A Trip to Thailand
sabbath asked me to post some of my Thailand photos on the board. At the risk of boring everyone with my vacation photos, here are a few I selected out of the 1000's of photos I took in SE Asia. I may also include photos from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos later. Not sure how to keep this from becoming too long. Maybe I'll post a few, see how it is received and then decide whether or not to post a few more.
I might as well start with the neighborhood we lived in for the eight weeks we were in Bangkok. When we first arrived, I felt so lost and intimidated, but it was only a few days and we started to feel comfortable. As the locals got to know us, it became the norm to be greeted while out walking and running errands. We walked everywhere and when it wasn't feasible to walk, took the train.
The infamous dental clinic where my husband had a broken filling fixed was right down the street from where we were staying:
The broom man:
The flower man:
Ice deliveries to local bars and restaurants were made every day:
Fried insects, anyone? I was determined to try some, but never managed to work up the nerve. Maybe next time:
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't large, clean modern grocery stores that carried many of the same brands we buy in the United States:
Neighborhood place to get something to drink and eat:
If you all are interested, I will be happy to keep the photos coming.
:-)
Comments (70)
- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
One of the highlights of our visit to SE Asia was a day spent at the
Elephant Nature Park a sanctuary for neglected, abused and injured
elephants. The park was founded by Sangdeaun Lek Chailert and consists
of 250 acres where the rescued elephants will spend the rest of their
days in a pampered retirement. Each elephant has their own human
companion who spends the day with them and sees to their every need.Lek is an amazing woman who was born into the Hill Tribes village of
Baan Lao. Her grandfather was a healer of both people and animals and
young Lek often accompanied him on his calls. As she grew into
adulthood, Lek became an advocate for animals, especially the Asian
elephant, which is the national symbol of Thailand. Her dream was to
create a place where elephants would be treated with patience, love and
kindness rather than force and punishment. She has succeeded beyond
anyone's wildest dreams and today other elephant parks are beginning to
model themselves after Elephant Nature Park.For many tourists visiting Asia, riding an elephant is on their bucket
lists of things to do, but what they don't realize is that doing so
supports an industry that is harmful to elephants physically, mentally
and emotionally. As large as they are, elephants do not have strong
backs and anything weighing over 150 kilos (300 pounds) puts immense
stress on their spines. Giving rides involves a saddle (howdah) that
weighs approximately 100 pounds and up to four humans. Assuming those
humans weigh an average of 150 pounds each, the elephants could very
well end up carrying 700 or more pounds on their backs. This results in
spinal injuries as well as dislocated hips and even death for the
elephant as reported in this recent news story out of Cambodia. Samba's DeathMany of the elephants worked in the logging industry until logging was
banned by the Thai government in 1989. The unfortunate side affect was
that many mahouts (handlers) and their elephants found themselves out of
work overnight resulting in the mahouts turning to other sources of
income such as elephant rides, performances and begging in the streets.
These elephants are often malnourished, exhausted and suffering from
mental and emotional distress. Most working elephants were taken from
their mothers at a very young age and put through a brutal training
process known as the crush which is designed to break their spirits and
make them submissive to humans.Fortunately, in large part due to Lek's work, attitudes in Thailand are
beginning to change. Elephant camp operators are starting to realize
that western tourists are happy to spend their money walking beside an
elephant, rather than riding it, as well as observing elephants being
elephants and participating in feeding and bathing. This is a wonderful
development for the elephants who get to lead a more natural life, the
mahouts who are still able to earn a living and the tourists who have a
much more enriching experience.At the time of our visit, there were over 60 elephants living at the 250
acre park. It was very easy to make reservations through the park
website, Elephant Nature Park
where there are several packages from which to choose. Once that was
done, we eagerly awaited the big day. We were picked up at our hotel in
Chiang Mai at 8:15a.m. by one of the park's vans and settled back to
enjoy the drive.The nature park is located in this beautiful valley:
The park includes flat grasslands, forest and a river. There are many
observation platforms from which to observe the park residents.
Once at the park, we had a brief orientation from our guide and then it
was feeding time. We had no idea just how strong an elephant trunk was
until they were grabbing watermelon out of our hands!One of the first elephants we met while on our walking tour was this
beautiful girl who had been at the park for only a couple of months.
