My hotel was located about one block from the main intersection up a small side street [Soi 18] which had a more small town feel than the main, and normally busy main streets in the area.
Because many of the areas of the city were not accessible because of the protesters closing many of the main roadways, I took the Skytrain across town to the Chao Phraya River where I boarded a water taxi to travel up river to the Grand Palace complex. The Chao Phraya River is the largest river in Thailand, and serves as a means of transporting goods and products from the interior of Thailand out to the ocean. While traveling up the river I saw many barges filled with rice and other agricultural goods navigating the river. Entire families live on the barges [in the upper area of the rear of the barge], and you could see the families cooking food and washing clothes on the barges as they passed by.
While going upriver we passed Wat Arun one of the most famous landmarks in Bangkok. I had visited the wat previously, so I didn't stop again on this trip.
The Grand Palace, which lies behind massive white battlements, is the most stunning of all the sights in Bangkok. Built by successive monarchs over a period of more than 200 years, the grounds contain many palaces and building reflecting the varied tastes of the numerous kings who built them. This is the Grand Palace, which used to serve as the royal residence of the king, and is still used for the most important ceremonial occasions of the royal family, and other buildings in the immediate area of the Grand Palace.
In the area surrounding the Grand Palace, inside the walls of the Grand Palace grounds, are many of the most beautiful historical buildings in Bangkok. These are some random pictures of the buildings in that area.
The most stunning temple on the grounds houses the Emerald Buddha which is carved from a single block of jade. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside the temple housing the Emerald Buddha.
A short walk from the Grand Palace compound lies Wat Pho where the largest reclining Buddha in the world is located, as well as the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand. These are some pictures of the temple grounds, and of the Reclining Buddha.
From Bangkok I took a short flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city, located in the northern part of Thailand. Compared to the big city hustle and bustle, and noise of Bangkok, Chiang Mai was smaller, slower paced, and relaxing. I stayed in a small boutique hotel called the Rim Resort, located within the partially walled, and moat surrounded Old City part of Chiang Mai. These are photos of the moat in front of the entry to the resort, the entrance to the resort, a picture of the inside of my room, and pictures from my balcony to the pool area of the hotel.
The most visited sight in Chiang Mai is the Wat Phra Singh temple which houses the city's most revered Buddha image.
The oldest wat in the city is the Wat Chiang Man established when the city was founded in 1296. It features typical northern Thai architecture.
Crossing the moat bordering the northern side of the Old City I visited the Wat Lok Molee which also had the very interesting architecture of northern Thailand.
While walking around the Old City I came across two sister missionaries. I walked with them to the local chapel where they met some of the elders to head off for their p-day. I think they enjoyed seeing and talking with someone from home.
I really enjoyed my trip to Thailand, and I look forward to returning someday to spend more time visiting the country and enjoying the friendliness of the Thai people.
