Bangkok Week 35 February 26, 2009 Mum and Dad arrive... and the fun begins! View fullsize The 17th-floor apartment we rented for their stay. (For them.) View fullsize A north-facing view out their apartment's window. Skytrain line on the right. View fullsize A south-easterly view out the bedroom window. Our modest apartment is the cubic yellow one in the foreground. View fullsize Trying a durian mush and sticky rice "dessert". View fullsize Last-minute touches on the bedroom... View fullsize ...before going to wait at the airport. View fullsize Finally! They appear just before 1 in the morning! View fullsize The men coordinated their outfits in advance, in case either got lost at the airport. View fullsize Having over our first guests for a meal-- mmm, Thai croissants and green-cream donuts. View fullsize A belated gift from the Otake family -- thanks! View fullsize Taking their inaugural ride on the skytrain. View fullsize The last ones leaving the platform, after taking many photos. View fullsize Visiting Jim Thompson's house! Little did we know, our jimmy boy would become a recurring theme this trip! View fullsize Jimmy T combined 6 traditional teak houses to make one grandiose teak mansion. View fullsize Gasp! Something photo-worthy! View fullsize A little CSI action will reveal who took this photo. View fullsize Mum tries on the granddaddy of all hats in Jim's gift shop. View fullsize A little respite from the heat at Jimmy's posh cafe. View fullsize Some kids play with carp of Japanese caliber. View fullsize Enjoying refreshing drinks at Jim Thompson's cafe. View fullsize Settling in for a tour of the skytrain line. View fullsize The next morning, a ride on the canal boat on the way to the Golden Mount. View fullsize The Golden Mount : a huge man-made lump with a gold-colored temple on top. View fullsize Starting the climb, and already hot. View fullsize Pausing mid-way for a breather and some shade. View fullsize A line of big bells greets climbers. View fullsize Stopping for more photos. View fullsize A view of the older part of the city from 3/4 up the mount. View fullsize We finally reach the origin of this mount's name. View fullsize The roof is flat and exposed directly to the sun. Fun for bare feet! View fullsize More view: the canal on which we arrived is visible, as is the flatness of the city. View fullsize The shade is critical: it guarantees cool flooring. View fullsize A view up, from below. What a mound. View fullsize All smiles. View fullsize Mum's long-sought amulet market... View fullsize ...and its amulets. View fullsize Stopping for cool drinks after wandering around the older part of the city. View fullsize The only non-sweetened iced tea this cafe has ever made! View fullsize And the requisite Giant-Golden-Buddha store. Duh. View fullsize Lunch at our famous food court. View fullsize And dinner that night at the Chinese seafood restaurant up the street. View fullsize Uh oh! A whole fish! View fullsize Taking a lesson in how to eat lam yai. View fullsize Eagerly waiting to pounce on the next people who try to enter the skytrain. View fullsize Name look familiar? It should. View fullsize A bag full of loot after a morning at Jimmy T's outlet store. View fullsize Lunch at a Japanese restaurant... in Japantown! View fullsize One needs all 40 teeth to eat a bento box. View fullsize And she finally locates her long-lost business! View fullsize Riding a condo-sponsored Tuk Tuk back to the skytrain. View fullsize Dinner at home -- lots of dishes from our veggie friends. View fullsize It was a really exhausting meal. View fullsize The day of temple-touring begins! View fullsize First stop, Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. View fullsize Lots more shiny gold. View fullsize A customized panoramic view. View fullsize A lotus flower in full bloom. View fullsize Who is more elegant? It's a tough choice. View fullsize Each creature shinier than the last. View fullsize Stopping for a shady water break. View fullsize "You'll look at me when I'm talking to you, boy!" View fullsize Ducking into an AC-filled cafe for rest, and to read up on our next destination. View fullsize A free bike-borrowing scheme for Thais and tourists in the old part of the city. View fullsize At Wat Po, a group of mini-school-kids comes to visit the reclining buddha. View fullsize This buddha's been chillaxin' there since we last visited. View fullsize Lining up the shot no one can leave without! View fullsize Lacing up after leaving another temple building. View fullsize Aha! We see where he gets his fashion sense! View fullsize The famous shot of Wat Arun from across the river. View fullsize Awaiting the shuttle boat. View fullsize The pier from which the river-traversing boat leaves. View fullsize Waiting aboard to be shuttled to the other side. View fullsize A longtail taxi -- one of many that speed up and down the river. View fullsize Many buddha align a wall next to Wat Arun. View fullsize Wat Arun had far fewer tourists than any of the temples on the other side of the river. View fullsize It's huge-- and mountable! View fullsize Two go up... View fullsize ... while one stays down. View fullsize A view from above. View fullsize Taking in the historic sights. View fullsize The tower provides elevated views of Wat Po and the Grand Palace back across the river. View fullsize And of course, additional exposure to the sun. View fullsize Heading back down the scarily steep stairs. View fullsize More detailing. View fullsize A cat tries to camouflage himself with the temple's tiles. View fullsize Lunch at MBK's infamous food court. Fried wide noodles all the way! View fullsize Mum enjoys a refreshingly strong iced cappuccino... View fullsize ...and fancy ice cream set! View fullsize We brought home separate French treats for the boys. View fullsize As if the temples weren't enough: that evening, an outing to the night bazaar. View fullsize The Men in White (MIW) rest while the ladies browse. View fullsize Chowing down in a tree-top restaurant. View fullsize The next day, visiting a park that's part of the royal complex. View fullsize Moats surround the greenery. View fullsize The park is famous for its teak mansion -- the (former) home of Rama V and the so-called largest teak mansion in the world. View fullsize One of the four teak wings. View fullsize That day, mum decided to sport a stylish sarong. View fullsize Another teak building in the park. View fullsize Even the ceilings are artfully ornate. View fullsize Dinner at the restaurant of... none other than our friend Jim Thompson! View fullsize A plate of "traditional" appetizers. View fullsize And VERY traditional desserts!