Her foot was crushed in a logging accident and never healed
properly. Our guide explained that if she is deemed healthy enough,
surgery will be done to straighten her leg.
Next we met a small family group that includes four year old Navaan. He is sometimes a mischievous boy who is into everything!
Such a beautiful face...
And, big feet too!
Part II next - Houzz won't let me post any more photos in this post.
Related Discussions
Does any one know how to grow Orchid from seed?
Comments (1)I found this on the web via the orchid forum, I know that it is a bit involved but orchid seed by its nature (no endosperm) is like that! Home Orchid Flasking This material may be copied for personal use, or for use by societies or research groups, providing that it is accompanied by a notice acknowledging authorship. Cedric Maunder This guide is based on myown experiences here in the UK, and the methods and materials described may not suit other people. Over a period of about two years I have had good results with a variety of orchid species and hybrids, and have suffered very little contamination of flasks. These notes are provided not because I consider myself an expert, far from it but because this comparatively cheap and simple set-up has worked well for me and might be helpful to anyone contemplating having a go at flasking. I am very grateful for help and advice received from other people - notably George Black of Brize Norton, England and Robert M. Hamilton of Berkeley, California, USA A very important factor is to be very aware that bacteria, moulds and other potential "nasties" are everywhere - in huge numbers. Awareness of this fact, together with recognition of the existence of gravity and air currents, will help to ensure that the said nasties do not gain access to your flasks. I should say at this stage that I do not possess a laminar-flow cabinet. The initial purchases needed for starting out in flasking are sufficiently expensive without the fairly large outlay that such a cabinet requires. Having seen the results obtained by George Black - a noted orchid hybridiser and flasker - using only a very simple glove box, I decided to try that method first. After a couple of years of this I see no reason to change to anything more complex and expensive unless I become sufficiently fool-hardy to consider commercial ventures! GLOVE BOX: This is a very simple device. Various people use cardboard boxes, glass carboys etc.! I thought that wood or plastic (acrylic) would probably be the best choices for me. (A simple wooden box can have a piece of glass for a lid and does not necessarily need a frame or hinges for the glass top. George Black has raised many, many seedlings from such a set-up.) I finally settled for using acrylic sheet; most pieces of the box can be made from off-cuts which are very cheap, though I used thicker sheets for the base and lid - these being at full price. The only drawback of this material is the adhesive it requires. This should be used out of doors or in a very well ventilated place. The material is transparent if one does not spill too much of the adhesive on the visually critical parts - lid and front panel. The one I made has the following dimensions (not very critical, I wanted it to fit on the end of the kitchen table when in use and on the top of the freezer for storage) Width - 24 inches; 810mm. Depth - 18 inches; 457mm. Height at rear - 12 inches; 305mm. --- 14 inches; 356mm. Might be better. Height at front - 8 inches; 203mm. --- 10 inches; 263mm. Might be better. The lid is made of two pieces, a rear fixed part and a hinged part at the front. I also used a fair number of small off-cuts to strengthen the corners and rear part of the lid. Diameter of arm holes :- 4.25 inches; 108 mm. (I used a saucer as a pattern!) I used pieces of shower curtain material cut to shape and size to make sleeves. A hem is made at the inside end with elastic inserted and tightened to give a comfortable fit for the wrist, and cuts made at the other end to make radial flaps with which the sleeve can be glued to the outside rim of the box. If one wears rubber gloves when using the box, the sleeves and gloves keep one's skin fairly free of Domestos. (See below ) STERILIZING THE INTERIOR OF THE GLOVE BOX: This is done using Domestos or similar bleach diluted 1:4 with water. A 500ml spray bottle contains this solution so that It can be sprayed across all parts of the box to make a mist which will remove all organisms. (If the spraying is done correctly, all interior surfaces will have been coated with the bleach and organisms in the air will be carried down in the spray into a layer of bleach on the floor of the box. The sleeves and gloves must also be well sprayed, preferably at both the start and end of the sterilizing. My experience is that by the time this progress is completed, the