Wat Poh, Ziplinning and departure from Bangkok

We visited the temple of the Reclining Buddha on Thursday, otherwise known as Wat Poh. The intricate work done on the buildings was very similar to the Royal Palace - large-scale mosaics. We also saw the Buddha which is a humongous reclining buddha made of gold.


Some of the amazing mosaic work.

Our Wat Poh touring group.

The Reclining Buddha.

The head of the Reclining Buddha.

Today we went ziplinning in the rainforest outside of Bangkok. We ziplinned across 24 wires and amongst all the trees. It was amazing! I loved being outside of the city. Having spent a week here, I am ready to head out to another place. The city offers some interesting and cultural sites, but it also has absurd amounts of traffic! It makes getting through the city exhausting. Travelling by cabs is time consuming and not always productive. There is something called the "Sky Train" which is an above ground rail system, but it doesn't reach all aspects of the city.

So, having said that, we are leaving Bangkok tomorrow. We will fly to Chiang Mai and on Wednesday we will fly to Phuket. Although there are less than 1o days left, there are still lots of adventures to be had!

High above the trees on our ziplinning adventure.

The Royal Palace

After the school visits, we have the afternoon to explore Bangkok on our own. A group of us decided to check out the Royal Palace. The King is revered in Thailand - nothing negative can be said about him by his people. Throughout the city there are photos and monuments honouring the King. Therefore, we expected great things from his palace...and we were not disappointed!

The pictures will in no way do it justice, but it is without a doubt the shiniest place I have ever been! We had to be covered a certain amount which explains the sweater covering my shoulders. It was hard to know where to look because everywhere had something different and exciting (and shiny!).

Many (perhaps all?) of the statues were made of mosaics - I can't imagine the time that went into creating this place!

Me in front of one of the Temples along the Chao Phraya river at night. We took a dinner cruise along the river on Monday night. It afforded a lovely view of the city.

The balcony (and building) we believe the King would come out and wave to the people (just like that other royal couple).

Our group inside the palace.

Being blessed by an unopened lotus flower outside the temple of the Emerald Buddha (thank you to Lisa for blessing me :-))

Posing with one of many gold plated...things! (I'm so cultured!)

School Visits

As of today we have made 3 out of 5 visits to local schools. On Monday we visited a school for students with special needs (Rajabhat Suan Dusit), Tuesday a public school for students K-10 and today (Wednesday) we visited the first school for the Deaf in Thailand.


Although these schools have been very different, one of the things they have in common is how welcoming everyone is. We are greeted by the Director and taken on a tour by a number of staff members. They treat us like Kings and Queens - they smile easily, often and willingly and they are so patient and generous. And not only are the administrative staff welcoming, but so are the teachers. We have entered numerous classrooms over the course of three days and not once have I felt like we are interrupting. They stop their lesson, smile, welcome us and invite their students to do the same. Rather than feeling as though we are intruding, they welcome our "interruption" with smiles and a greeting. It is mind boggling because I can't imagine getting this reception at schools in Ontario (or New York State). So far these visits have been interesting and eye opening.
Dr. Sheeran (one of our professors) and the Director of Rachawinit School


One of our colourful welcomes.

Students and teachers at the school for students with special needs.

Ayutthaya

Sunday we visited the ancient capital of Thailand: Ayutthaya. We drove an hour outside of the city to get to this place. Our first stop involved checking out the ruins of the city. It was blazing hot, but we managed to run from tree shade to tree shade to get some pictures. Unfortunately we didn't have a tour guide with us, so I don't know much about the city and why it came to be ruined.

The next stop was to a Temple and market. Inside the temple was a GIANT Buddha made of (or perhaps just covered) in gold. We also explored the attached market and saw all sorts of interesting food. We ate something comparable to cotton candy in a crepe (better than it sounds) and we saw all sorts of sea creatures on sticks cooked on a grill.

Finally, our last stop was a white reclining Buddha (still within the city of Ayutthaya). There really wasn't much to see besides that, but the Buddha itself is quite amazing!

Flat Mya at the Reclining Buddha

The giant gold Buddha

Outside the Temple

At the ruins

More ruins - this buddha was surrounded by similar, smaller sculptures that had all been rendered headless.

Markets, boats and Chinatown

Saturday (our first full day in Bangkok) found us exploring JJ Market and seeing the city from the water. I took the Sky Train to JJ Market (also known as "Chatuchak Weekend Market") where there are 6000 stalls! I didn't fully understand when my professor's said that you could buy ANYTHING in Thailand, but they were not kidding. You can buy anything here! The markets are filled with everything your little heart desires. Most of it is knock-off, so prices are very inexpensive.

I didn't spend much time at the market and in the end probably saw 100 stalls at the very most. The most exciting purchase I made was fresh cut mango. Fresh fruit is available on every corner - so delicious!

Our next adventure had us taking a boat down Chao Phraya River. The boat made lots of stops which gave us an idea of what was available to do in Thailand. This is where I got my first glimpse of Wat Pho (Wat meaning temple), which is a famous temple in Bangkok (although not the ONLY temple). We didn't explore the temple, but I will be making time to do that before we leave. It is also the sight of the Reclining Buddha. I also learned that this is a great place to get an authentic Thai massage. Apparently the munks train for 5 years before being allowed to practice on a person. It sounds like it will be worth my time ;-)

Finally, a couple of us got off the boat to explore Chinatown. This was an experience I'm glad I had, but I am not overly eager to repeat it. Chinatown was VERY crowded! There are small side streets which a crammed with vendors and people. Thankfully I've embraced the environment and am not letting myself get stressed. I'm really working on accepting everything for what it is and experiencing everything I can. So far it appears to be working for me.

The pictures include an image of the King (who is reveared in Thailand), some of the long boats we saw on the river and a temple (not sure which one). I have also included a picture of Flat Mya experiencing Bangkok. She is having a great time!

Today I am on my way to Ayuthya (spelling is definitely off) which is the ancient capital of Thailand. Let the adventure begin!

Departure from Hong Kong, Arrival in Bangkok

The first leg of my journey has come to an end. I left Hong Kong this morning and have arrived in Bangkok. Thankfully the humidity in Bangkok is not as intense as HK was. The humidity and heat made a lethal combination which made it difficult for me to function. I struggled to do simple tasks and did not always enjoy my excursions because of the heat :-(

Hong Kong was a great experience, I am so happy I made the effort to go (thanks for suggesting it Dad). It was so wonderful to reconnect with people I haven't seen for 15 years. It was as though no time had passed! I am so happy it worked out so well - what wonderful people to have re-enter my life.

I will absolutely need to go back to HK - there is so much left to be experienced. I didn't get to the Tai-O fishing village, Life cafe or Macau Island - and that's only the tip of the iceburg! I may chose a different time of year though, July was just too much for me. Perhaps I will consider going when it gets "cold" (down to 5).

Now I have moved onto Thailand. I connected with my group (two professors and several other students) and am typing from Bangkok. We will get to spend most of a week exploring Bangkok before Chiang Mai. I am excited about everything I've seen so far! It's a busy place, but in a different way than Hong Kong. There are pink taxis and we saw houses built on stilts in the water. I can't wait to start exploring! This is going to be such a wonderful experience!!

Final Hong Kong Pictures

Here is the last batch of HK pictures.

The Po Lin Monastery. I didn't learn much about this monastery, but it was built in 1924.

A view of Lantau Island from the cable car I took to get to Big Buddha. The views were stunning!

The Hong Kong skyline on my last night.

Nicole (my fantastic host) and I on the ferry over to Kowloon.