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canal near our guest house |
Traveling from the airport into Bangkok opened my eyes as to what traffic congestion is really like....we're not talking Paramus at Christmas time! This was really congested with the added bonus of motorcycles and scooters following no rules whatsoever along with diesel tuk tuks and
buses. The river buses and Skytrain (BTS) are the way to go in a city that has too many vehicles for the narrow roadways within the city.
As in many large cities, there are extremes in socio-economic classes- very, very wealthy right down through poverty. Modern hi-rise condos next to shacks with outhouses. The many canals, while not exactly open sewers, have a certain "air" to them shall we say, and unfortunately were filled with trash. Even the main river running through Bangkok, the Chao Phraya River, had a trash problem. In fact, the streets and waterways double as trash cans. Add to that the boats on the Chao Phraya River with their salvaged diesel truck engines spewing exhaust directly into the waterways. The air quality was so bad that we ended up pulling out and using our pollution masks we bought back in the U.S. (for the expected pollution in China). Even using our masks, we still ended up with sore throats ....
What is Bangkok without visiting a floating market.....right? So first morning we headed
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well fed carp! |
off to the Taling Chan floating market- a colorful market both along the shores of the canals and on boats floating within them (did you know Bangkok is considered the “Venice” of Asia due to all the canals within and around the city). We also took a longtail boat ride through the canals (known as Kongs in Thailand) observing village life along the canals (amazed by the humongous carp in the water- they sell loaves of bread just to feed the fish), visited Wat Kor (a small temple and monastery deep within the canals), and splurged on homemade coconut ice cream.
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Taling Chan floating market |
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market vendors! |
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customer? |
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along the canals |
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Wat Kor |
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interior of Wat Kor |
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Other highlights of Bangkok included:
The unbelievably crowded Grand Palace complex (talk about how many people can you fit in a Volkswagon Bug)....how many tourists can you cram within the Palace walls! There was the Temple Of The Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) built in 1782, containing a beautifully carved jade Buddha 66 cm high and 48.3 cm wide made from a single block of jasper and is regarded as the most important Buddha image in Thailand. Interesting to note is that the statue has three outfits, one for each of the three seasons here (summer, rainy season, and winter), made of gold and jewelry with a Changing Ceremony performed by the king. Other elements of the Palace include The Demon Guardians, Phra Siratana Cheri Golden Stupa, Phra Mondop Library, Phra Bussabok Pillars, The Royal Pantheon, and several other ceremonial audience and reception halls, structures, and stupas. One particularly interesting building was The Queen Sirkit Museum Of Textiles, which houses the former Queen’s Royal Wardrobe that she commissioned renowned Paris couturier Pierre Balmain to create for a state visit in 1960, and which emphasized the use of Thai silk and textiles.
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Entrance to Chapel of Emerald Buddha |
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Chapel of the Emerald Buddha |
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Emerald Buddha |
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Model of Angor Wat |
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Palace details |
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more details.... |
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the Palace Complex was enormous! |
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Dusit Maha Prasat Hall |
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Wat Pho, just down the street as there can never be too many temples within the neighborhood, houses the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (largest in Thailand measuring 150 feet in length) as well as a working monastery.
Wat Arun (Temple Of Dawn), the most photographed temple in Bangkok with a soaring 70-meter high spire and decorated with tiny pieces of colored glass and Chinese porcelain (there is no “inside,” one can just climb partially up the tower).
Wat Sukhothai Traimit (Golden Buddha Temple), the largest golden Buddha image in the world. Made of pure gold, it measures 12 feet 5 inches in diameter, and is 15 feet 9 inches in height. It weighs 5.5 tons, is over 700 years old, and is currently worth about $250 US million dollars. Long story short, the Buddha was covered in plaster to conceal it from invading enemies several hundred years earlier and deserted in a temple elsewhere in Bangkok. Fast forward to 1931 when there was interest to develop some land, it was discovered. The owners finally got permission in 1955 to move the "plaster" Buddha statue to the current site, but, in transport the plaster started breaking off and they discovered the golden Buddha.
Jim Thompson House, the home of an American architect who came to Thailand at end of WWII, fell
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removing silk from cocoons |
in love with the country, and stayed. He was particularly interested in the country’s silk cottage industry and not only revived the craft, but helped to grow and bring worldwide recognition to the Thai silk industry. His home consists of a collection of six traditional Thai teak buildings that were approximately two centuries old from the Ayudhya area, which were dismantled and brought to the present site. He was also an avid Thai art and antique collector. He disappeared with no trace in 1967 while vacationing in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. The home is now under a foundation that not only maintains the property, but supports efforts that preserve Thailand’s artistic and cultural heritage.
Of course, there was the usual flower market, Chinatown market, shopping malls, boat ride on the Chao Phraya River at night (the main river dividing Bangkok into two halves and serving as the Grand Canal with taxi boats and cross-river pedestrian ferries), and you can never have enough of those wonderful Thai massages.........
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flower market |
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Wat Arun at night |
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Grand Palace (night shot from moving boat......) |
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Bangkok from the Chao Phraya River |
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lots of chicken shrines??? |
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creating flower donation for Buddha shrines |
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Loved the huge reclining Buddha at Wat Pho and Wat Arun is one of my favorites. Looks like you saw a lot of the "highlights" in Bangkok unfortunately, so did lots of other people :(
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