Bangkok

Thailand - Heaven on Earth

"Your not going to want to come home, its like heaven on earth."  So said a cook at the local thai restaurant on cape a week before our departure, and he couldn't have been more right.  Thailand is a country with an array of paradisaic, untouched views, once you get out of bangkok. While travelling on land is often slow and tedious, it offers sights that one is not offered by any other means, and are to be appreciated. 

Our itinerary was nonstop, the first three days being spent solely in bangkok, really the only time we would spend any time touring in the 22nd largest city in the world.  While it has more temples than one could visit in a month, we seemed to tire quickly from them.  Touring a temple laden with gold and jewelled ornaments makes one wonder how poverty is so rampant.  

Travelling in bangkok was often exciting, and some of the best views we had in the city were from the boats on the chao phraya river. While the river taxis will take you from north to south in the city, a rented longboat can take you into the canals to see some of the behind the scenes views of people living on the river.  While we were talked into a somewhat trumped up fish farm and floating village, the ride was fun and interesting, as you see what life in this part of the world really looks like. 

Known as the Phra Buddhasaiyas, or the reclining Buddha, this buddha was by far, to me, the most impressive.  The sheer size (46 Meters long x 15 meters high) was incredible, and a close examination of the mother of pearl feet is a demonstration of the time, energy and passion put into it by its maker.  

 

Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahavihara, or Temple of the Dawn was also a beautiful temple, its name being derived from the pearly irridescent shimmer in the morning sun.

We came to thailand at the end of the rainy season. In october the average rainfall drops substantially, from 8 inches in september to 3 in october.  Here, on the chao phraya river, we got our first taste of tropical rain, a real definition of fast and furious. The storm lasted for about 30 minutes, but was very intense.