Sa-wat dee, Thailand

Today we depart for LA. We hate to leave, it is such a beautiful country, and we have learned to appreciate the gentleness and kindness of the people here. We say "Sa-wat dee" or goodbye to our "Porch Bird" and the dogs on the beach. And hope that we are able to return some day.

A Visit to Thailand - Day 5 Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is about 150 km west of Bangkok, in a much more rural and hilly area of Thailand. We saw a lot of rice fields, since Thailand is the major exporter of rice in the world. There are many types of rice; sticky rice, Jasmine Rice, brown rice, long grain rice, parboiled rice, etc.  They also grow a lot of tapioca. We stopped at a food vendor along the side of the road where there was freshly barbecued "clean rat" for sale along with either live or dead cobra's, take your pick!  You can eat them with a coke to drink!  You could also purchase a live turtle, which you would then let go back into the river as an offering to Buddha.  This would ensure good luck!

Another stop in Kanchanaburi was at the site of the Bridge on the River Kwai, which was part of the Thailand-Burma "Death Railway" built in 1942 with slave labor of captured Allied prisoners. The Thailand-Burma Railway Centre near the bridge gave us a detailed account of the horrors these POW's experienced at the hands of the Japanese during the war.  The cemetery across the street had the graves of nearly 2,000 men who died during the construction of the railroad.  It was a somber and thought provoking experience.

We also met a tiger cub and an ocelot cub that were a lot of fun to play with!

A Visit to Thailand - Day 4 - Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, "The Ancient City" in Thailand, was the Thai capital for 417 years, and was almost completely destroyed by the Burmese during Thai-Burmese war in 1767. It is where the Summer Palace, Bang Pa, is located. Hilliary Clinton spent the night here on one of her trips to Southeast Asia. We also spent a good portion of the afternoon at Wat Mahathat, built in 1374, which is considered the heart and soul of Ayutthaya.  Today it is in ruin, but has been dedicated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also stopped at Wat Yai Chai Mongkol before heading to our hotel for the evening.

A Visit to Thailand - Day 3 in Bangkok

On our third day in Thailand we headed out on our own, and visited the Floating Markets of Bangkok.  Bangkok was traditionally a city of canals, many of which have now been filled in to handle automobile and truck traffic.  At the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, tourists can see the old style and traditional way of selling and buying fruits, vegetables, etc., from small boats. It was  a very busy place, full of unique sites, tastes and smells.  We fed a two year old elephant making a living selling his own food!  We then took a ride on an elephant named Ti Tong, what a rocking motion it is to sit up on top of such a huge mammal!  Before returning to our hotel for lunch, we stopped at a wood carving factory, such beautiful pieces they created!

In the afternoon, we went to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, home to generations of the Kings of Siam - Thailand. As you walk in, you feel as though you are entering a surreal world on another planet!  Such an amazing place!

A Visit to Thailand - Day 2 in Bangkok

On our second day in Bangkok, we visited a lot of "Wats", or temples for Buddha. The first was Wat Trimitr, which is the home of the largest Golden Buddhah in the world. We saw a man in a Packer shirt praying to Buddha and wondered if he was hoping for a Packer win on Sunday! The second temple was Wat Pho, home to a huge reclining Buddha, he's 46 meters long! Wat Benchamabopitr, the Marble Temple, was the third stop, where we learned the meaning of the different poses of the Buddha. That evening we went to Siam Billage for a Traditional Thai Dance and dinner.

A Visit to Thailand - Day 1 in Bangkok

In September, we flew to Los Angeles for a visit with Kristen and my sister Joanne. From there, we hopped on a plane to Thailand! It was a very long 14 hour flight to Taipei, where we spent our first night in Asia. The following morning we flew Hong Kong, and then on to Bangkok, landing there about 10 in the morning. Our first excursion was a cruise on the Chao Praya River. We stopped at The Royal Barge Museum and Wat Arun - Temple of the Dawn. What a different culture!