When we originally planned our move to Bangkok, one of the many reasons we decided to come was that Thailand was among the top countries in the world for handling the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, they had only 87 deaths reported and long stretches of time with no new cases. Over the past month and a half, sadly, COVID has struck Thailand in an unprecedented way. This third wave of cases has surpassed both their first and second waves, with over 2000 new cases per day being reported. When we were released from quarantine, unbeknownst to us, we only had three days until this wave started. As a result, we were able to see the entire progression of cases and closures, up until now with almost a full lock down in place. After experiencing the pandemic in the United States, there were many changes here from back home. Here are just some of the things we were able to experience in the last month.
No Tourists
Before any of the closures due to this third wave, we were out exploring the city every single day. One of the first things we noticed about the city was how few western tourists we seemed to find in our travels. While researching this city, everyone seemed to note just how crowded with tourists it constantly was, and here we were, with not another one in sight. One of our favorite adventures was to two of Bangkok's biggest sights: Wat Pho and the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace. The day we went, we didn't truly understand the magnitude of these places. We walked in with absolutely no expectations, and what we found was absolutely magical. We started
at Wat Pho, and walked around the magnificently colorful and detailed buildings. The plaza was almost completely empty, with only a few local people moseying into the temples. As we began exploring, I immediately realized the uniqueness of the situation. As we approached one of the main temples, I looked down, and saw signs that said to "Queue Here." Without another person in sight, we passed over the sign, and approached a wall of slots for people to put their shoes (in temples, you have to enter barefoot, as a sign of respect to the Buddha). There were probably about a hundred slots for shoes, and maybe five of them were full. We slipped our shoes into two empty slots and entered.
The inside of the building immediately took our breaths away. The alter was a a pyramid of golden Buddhas, atop of which sat one huge Buddha, sitting with his legs crossed. The walls were painted with a detailed mural, each of which told a story. The marble floors were covered with a deep red carpet. As our feet padded forward, we noticed the handful of locals kneeling on the ground and praying. So, after looking around the room, we went next to them to kneel on the floor
as well. We sat there, taking in the silence, the presence of Buddha in front of us, and the sanctity and spirituality of the room and the people. As we knelt next to the praying locals, we felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Here we were, in the middle of a pandemic, with the vaccine-induced COVID antibodies swirling through us that made our travels through this place safe, kneeling in front of the Buddha in one of the most famous and sacred temples in all of Thailand, surrounded by locals.
The moment felt so surreal, because from the shoe boxes outside and the lines for the people to wait, it was very clear that this was a place usually filled with the hum of tourists and the clicks of cameras. We have both travelled to places like this before, places like Notre Dame, or La Sagrada Familia. These sacred places often lose their sense of spirituality when filled to the brim with people just trying to get the glimpse. Being in Wat Pho, kneeling with the locals, felt like we were able to see the Notre Dame amongst a few French people praying in their local church. We were able to see the Thai space being used for what it was meant to be.
After continuing our journey through Wat Pho, we found the Reclining Buddha, and were once again filled with awe. It filled the entirety of the space around it, leaving us questioning how it was constructed in a room that fit its dimensions perfectly.
Later, we made our journey to the Grand Palace, another impressive feat of architecture. The buildings were vibrant and detailed in ways that we have never experienced. As we walked through the outdoor space, we decided to research what we were seeing after being so clueless in Wat Pho. We learned that the Temple we were about to enter was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha: the most sacred place in all of Thailand. After removing our shoes onto racks that tripled the size of the ones we found at Wat Pho, we entered to a very similar sight. Here, no photos or videos were allowed, and so we entered, and sat with the locals. The silence contributed to the magnitude of the space. Atop an even larger shrine sat the small, ordinate Emerald Buddha, wearing his outfit that represented the hot season.
Fun fact: The Emerald Buddha's outfit is changed for each season, The Hot Season, The Cold Season, and The Rainy season, by the King of Thailand.
We had a very similar experience on our trip to Phuket, only a week and a half later. We already told that story, so if you haven't read it yet, click here to hear about the empty beach paradise.
Taking One for the Team
Over the past year, after enduring the continuous news stories of Americans complaining or
refusing to wear masks, the collectivist culture of Thailand has been a real breath of fresh air. As the cases started to rise around the city, we quickly noticed the metros becoming emptier and emptier. The malls were thinning out and the food courts had less patrons. Many of the people of Bangkok started to self-quarantine long before the government told them too. And, once the government closed everything, there was a breath of relief from the locals we talked to. The people wanted to protect each other by staying home. Soon after, the government implemented a mask mandate, where anyone found without a mask in a public place could be fined up to 20,000 baht (about $660), and the first person to be fined was the prime minister of Thailand who was caught in a meeting not wearing a mask. This was funny and very impressive to see the leaders of this country being held to the same standards as everyone else.
Vaccines
The vaccine rollout in Thailand has been slightly slower than we expected, but we are excited to say that a nation-wide vaccine plan is opening up as we speak. The government of Thailand was slow to buy the available vaccines from other countries as they were trying to develop their own. But now, as cases have been rising, Thailand has prepared enough vaccines to start a huge rollout. We are excited that, in just a few months, Thailand can hopefully be in a similar situation to the United States with large percentages of the population being vaccinated.
So, experiencing COVID-19 in Thailand has been very different to how it was in the US. Although we are itching to explore more, we also want to contribute to the collectivism of this country by doing or best to protect those around us by not going out too much. However, in while staying home, we are able to experience one of the things that Jessica was MOST excited about when arriving in Thailand. Stay tuned for a new blog post coming next week all about the Thai food that we have been able to eat, almost every day!
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