Bob and I took a wonderful bike and boat tour yesterday- about 12 kilometers of bicycling, as well as boating through the canals and river in a long boat. It was a great way to get a sense of the everyday lives of Bangkok residents — back alleys, markets in Chinatown, neighborhoods, schools, temples off the beaten path, people at work, neighborhoods on canals, and much more! I did get quite anxious, however, trying to maneuver my bike through very narrow alleys and on a narrow elevated path through wet farmlands. So I ended up walking my bike on the elevated path and actually got to take in tremendous beauty at a slowed down rate. One of the tour guides took great care of me as I went at a different pace. And, thankfully, I did get to miss a snake falling from a tree onto one of my fellow bikers! I would have definitely ended up in the water seeing that happen!

Posted more photos than usual- sorry- lots to share!

Stopping in a schoolyard for high fives and smiles!

Ringing the bell three times for good luck at the Buddhist Temple. My skirt came in handy today!

Unloading baskets of dirt on the river- really hard work in the heat and humidity!

In the long tail boat on one of the canals.

Typical house along the canal

Getting a boules lesson from the locals- great fun!

Along the elevated path on the farm.. With Earn- the guide who took such good care of me!

Waiting for the train at the crossing…

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Today was my niece Marina’s graduation from the International School in Bangkok. Was a really wonderful ceremony! Congratulations to Marina!!

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!

 

Sitting on the deck of a small guest house in Amphawa watching the river traffic go by. Peaceful… And a good time to write this blog entry. A little sweat dripping from my forehead…

Yesterday Bob and I went to a Buddhist Meditation Center in Bangkok to take a “Contemplative Listening” workshop. Was a wonderful experience! After we walked in beautiful gardens with lotus flowers and flame trees. The park was filled with families out for a Saturday afternoon.  Then off to a “huge” market where you can buy anything- if you can find it amongst the acres and acres of shops… Pets and animals of every type ( that section was a bit strange for me) , custom crafted furniture, and everything in between.

Yesterday’s breakfast- incredible mango that we had bought at the market.

Bob cleaning his dishes after our simple lunch at the meditation center.

 

Today we travelled to Ayutthaya – the capital of Thailand from the  14th to 18th century. Incredible ruins – striking against the blue sky and beautiful clouds. And, naturally, many more Buddha statues!

I think this might be the “sibling selfie trip”!

 

So this  evening we are staying in this small guest house in Amphawa- a weekend get away for many Thais. There is a floating market which we will visit tomorrow. Nice to relax on the deck- breeze picking up as sunset approaches. Off to one of the markets and dinner shortly.

After a decent night’s sleep following my 29 hour trip, Bob and I ventured into the hot, sticky morning air to visit the market to purchase fruits and vegetables. And oh what a market it is! I have always loved the outdoor markets of Europe, but this market was a European market on steroids – an incredible assault on the senses- smells, both delicious and awful; colors and textures abounding; chickens and ducks, alive and not;  sharing the maze of alleys with motorcycles; fruits and vegetables I had never before seen; frogs, alive and not; dried grasshoppers ( a delicious roasted snack we were told);  swimming, squirming eels; and so much more… I loved the market and its sensory wonders!

We ate lunch in a foodcourt in a very high end mall – live frogs for sale in the morning… Gucci bags for sale in the afternoon. And this was like no American foodcourt I had ever seen in the States- actually reminded me of the Kadewe Foodcourt in Berlin, Germany. My pad Thai was delicious!

After a long taxi ride in the heavy Bangkok traffic (with motorcycles darting in and out of the traffic) we ended up at the incredible Wat Pho Temple with the large reclining Buddha. The temples and architecture were magnificent — with hundreds of Buddha statues, including the Reclining Buddha at 46 meters in length.

Ended the day attending a marvelous Ravi Shankar meditation session! Certainly a day of wonder and contrasts!