Bangkok Week 465 May 25, 2017 In only two days, we somehow manage to cover all the interesting Bangkok day trips! View fullsize Julia has her first encounter with Bangkok's famed lizard. View fullsize A relaxing Friday night dinner at our favorite Greyhound. View fullsize It's an early start the next morning. First stop on our Market Tour: Maeklong Market - famous for its train! View fullsize Time to try a fresh coconut. View fullsize Sellers know exactly how high and how close to the tracks their wares can safely be. View fullsize The market continues, as if nothing is amiss. View fullsize Train's coming! View fullsize Don't stand too close! View fullsize Nonchalant; just another day. View fullsize Train!! View fullsize An enterprising dog earns some extra cash at the market, too. View fullsize This smart cat knows how to stay cool! View fullsize At our Second Stop on the Market Tour -- Amphawa floating market -- the canine residents are nice and proper. View fullsize Traditional homes built along the canals. View fullsize There goes a floating store, off to the market. View fullsize Motorist, making a hard right turn. View fullsize Lots of homes and homestays along the canals. Quite touristy now! View fullsize Sellers chatting before the day gets busy. View fullsize A pad thai seller paddling her way to the market. View fullsize We decided to charter a boat! View fullsize The two 'locals'. View fullsize Pad thai lady made it to her spot! View fullsize Beautiful house at the intersection of the canal and the river. View fullsize Blue seas ahead! View fullsize Quick stop at a temple on the other side of the river. View fullsize Learning how to 'make merit' the Thai way. View fullsize Applying gold foil to a Buddha -- not something typically done with a life jacket on! View fullsize Heading back to the canal. View fullsize We beat the crowds - lucky! View fullsize Freshly grilled, fresh sea food! View fullsize How colorful! View fullsize Enjoying the direct sun. View fullsize Are those real fish? Or pillows? View fullsize Back to Bangkok for lunch. Spicy salads! View fullsize A quick pop-in to the office, for the view (and to pick up the food I forgot the night before). View fullsize Having an impromptu meeting in my new office. View fullsize Our loot from the train market. So many types of fruit! View fullsize Julia's in heaven. View fullsize Next stop on our market tour: Chatuchak weekend market! Where Julia finds 39 baht sunglasses! View fullsize You can buy coins at more-than-face-value! View fullsize Egg shoes! View fullsize Trying a 5-baht popsicle. View fullsize And treating ourselves to a short foot massage, after so many markets. View fullsize Last stop on the Market Tour: JJ Green Night Market! View fullsize Here we are... but it's time to go home! View fullsize Not sure what to make of these mangosteens. View fullsize Learning how to peel them like a local. View fullsize The next day, it's up to Ayutthaya. First stop: Bang Pa-in royal palace. View fullsize Saphakhan Ratchaprayun: one of the many beautiful buildings on the well-kept palace grounds. View fullsize Here's how a turtle hoists himself out of the water, when in pursuit of... View fullsize ... birds and their bread! View fullsize Looks like a faux-backdrop... but it's not! View fullsize That's Phra Thi Nang Aisawan Thiphya-art: a copy of the one at the Grand Palace. View fullsize Who? Where? View fullsize Saovarod Bridge - a discreet passageway. View fullsize One of the many mohawk-headed locals. View fullsize Phra Thi Nang Uthayan Phumisathian - the favorite residence of King Chulalongkorn. View fullsize The observatory. View fullsize From inside the observatory. View fullsize Up up up we go! View fullsize Great views, refreshing breeze. View fullsize You're supposed to be able to see the surrounding countryside! View fullsize The very red Phra Thi Nang Wehart Chamrun - built by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 1889. View fullsize Crossing back over the Saovarod Bridge. View fullsize Practicing our ram Thai - traditional dance moves. View fullsize Just kidding - it's the mandatory dress code for women to enter Phra Thi Nan Warophat Phiman - still in use by the current Royal Family. View fullsize No photos allowed inside - so we took one outside instead. View fullsize We deserve popsicles after that hot visit! View fullsize Next stop, at the same location: Wat Niwet Thammaprawat... View fullsize ... a temple that you have to access by cable car!! View fullsize Here we go! View fullsize So cool! View fullsize Some kind of really giant fruit! View fullsize It's a Buddhist temple, even though the architecture mimics that of a European church. View fullsize The wat was commissioned by King Chulalongkorn in 1876 View fullsize Even the inside looks like a church! View fullsize Stained glass and everything. View fullsize Designed by the great Thai architect, Joachim Grassi. View fullsize Speed boats zip up the busy Chao Phraya river. View fullsize As do these slightly less nimble tug boats. View fullsize Our next stop is lunch at a made-for-Instagram restaurant on the river. View fullsize Everything about the place screams Instagram and Selfie. View fullsize Social media-ready lunch. View fullsize Unnatural? Not at all! View fullsize Hello, Mr. Cameraman. View fullsize Next stop on the Ayutthaya tour: Wat Mahathat. View fullsize The Wat is famous for the Buddha head, around which tree roots have grown. View fullsize Looks like we were the only visitors -- but that's far from reality. View fullsize Three more hot heads. View fullsize The Wat was built in the 14th century, but now only the skeleton remains. View fullsize The main Prang, which collapsed for the last time in 1911. View fullsize Spot the monk! View fullsize Three pagodas. View fullsize Something I didn't expect to do that day! View fullsize This poor Buddha has been baking in the sun for centuries. View fullsize The temple's one chedi (stupa). View fullsize Enjoying the shade! View fullsize Well-framed photo. View fullsize Single-handedly making sure no more of the wat collapses! View fullsize Our next stop on the Ayutthaya tour was closed for renovation! Someone didn't seem too upset. View fullsize No trip to Ayutthaya is complete without "grandma's hair pancakes". View fullsize Final stop: the reclining Buddha! View fullsize Again we made it LOOK like we were the only ones there... View fullsize Two long-lost red cousins. View fullsize Back in Bangkok and all freshened up: it's time to make dinner! View fullsize What a feast! (Almost) all home-made! View fullsize There's exactly room for dinner for 3 at our table. View fullsize And trying the famous Ayutthaya dessert. View fullsize Delish!
