I don't know why I started my Bangkok page with this guy. My understanding is that he's a very strong mythical warrior who keeps all the bad stuff away from the temple. You see him and his companion on either side of the entrance to a Buddhist Temple. I just think he's neat looking and hope you enjoy seeing him too. This particular guy was found at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

And, speaking of the Palace, where does one begin? The photo on the left gives a small view of the 94 hectare site. The site is about 200 years old and encompasses 100 buildings.

These wonderful golden spires on the right were just spectacular.

There are Buddhist murals around the exterior walls. According to the guide book they have been in continuous restoration for over 400 years - a bit like the painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, it never stops. You can see the bright white clouds in the restored section on the left.

On the right are Jim and Scott planning our tour of the Palace. It's was obvious from the start that we wouldn't see everything, so we've had to pick and choose.

These fabulous corn cob towers are covered with ceramic tiles all glazed and beautifully colored.

The temple on the right is covered in golden tiles. It's just awesome!

This figure (left) seemed whimsical and I couldn't resist including him. 

In contrast this guy (right) seems positively frightening!

Here's a group of Buddhist Boy Scouts that I thought you'd enjoy seeing. Clearly the Thais don't have the problems we have with religion. In fact ;there's quite an effort to support the "mental strength" of the Thai people. Our country would rather we worship consumerism and wonders why we have an egocentric, spoiled population. Such is life in the US. It doesn't look like it's getting any better either. I'm always amazed at the vehemence at which Christianity is assailed. I wonder when "love thy neighbor" became a bad thing. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that we humans constantly fall short of the mark. Does that mean the people's strivings are for nothing? I don't think so. It's called "amazing grace."

Scott wanted me to include more people in my photos. I'm usually reluctant to take pictures of strangers as I believe it invades their privacy. But as we know, if I (or Scott) don't invade these folk's privacy I wouldn't get the photos I want. This is a shot of the many hundreds of faithful Buddhists we encountered during our time at the Grand Palace.

I have to admit I know very little about all of these amazing figures. Many of them are mythical and of course have elaborate stories related to them.

These guys (right) seem to be holding up the golden spire as well as defending it.

We visited the Palace on a religious holiday. There were thousands of visitors to all the religious sites we visited. We must NOT forget that all of what I've shown you has profound religious significance to the Thai people. As a practicing Catholic I have great respect for the Buddhist faith and her believers.

The photo on the right is the building that the king and queen use for official business. There was a marching band performing the day we were visiting. I'm not sure if this is a daily occurrence or if it was related to to a visit by the queen later in the day.

This (left) view of Bangkok is typical. There are about four types of buildings here. Obviously, the tall sky scrapers; the multi storey commercial and apartment buildings; lower, older buildings with shops on the street and living quarters behind and above; and lastly, the homes that look like shacks build of corrugated metal and any other available material. You can pretty much see all those types of buildings here in the photo.

The street vendors are omnipresent at every event and along most streets and even into the streets come nightfall. They sell food and every other item one could think of.

The Thais are certainly not a wealthy country, but they have a long tradition that expresses itself in various artistic way. On the left are carved fruits. These were done for the Buddhist holiday, but we've seen others in the hotels to charm the guests - and that they do!

I'm standing on the right at the top of a large temple. This particular temple had bells of gradient sizes along the pathway leading to the entrance. The faithful were carrying lotus blossoms of the type seen in the pool in front of me.

On the left are students in their uniforms paying tribute to the Buddha. There were all ages in this temple, but because we had to climb up many steps I think the worshipers tend to be younger. Can you see that I took a break from the heat and got myself a cold drink (above right).

(right) Wat Phananchoeng.

We were drawn to the  simple piety of Mom and her kids!

Another amazing site we visited just 80 km from Bangkok, so it was a day's trip to visit Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand for 417 years and is a World Heritage Site. These robed Buddhas surround the high temple called Phra Chedi Chaimongkol. We hiked up that temple. The assent is quite steep with dished out steps and no hand rails. (on the left below)

(left) Wat Yai Chaimongkhon.

