Bangkok Week 23 December 6, 2008 Many, many flowers and a trip to Chulalongkorn University's biennial academic fair. View fullsize Rama IX Park, a huge botanical garden in the outskirts of Bangkok, was having a big flower sale and festival this past weekend. View fullsize People came to picnic, shop, stroll, relax... and sleep. View fullsize A picturesque pond, footbridge, and ... View fullsize ... the HUGEST lily pads we'd ever seen! View fullsize Photographing those big mama pads. View fullsize Having fun taking portraits with the SLR. View fullsize They could be used as stepping stones! View fullsize We couldn't quite pass ourselves off as young enough to play in this neat structure in the playground area. View fullsize How colorful! View fullsize It is fall, after all. These huge leaves had fallen from a tree. View fullsize There was a little carnival area of for the kiddies. View fullsize More walking, and more flowers. View fullsize Pink was never my color. View fullsize Wouldn't want to live here. View fullsize Flowers surrounding the golden island. View fullsize I don't know what these berries are, but the ant seems attracted to them. View fullsize Basking in a sea of marigolds. View fullsize And a field of brains! View fullsize There was a geodesic dome ... View fullsize ... home to many cacti ... View fullsize ... and some fools, too. View fullsize These cacti were an afterthought. View fullsize A ballerina flower. View fullsize The Red Sea. View fullsize A hibisbus! View fullsize Some of the gardeners responsible for the loveliness, in their sun gear. View fullsize A fish who lives in the "indoor plants" garden. View fullsize More "indoor" plants. View fullsize This tree trunk is watching your every move. View fullsize Zebra leaves. View fullsize Stopping to smell the rose-replacements. View fullsize Natural shade. View fullsize "Christmas: Large B70, Small B50" View fullsize "Hello. I'm B150!" View fullsize A dripping tree. View fullsize All decked out for Canada Day. View fullsize More warm hues. View fullsize Who's imitating whom? View fullsize Fried rice for lunch (the garden was home to many restaurants and food stalls this weekend). View fullsize This was a more permanent restaurant... although they still used disposable plates and cutlery. View fullsize Lanterns being sold by one vendor. View fullsize Almost indistinguishable! View fullsize Part of the British garden. View fullsize There was a garden of umbrellas. View fullsize These flowers were housed inside an air-conditioned room ... View fullsize ... that was also home to many prize-winning Bonsais. View fullsize Evil-looking purple monsters. View fullsize More gardens (and yes, you can walk on the grass). View fullsize The Japanese garden, behind which you can see the park's topiary creatures. View fullsize A cheery resident. View fullsize Almost too colorful! View fullsize A very long bed of sunflowers... facing the wrong way! View fullsize Fibonacci ring any bells? View fullsize Almost too sunny for a group shot. View fullsize "Hey guys! Why so droopy?" View fullsize Fancy trix. View fullsize Winter time, you said? Parka it is, then! View fullsize The main, fountain-lined approach to the park's central atrium. View fullsize Anybody home? View fullsize Layers of color and texture. View fullsize A closer view of the huge atrium and the park's namesake. View fullsize A monk enjoying the bright afternoon. View fullsize Mother, son, son and sun. View fullsize No park is complete without its floating vendors. View fullsize Land bridges leading to the edge of the pond. View fullsize Up in a structurally questionable treehouse. View fullsize Coming up to join... and test the treehouse's strength! View fullsize More floating vendors. View fullsize Cheese! Now let's get down from here! View fullsize Selling various fruits and chili pastes. View fullsize AHH! What's going on here!?! View fullsize These birdhouses were occupied by fake birds! Talk about taunting the locals. View fullsize In China! View fullsize The market area, with the requisite meats-on-sticks. View fullsize A bamboo water-wheel that dumped the water straight into the pond. View fullsize Baby Brains. View fullsize Palms in front of the park's main lake. View fullsize They gave up peddling and decided to use a sail instead. View fullsize Fun with Fotos. View fullsize The rather strong fountain in the lake ... as several peddle-boaters found out. View fullsize What's wrong with this picture? View fullsize Lost in the hedge garden! View fullsize A magazine for Maplewood. View fullsize Christmas eyes! Scary, no? View fullsize The biennial academic fair at Chulalongkorn University. View fullsize One of the main walkways into the campus-- far more populated than when I came during Bangkok Week 1. View fullsize No Thai event is complete without a makeshift food court. View fullsize The exhibition area of Vee's department. View fullsize Vee presents his research to a captive audience! View fullsize Boo! View fullsize Hmm. What are the meaning of pinwheels? View fullsize Arts and crafts with old soda bottles! View fullsize We happened to stumble upon the princess... this was taken immediately after she was whisked off in a parade of fancy cars. View fullsize Ice cream cans. View fullsize The aftermath of hungry students. View fullsize Making popcorn, ye olde-school style. View fullsize A side of Chula that we'd not seen before. View fullsize The teeniest orange ... View fullsize ... eaten here because they're seedless!