box is essentially sterile. Wait a further five minutes or so to be absolutely sure. All materials, tools etc. needed for the flasking session must be put into the box before the spraying begins. Tools should be laid in a shallow dish full of the bleach solution before closing the lid. All flasks or bottles that are going to be worked with before starting, together with a flask of sterilised water, capped with foil. All must be thoroughly sprayed during the sterilising procedure. If some essential item is forgotten it will be necessary to do the whole procedure over again, SO have a check list and consult it before sterilising! BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR FLASKING: Access to Sigma/Aldrich or some other reliable supplier of Chemicals and apparatus. [In the UK this firm is probably the largest and most comprehensive one engaged in this field, and I have found them to very efficient and helpful. Free catalogues - very well produced.] These firms can provide. almost everything needed, and thousands of other things, too! UK Addresses and Phone Numbers:- Telephone:- Orders :- 0800 373731 Customer Service :- 0800447788 The company appears to be active in most other parts of the world, but I'm sure there are alternatives in most places. Items Required:- 1. Chemicals: (Approx UK prices shown (1998) - subject to change) Medium:- Phytamax Orchid Maintenance Medium with charcoal and banana, P1056. 1 Litre size = £1.60 - Phytamax P0931 is without charcoal. Agar:- A 1296, 500g - £47.20; 100g. -£14.30 Calcium hypochlorite - Fluka 21182, 250g @ £5.10; lkg = £14.30 (This is 65% to 70% strength, 3.5g per 100ml for five minutes is probably sufficient for seed sterilisation). Suncaps (flask closures with filter vent) C 6795- foil with 3.00 mm.. filter; 500 £ 43.30 Domestic bleach - Domestos or similar, hand sprayer to use for spraying Domestos 1 :4 solution in glove box. 2. Hardware: Can all be obtained from Sigma but most can be obtained from other sources. Measuring jug, 500 ml., pyrex or similar. - kitchen departments of department stores. Glass funnel for filtering. Filter paper - Whatman 185mm. Grade 1 or 4 (faster) A few 5OOml glass flasks, with rubber bungs, are useful for making and filtering the hypochlorite solution, water, and so on. Large bag or elastic bands for temporary securing of Suncaps. Micropore tape for final securing of Suncaps. Shallow oblong dishes for holding flasking tools (see below) for sterilising (inside glove box) Supply of suitable bottles - jam jars, honey jars, baby food bottles (Sigma) etc. Labels for bottles. Small self adhesive ones made for labelling preserves/jams etc. Small stoppered bottle to hold seed during sterilisation. Pressure cooker high enough to hold 500mL flasks. Scales to read down to 0.05 gm. (0.1gm. divisions). (For making up the majority of solutions needed for flasking, colchicine use CSMColchicine.htm chromosome counting, etc. this should be adequate. To make up one's own medium really requires 0.01 gm. divisions. ) A microwave cooker can be used instead of a pressure cooker but, on balance, the pressure cooker is quicker and more convenient. For good results from sterilising in a microwave oven it is necessary to include about one litre of water in bottles with each batch of flasks. This acts as a thermal ballast so that enough time can be given to ensure sterility without boiling over of flasks or loss of their seals. Reference:- Microwave Sterilization of Plant Tissue Culture Media; BrentTisserat, Danny Jones, and Paul D. Galleta. Hortscience 27 (4): 358 - 361 1992.) MAKING UP THE MEDIUM: Sigma medium is clearly labelled with the weight required to make one litre. I usually make batches of 500mL. This is sufficient for ten to a dozen bottles. I usually prepare a few bottles with a deeper layer of medium for use when re-plating, others more shallow for seed sowing. Do not be tempted to make the layer of medium very thin, however, as it will soon become too dry and stiff! CABINET FOR FLASKS: Fluorescent tubes 4 foot - daylight, one or two ( at the most) for each shelf. Doesn't seem to be any marked advantage using UV lights at this stage. Plastic trays to place flasks on -- 9 inches from lights gives good results. Some cool growing genera are prone to produce protocorms with little or no chlorophyll if light to heat ratio is too low. Bringing flasks to lower (cooler) level results in some or all of these 'greening up' Time clock to give 12 or 14 hour days. This timing seems to be optimum for Oncidiinae genera. SEED SOWING: This can be ripe/dry seed or 'green pod' - (unripe capsule! ) DRY SEED: Keep seed as clean and dry as possible before use. Some people say to dry the seed in a dessicator - I haven't found this to be a good thing. Sow as soon after harvest as possible - but will keep for several weeks