The reclining Buddha on the right was originally part of a monastery who roots were from Ceylon. These monks were engaged mainly in meditation. Their monastery was built in 1357 and was originally known as Wat Pa Kaeo.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, (left) one of the most imposing ancient Buddhist monasteries, was established by command of King Prasatthong in 1630 AD. It is believed that this wat (temple) is located on the site of his former home. The reason he built this monastery was to honor his mother.

My photos don't begin to show the wonder of these fabulous buildings and figures.

The construction of Wat Mahathat on the right was begun in 1374 under King Borom Rachathirat I. It collapsed in the early 1600s and was subsequently restored and by King Borommakot (1732 - 1758 AD). NO sooner had it been restored than the Burmese invaded and destroyed this entire area in 1767 AD. There were about 1,000,000 people living in the area at that time. Over the centuries there have been ;many looters and vandals - as we have seen with many ancient sites around the world. Only in the mid 1900s have people started to restore these sites, recovering precious relics in the National Museum. 

There is no clear historical evidence of this Lord Buddha's head, but people are very fond of it and pay their respects right where it now resides - embraced by a tree!

This Bangkok page has mushroomed! I'm gong to close with our trip along the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (River). We took the commuter ferry up to river and back just to see the sights and relax. This was Jim's idea as the other alternatives were to take a long tailed boat and be shown all the tourist areas along the river. Of course any view of the river should show river traffic as well as the tall buildings of Bangkok (right). Most all of the traffic we saw on the river consisted of the ferries, long tail boats, tugs with four barges in tow (as you see on the right), and a few military river craft (similar to JFK's PT109, last seen in the Solomon Islands).

There were new bridges and older bridges.

There were temples and Churches.

And there were homes of all types.

In all states of repair.

We later took a trip to a water village called Dumnoen Saduak.

These are a few shots from that floating village.

I hope you enjoy these portrait shots as much as I do! These are hard working people who are doing their best to care for their families.

You see people just buried in their wares! You want a hat? This lady has it!

There were many floating "kitchens." No, we're not adventurous eaters. I'm sure MOST of the food is great, but the operative work is "most." I don't want to be down with a bug, so we avoid even the most delicious smelling cuisine.

Just had dinner last night with an expat couple whom we haven't see for over a week as they've been laid up with a GI bug for close to two weeks. He finally took a very strong anti-parasite drug and still doesn't know if it's going to cure him. He said the side effects were not good!

You probably saw this one on Scott's Facebook page, but you know I'm a sucker for bright colors. I've now made this page way, way, way too big, but I hope you're enjoying the portraits I'm included. They're all from Dumnoen Saduak.

What I did want you to see is that here in Thailand the government is interested in improving the lot of these folks that live along the river. During flood season there must be a great loss to life and property, so seeing that a proper breakwater is being built is quite significant. We have NOT see this occurring any other place we've visited. Of course, that doesn't mean it's not happening elsewhere!!!

Our ride on the ferry was very cheap - less than a dollar. You just get on and the lady comes around and takes your money.

The other way tourists ride on the river is on the long tail boats (right) for a cost of $30. We opted for the slow, relaxed, cheap trip! Oh, you might think that the long tail drivers would impart some interesting information...No, they drive the boat and you bring your travel books, as they speak very little English.

Let me just include a few more shots of the sights on the land. On the left are three modes of transportation: bicycle, walking, motorcycle, air conditioned taxi, pedal powered cart, and public bus. Guess which one we chose!

Produce is readily available, if you can figure out what it is!

People set up businesses in the tiniest spaces, but it seems to work!

As you see, shops are VERY small - and the variety of product is limited.

These hand pushed carts are the common way everything is transported: stock for your store, propane bottles, building materials, vegetables, television sets, everything!

Street scenes are also fascinating. I have so many interesting photos and so little room on this website. I just hope I've given you some idea of our experience in and around Bangkok.