Bangkok Week 404 March 24, 2016 A fun Saturday day-trip to Chachoengsao Province; plus a birthday dinner; plus a whirlwind trip to Singapore. Let's go! View fullsize A pulled pork sandwich at a new vegan restaurant in town. View fullsize Nice decor and not-so-subtle vegan propaganda. View fullsize Saturday road trip! Destination: Chachoengsao Province. First stop: the Khlong Suan 100-year-old market. View fullsize The market has many "proprietary" snacks. This one is a "crispy egg snack". View fullsize Pickled fruit. View fullsize Six types of mangoes! Later, we bought a kilo to bring back. View fullsize No better time of year than now to dry fish in the sun! View fullsize Leftovers from Chinese NY? View fullsize One of the well-conserved 100-year-old buildings. View fullsize Guess the water level is low at this time of the year! Not sure if that boat's going to be making it out anytime soon. View fullsize A very scary wooden footbridge. View fullsize Some of the sellers in this market appeared to be authentic from when the market first opened. View fullsize Cat brand rolling tobacco ... and all the decorations to go along with it. View fullsize Jarusin's store seems to be an original as well. The area was home to both Chinese and Muslims. View fullsize And this is the toy zone. View fullsize Why not try out luck at the scary wooden bridge? View fullsize We made it up alive! View fullsize The market continues on for as far as the eye can see. View fullsize Down we go! View fullsize Posing with the original wooden doors. View fullsize An old cafe. View fullsize Wind chimes made of drink cans. View fullsize The slowest barber shop in all of Thailand. I think he's been working on this haircut since the market opened. View fullsize Cute ducky snacks. View fullsize Brooms with fancy woven handles. View fullsize A grandpa so famous for his sausages that he has a sign! View fullsize Stopping at the market's museum to check out the tiny scale model. View fullsize Some of the long-time sellers have personal call-outs! View fullsize Is this what sexy looked like back in 1967? View fullsize The end of Samut Prakan province, and the start of Chachoengsao province. We're finally here! View fullsize My teeth hurt just looking at these lollies. View fullsize This grandpa's famous iced coffee deserves a thumbs-up! View fullsize The view back: where we've come from. View fullsize This poor guy's had a rough morning. Must've been a late night out. View fullsize Same with this Grandpa. View fullsize Next stop: Wat Sothonwararam. Lots of people come here to make merit. View fullsize Inside, they have shelves upon shelves for people to leave their offerings. View fullsize The crowds were many. View fullsize You're supposed to bring boiled eggs - lots of boiled eggs. View fullsize Putting gold on a fat happy Buddha. View fullsize I think half the province must come here daily to make merit. View fullsize This temple dog seems overwhelmed by the number of guests today! View fullsize Next stop: Wat Sai Chon Na Rangsi... View fullsize ... also known as the Golden Temple. View fullsize Perhaps what happened was that the builder accidentally ordered only one color of paint. View fullsize It's very beautiful to photograph. View fullsize You'll be relieved to know that the inside is also gold! View fullsize With a bling bling chandelier. View fullsize Sunny group shot! View fullsize It's time for lunch at a floating market! View fullsize It's fairly low-key for a floating market near Bangkok. View fullsize Lots of tables lining the center of a floating pier, with boat-based vendors on either side. View fullsize Like these! View fullsize Can't decide yet what to have for the main meal... so we'll have some steamed buns while we wait. View fullsize And the verdict? Som tum it is! View fullsize This grandpa decided to practice his balancing skills. View fullsize Careful on those wobbly planks, gramps! View fullsize Can you tell what's in the trees? View fullsize Now can you tell? View fullsize Bats galore! View fullsize They are like little foxes dressed as vampires for an off-season halloween. View fullsize Maybe they like these berries? View fullsize This particular temple is home to many other animals, too. View fullsize Including tens of roosters... View fullsize ...and their families. View fullsize What's everybody looking at? View fullsize Next stop: the overly-ostentatious Wat Saman Rattanaram. View fullsize There's a giant lotus floating in the river. View fullsize And giant rats giving offerings to... View fullsize ... a giant reclining Ganesha. View fullsize Very detailed, even from behind. View fullsize People were whispering secrets into the ears of the rats. View fullsize This chicken was collecting donations. View fullsize Unclear why the wat also had transformers. View fullsize Very colorful! View fullsize A huge gong... this woman could barely manage! View fullsize Giant, very detailed Brahma. View fullsize It's difficult to squeeze an entire family into the photo! View fullsize And I thought my foot was big! View fullsize Posing with rainbow scales. View fullsize Pit stop for some cheap pineapples to bring back to Bangkok! View fullsize Careful when driving behind this truck! View fullsize Last stop of the long day: Wat Hong Thong, a temple at the edge of the sea. View fullsize The wat is built over the water - I imagine this used to be mangrove land. View fullsize Visitors can climb to the top of the chedi hall, for a nice view of the sea. View fullsize And beautiful views of the ornate building next door. View fullsize Taking in the evening ocean air. View fullsize The sun sets over the Gulf of Thailand. View fullsize Bells that have been hung by other visitors as merit offerings. View fullsize Farewell to Chachoengsao. Bangkok, here we come! View fullsize Sunday lunch: a bowl of warm noodle soup from the new vegetarian food court across the street. View fullsize Unsure if he likes it! The grandpa growing out of his shoulder says hello. View fullsize Finally celebrating someone's belated 36th birthday dinner at Charcoal, a new Indian tandoor restaurant. View fullsize Check out the beer mug. View fullsize Two thumbs up to the napkins -- I mean bibs -- that they give you. View fullsize An example of the type of food they serve: yoghurt-and-cheese-marinated broccoli kebabs, baked in the tandoor. YUM! View fullsize It's that time of the week again - a Tuesday night departure from Bangkok. View fullsize And back to Singapore! View fullsize Commuting to and from the office like the locals. View fullsize This is so Singaporean; I love it! Taxi stand for 2 taxis only! View fullsize Lunch time in the first world! View fullsize A peaceful place to take a riverside break. View fullsize A first world indulgence: salad bowls with fresh, healthy ingredients. View fullsize Bangkok, here I come! View fullsize A new carnival, complete with 3 roller coasters, is being assembled on the site of the old Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Can't wait!
