Bangkok, Chinatown

We started our last day in Bangkok by visiting the Traimit Witthayaram Temple which house the solid gold Buddha image.  This Buddha is 5.5 tons of solid gold and is worth over 250 million dollars. Cast in the 13th or 14th century when the Bermese invaded Siam the people covered the Buddha with stucco and glass to disquise it and it remained that way for hundreds of years.  It was in an unimportant temple until 1955 when it was being moved and the stucco got chipped revealing the gold beneath that its value was recognized and it was moved to its new home.  It is beautiful to see and it is something to imagine what it must have been like for those who thought they broke the image only to discover that it was made of pure gold.

We then went on a tour of China town.  There was a vegetarian festival going on and there were dozens of merchants selling delicious smelling foods along the roadway.  These booths are set up for 10 days every year and draw large crowds.  Wandering the streets of China town and experiencing all the different sights and smells was a lot of fun.  We stopped at a couple of stalls and Nok bought us samples to try.  The jack fruit was particularly delicious.  After a delightful lunch in a local restaurant we went to visit the Golden Mount Temple.  Climbing 300 plus stairs around the temple we arrived at the top and were rewarded with panoramic views of Bangkok.  It was a wonderful way to complete our short visit here before heading to the airport hotel to get ready for our adventure to Bhutan.

The solid gold Buddha 

Eric receiving a blessing from a monk

Nok getting us some jack fruit to try. Notice the size of the fruit on the bottom of the cart

These energetic men are pounding out a delicious Chinese sweet that we enjoyed hot from the wok

Huge pots of vegetarian food for sale along the roadway

Stores with not an inch of wasted space 

Bags of soup for sale for a quick and tasty lunch

The choices were endless

This young chap was carrying bags of dried fish stomachs which are used in soups and such. They were for sale everywhere so are obviously very popular but I am not going to rush to find some.

The images in the Chinese Temples were quite different than the Buddhist ones we had been seeing

Not exactly the type of spa most of us like to go to but many were having facial treatments on the sidewalk 

Replica of the temple we climbed to get great views of the city

Temple complex directly below with the city panning out behind. The smog was much worse on this visit than when we were here two years ago.

Worshippers hang bells on this figure which stands in front of the stupa on top of the temple

As seen in this photo canals run through Bangkok and the homes and buildings are built right up to the edges of it. It does provide another way of getting around in this very busy city.

Bangkok

Arriving in Bangkok and being met at the airport by Nok was like coming to meet an old friend. We stopped at the flower market on the way to the hotel and went for a walk taking in all the familiar but interesting stalls we visited on our last visit to Bangkok.  Open 24 hours a day flowers are sold on a wholesale basis as well as to individuals.  We also visited the vegetable market which was the wholesale market for vegetables and farmers bring their produce here for direct sale. All of the vegetables looked so fresh.  After checking into the Penninsula Hotel where we were welcomed in our room with a lovely chocolate display as returning guests we boarded one of their water taxis to head across the river in search of a Thai massage.  The parlours are plentiful and the masseuse s sit outside inviting customers in.  Finding one we liked the feel of we each had a one hour massage for the equivalent of 20 dollars. Heavenly. For dinner we went to Sala Rim Naam, a wonderful Thai restaurant with a tasting menu and a Thai dancing show to enjoy with dinner.  The manager of the restaurant seemed to take a special effort in insuring we had an enjoyable time and even sent us a complimentary special dessert at the end of a most enjoyable meal. It was a wonderful way to start our short visit to Thailand.

The next day  Nok and Meow,our driver picked us up early and we headed out of the city to visit Ayutthaya which was once Thailand’s capital. Founded in 1351 by King Rama I there was once a grand palace surrounded by many great temples in this area that covered several square kilometres. The area was captured by the Burmese in 1767 and looted and largely destroyed. The remains have now been maintained as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was fascinating to walk around the ruins some remarkably well preserved, often with whole or pieces of Buddha’s still remaining.  What made this so special was that in some of the places we went there were so few people so you really got to explore and get the feel of the place.  After a visit to a temple to see one of the oldest large Buddha’s we went to visit Bang Pa which is the Royal Summer Palace.  Built in 1632 it fell into disrepair but was restored in the 1800’s by King Rama IV.  This palace is used by the royals and their consorts as a summer dwelling and as King Rama IV had 92 known consorts and 77 children I am sure he made good use of it.

After a full day we had yet another massage before enjoying a Thai meal at the hotel during quite a spectacular thunder and lightning storm.

Inside the 24 hour flower market. The floor is wet so one had to watch your step

This chap was delivering funeral flowers on his motorcycle 

The vegetable market is only open during the day and all the vegetables will be gone by the afternoon 

Someone’s  purchases waiting for pickup 

One of the multitude of food stalls. I really don’t know how they can all make a living

Beautiful Thai dancing

Love the costumes 

Dancers came around to meet the diners after the show

Making flowers from the lotus plant and happy to have her photo taken

Main temple at Ayutthaya 

The three spires are in very good condition 700 years later

Amazing to see what they built so long ago and even though the Burmese tried to destroy it much still stands

Some remains of the palace

It was such a serene and peaceful place to visit

Many whole and partial Buddha images still remain

The remains of the inside of one of the temples

This Buddha head has gotten tangled in the roots of the tree and many come to the site just to get a picture of this and then they leave

The mix of colours made the site so much more interesting 

Wat Chaiwattanarin is the best preserved of the ruins and we were able to climb to the top 

Amazing that they still let people go go this ancient structure 

View of the inside of the temple from above

Looking out a window 

One of the best preserved temples

This stupa and Buddha were in a field with nothing else around and we were the only ones there. Love that such a beautiful place is not over run




Likewise this Buddha sat in a well preserved chapel with only the roof missing

This giant reclining Buddha was once inside a temple but the temple has been destroyed yet the Buddha remains

Quite the truck load and lots of workers

These colourful bags are fish food that people buy to feed thei catfish

This giant Buddha image was one of the few ancient ones that was saved intact from the ancient site

As there is a lot of Chinese commerce along the river there are Chinese Temples where the people can stop along the way and worship

A very small tug pulling several barges. Reminded me of the little engine who knew he could

King Rama X was just ordained in May and the celebrations are still going on

Some of the buildings on the lake in the Summer Palace 

They need a trim but lots of animals adorned the grounds

These buildings in the Summer Palace reflect the Japanese influences