Really sad saying good-bye to Mum and Dad at Manchester airport. It never gets any easier!!!
Saturday 10 January 2015
We had good flights to Dubai (7hrs 30 mins) and ongoing to Bangkok (7hrs). It was a long journey and we were both so pleased to finally get to our hotel in Bangkok... Hotel Muse, a boutique 5 star hotel. A bit of luxury on our way home. We had a lovely swan waiting for us on our bed, I think I had mentioned in our booking that it was our 11th wedding anniversary. So that was nice.
Sunday 11th January 2015
This morning we had to be up early to go on a private tour of the Tha Kha Floating Market and the Folding Umbrella Market which is approximately 1hr 20 minutes drive from Bangkok.. Our tour guide was called Kiwi.
Views from the 19th floor, our breakfast restaurant in the hotel.
This is all the electrical wiring outside our hotel... its like spaghetti!!!
Views on the way to the markets..
Here they are making rock salt
Maeklong Railway folding umbrella market. This is one of the most interesting markets you will ever visit in the world. The train passes through eight times a day (four arriving and four departing!). You have to walk down the train track to buy your produce from the stall holders. Its all fresh produce, meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. We didn't smell any stench from the foods at all. When the train comes the stall holders move everything away from the track and pull the awnings back. Unfortunately we didn't get to see this as we were strapped for time, but its on YouTube if you want to check it out.
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| duck eggs |
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| swordfish |
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| descaling sword fish |
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| selling lotto tickets! |
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| gotta love the electrical wiring eh! |
Now on our way to the floating markets.
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| coconut plantation |
making coconut sugar
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| Python snake!!! |
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| family ashes in urns! |
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| Dave stirring the coconut sugar... it tasted really nice too. |
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| Kiwi our tour guide |
We got to ride on a boat for approximately 30 minutes... this is the lady that paddled us, along with Dave. I had a go too. We got taken around the canal paths which is such a tranquil location, you would never think you were anywhere near Bangkok!!
I thought the bottles were litter, but in fact they are holding up the electrical wiring around the place. the wire is attached to the bottles!!
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| blue taxi picking up people |
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| city of Bangkok |
Four Seasons Hotel...
After brunch we needed to go for a walk to walk all we had eaten off!! We came across the Universe of Happiness... Snoopy land!!!
Then we saw a Tut Tut in a collision...ooops!!
Monday 12 January 2015
I awoke this morning feeling terrible, the flu had hit me, my body ached from head to toe and my skin was so sore I couldn't bare to touch it!! I soldiered on as we were booked on a full day tour of the temples and royal palace!
The first temple to visit was Wat Traimit which holds the worlds largest seated solid gold Buddha. Measuring nearly five metres in height and weighing five and half tons!!
The walls are hand painted, you'd think it was wallpaper but its not. Amazing that its all done by hand!
The building in the distance with the gold dome on top was used in the film Hangover 2!! Where they had the stag party.
On to the next Temple... Wat Pho... the Reclining Buddha...
Measuring 15 metres tall, 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf...
394 gilded Buddha's are located in this temple too.
These are statues stating the different Thai massage poses
All along the roads are big monuments of the King of Thailand. They love their King.
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| Parliament Building |
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| Phra Sakysaingh, seated cross-legged in the attitude of subduing mara. In the style of the Chieng Saen Period. Found at Chieng Saean |
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| A standing Buddha wearing the attributes of royalty, in the khmer style of the lopburi period. This image in the attitude of teaching was cast and enlarged from an old model |
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| A standing Buddha in the attitude of forbidding his relatives to fight one another in the style of Sukhothai. Found at Wat Bang O Chang, Nondaburi |
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| An image of the Buddha seated cross-legged in the attitude subduing himself by fasting this image, which shows the (Greek) Style of Gandhara sculptures, was cast after a stone original kept in the museum at Lahore, Pakistan |
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| A standing Buddha in the attitude of calming the ocean in the style of Ayutthaya period. Found at Wat Yai, Phetchaburi |
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| An image of the Buddha seated cross-legged, in the attitude of mediation. In the style of the Dvaravati period. Case and enlarged from an ancient original founding the bed of the Mun River at Wang Palad, Korat Province |
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| A walking Buddha in the style of Sukhodaya period, from Wat Mahathat, Bangkok |
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| An image of the Buddha sitting with one leg above the other, in the attitude of invoking victory, in the style of the Ayuthaya period, case and enlarged from an ancient model |
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| An image of the Buddha sitting cross-legged in the attitude of subduing mara. In the style of the Chieng Saen period. Found at Wat Arun, Thonburi |
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| A standing Buddha in the attitude of teaching, in the style of the Dvaravati period, case and enlarged from an ancient stone model |
In the afternoon we had a tour around the Grand Palace
Dave splashing himself with holy water for good luck!!! Hope it works!!!
On our last day we went exploring... up the Baiyoke Tower II... 997 feet tall... views from the top!
Then we took a water taxi along the Chao Phraya river... the river is very muddy and choppy!! Also extremely busy.
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| view of Wat Arun |
I found Bangkok quite overwhelming!!! It could have been because I was unwell but then again! I couldn't cope with all the hustle and bustle, noise, and all the wealth in the Temples and Grand Palace... when there is so much poverty in Bangkok... doesn't seem right!!!! Not sure I will be returning in a hurry. I did however really enjoy the massage... wished I had more but really wasn't feeling very well and couldn't bare anyone touching me. Dave had my fair share of massages which was great for him.
Really loved our hotel, Hotel Muse... would highly recommend it to other travellers. The service was attentive but not overly. The breakfast options were fantastic. Loved the roof top bar, something quite special. Unfortunately didn't swim in the pool, a) the water was too cold and b) not feeling very well to do so.
Time to return to NZ.... until the next adventure!!
