Yesterday we began our day with a leisurely breakfast at the guest house in Amphawa. We then visited the floating market which turned out to be an amusing tourist spectacular! What probably started out many years ago as a real market for locals, has turned into a crazy tourist destination! You had to laugh at the craziness of it all. It felt like bumper cars in boats! But the sites and sounds were amazing!

We had lunch on the river at Sampran Riverside- a peaceful eco- resort with beautiful gardens outside Bangkok. We then travelled to Nakhon Pathom where we visited the Phra Pathom Chedi- the tallest Buddhist monument in the world. Quite an amazing architectural marvel and pilgrimage site!

Sampran Riverside

We arrived back in Bangkok, I took a nap to overcome a bit of jet lag ( which has thankfully been quite mild for me) and then Bob and I went to the supermarket to buy groceries for dinner. I love to visit supermarkets when I travel- the variety of unfamiliar products, the colors, the sites… one entire aisle of fish sauce and soy sauce!

A Nepali dinner at Bob and Rajani’s home last evening

Today we ventured to the Teak Mansion which was a summer palace for a Thai King in the early 20th century. My brother had visited it 20 years ago and said it was a serene garden environment at that time. Today it was a crazy tourist attraction- with very strict security and dress requirements ( I had to buy a wrap for a skirt because my pants were an inch too short) and many, many Chinese tourists – a new tour group every 2 minutes or so! It spoke to me that China- a country of 1.3 + billion citizens with increasing buying power — will have the opportunity to greatly influence the way of the world in the years to come.

My fashionable skirt- seen through the crowds of Chinese tourists…

We then visited the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center and saw some wonderful art by contemporary Thai artists. This evening we had a marvelous dinner and drinks at a rooftop restaurant accompanied by a spectacular rain and thunder storm! Past my bedtime now… Good night!