us that cambodia was once a vassal state of syam following the example of ayuthaya rama the first decides to dig a canal in one of the bends of the chao praya river on this newly created island he builds the temple of the emerald buddha and his royal palace the neoclassical style buildings date from the end of the 19th century and reflect once again the western influence on the sovereigns of this time the seat of both civil and religious power the royal palace was a real city within a city once outside the historical zone we discover a completely different aspect of bangkok it's street life so with its infinite variety of flowers and necklace offerings tevit market offers everything including the famous orchids of which thailand boasts more than 35 000 different species wild or cultivated in the expression of their taste for decoration and innate sense of refinement the imagination of the ties knows no bounds in the crowded isles of the covered markets the vendors not only sell natural flowers but create artificial ones like here from banana tree trunks [Music] flowers after experiencing a short period of recession in the late 1990s bangkok continues its economic development with the construction of glass tower blocks mammoth shopping centers and international hotels but despite this expansion and modernization the buddhist tradition is still omnipresent in the lives of the ties each new building is placed under the protection of the deities like this vishnu mounted on garuda the most humble thai home and the most sophisticated modern building each has at its entrance a little spirit house or altar which is the object of devout worship hospitality friendliness refinement far from being empty words aimed at luring the tourists these are real qualities of the thai people and are expressed through ancient traditions such as the sculpting of exotic fruit [Music] the what pole is the largest and oldest temple monastery in bangkok converted by rama iii into an open education center for both monks and laypeople various disciplines were taught here with prime of place given to thai traditional medicine and the art of massage there are no rest of thai that digital medicine inventor we collect during build bangkok and here we have a encampment in the stone about the thai masa at the point of the bazaar in vapor so uh in last 40 years the effort overpowered the established school of massage here for the time medicine we have to treat the whole body the human being they are composed for path of element first water element second is solid element and the second wind element and the fourth is the five remain if you have something imbalanced you will get sickness so if you have a muscle you stimulate the wind element to blow out bro throughout the body to keep your body fresh up and strong and have energy and naturalizer the thai people use the muscle to kill the sickness since the ancient time up to now the printing about the master in vapor they are the major principle of the master education so we select some part of this massage painting come to lia land to be a master's life so and then we come to teach our students up to now we have more than 30 000 students success in the massage learning course about half of them are working throughout the world with their tall brimmed hats symbolizing the terrifying europeans these gigantic stone statues scattered throughout wat po were used as ballast on rice ships returning empty from china [Music] but above all the what po is famous for its monumental statue of the reclining buddha [Music] this 150 foot long gilded statue represents buddha entering the state of nirvana [Music] the mother of pearl ornaments on the soles of its feet represent the 108 attributes that differentiate a buddha from common mortals [Music] [Applause] the walls of the butt the main shrine of the temple are paneled with barif marble carvings believed to have come from ayuthaya and representing key scenes from the ramakin the gentle poetic features express the state of grace of the artist ah [Laughter] my i [Music] what impression of bangkok and thailand will we take away with us that of the sprawling noisy city of several million inhabitants or that of the temples and the peaceful simple life on the banks of the chao prairie river the streets of bangkok aptly named the city of angels are full of surprises and remind us of the essential role spirituality and buddhism play in the daily lives of the thai people the most humble temple receives daily offerings from the faithful the monks travel from village to village receding as their natural jew donations of food from the inhabitants indeed each thai has the spiritual duty at one time in his life to retreat to a monastery for several weeks or even months [Music] for all these reasons thailand will no doubt always remain the eternal land of smiles [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Stop Over - Documentary, Discovery, History

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Keywords: TravelChannelTV, 601ProductionLTD, travel, adventure, boat, sail, trip, ocean, sea, river, sailboat, cruise, stopover, stop, over, Queen Elizabeth 2, Royal Clipper, Le France, Le Norway, Sun Boat II, Classica, Vat Phou, Bolero, Wind Song, Grigoriy Mikheev icebreaker, Silver Cloud, destination, voyage, Stopovertv, Discover, Travel, travels, explore, Stop Over, History

Id: M2-dklbKf0w

Length: 53min 14sec (3194 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 03 2013