if dry. Presumably gradually loses viability. I use a 50 ml. bottle or flask with screw cap or tight fitting bung. Make a 'solution' of Calcium Hypochlorite (60-70 % available chlorine) using 7.0 or 3.5 gm. of Hypochlorite in 100ml water . STRENGTH OF CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE TO USE: (Traditionally 7 gm. of calcium Hypochlorite in 100 ml. of water has been used. Recent articles by Fred Bergman suggest that this is too strong. I've recently tried batches of the same seed at 7gm., 3.5 gm., and 1.75 gm., in 100 ml. All have germinated - better germination in weaker bleach, one batch at 1.75/100ml. showed contamination. All batches at 3.5gm/100ml. are O.K. I'll use 3.5 gm. routinely now, continuing to try out some at 1.75 gm/100 ml.) Filter into a flask. Place seed in the 50ml bottle/tube and add about 15ml Hypochlorite and ONE drop of kitchen detergent (Squeezie). Shake well and after 5 minutes filter the contents (Cover the funnel top with clean sheet of filter paper.) Rinse twice with STERILE water- keeping the funnel and the open bottle of water covered with filter paper during transfer to the funnel. The covered funnel is then transferred to the glove box. Use a spatula (sterilised in Domestos 1 part,. water 4 parts) to transfer seed to flasks. After everything has been sterilised by spraying as described above, carefully remove the foil top from one of the bottles of medium, placing the top, top surface up, on the floor of the box. The bleach solution will prevent contamination of the inside of the foil top and it can be replaced on the bottle after sowing. The foil will have turned down edges and corners from being secured to the bottle during and since sterilising. It will sit on these turned down corners so that the inside of this lid will remain clean and dry (in most cases! ) . GREEN POD: Capsules sometimes abort before they are ripe. These can often be salvaged. Also, some seeds will not germinate after being sterilised but will germinate if sown from green pod. Soak and brush the capsule in 1 :4 Domestos solution. Give good 10 minutes in the bleach. Make sure that a suitable scalpel blade or small knife is in the glove box before starting! It is best to put the capsule, spatula and blade together into a dish or bleach inside the box, together with flasks, bottles etc. needed for sowing, before spraying as above. Open the capsule inside sterile glove box (after sterilising as described above), and scrape seeds with the end of the spatula into flasks. Check your flasks/bottles every week or so. Germination often occurs quite quickly so that tiny green protocorms can be seen on top of the medium, Some seed takes a long time to germinate, so do not be too hasty to throw out seed that does this, I have heard of seed germinating a year or more after being sown! Any contamination will also usually be apparent in the first few weeks. It is wise to sow at least two bottles of each lot of seed so that throwing out the contents of a contaminated bottle does not negate the whole sowing. If a very precious batch of seed does become contaminated.. you could try treating this with 1:4 Domestos. IN THE STERILE BOX open the flask, apply the bleach to the patches of contaminant and an area around them. Reseal the flask and hope. If caught early and the contamination is slight, this does work, but not always. REPLATING: Replating is usually beneficial Even with charcoal in the medium waste products will accumulate. Also the medium dries out due to air exchange through the filter and uptake of water by the seedlings. This is an opportunity for picking out the most vigorous seedlings and giving them more room I replate whenever seedlings seem to have slowed their progress, grown too large for the bottle, or if the medium seems to have become too stiff. I also tend to replate bought-in flasks unless they are growing very well. I use the same type of medium for sowing and replating. If you are sowing or replating Paphiopedilums, Phragmipediums or terrestrial orchids you will need to modify these methods, very likely needing a different medium. I have no personal experience of these types of orchid. You might be able to obtain advice from Kew regarding terrestrial genera. DE-FLASKING: Doing one's own flasking allows one to de-flask at optimum times and also allows replating of any smaller backward seedlings. Thus the yield is usually much higher. The process is essentially simple. Have a large bowl of clean tepid water to hand. Remove the foil cap from the bottle or flask and use a wire hook to gently ease the seedlings out into the bowl. If you use flasks rather than bottles, this can be difficult as the seedlings jam in the narrow neck. For this reason I much prefer bottles. It helps to fill the flask with tepid water and allow this to melt the agar. It is usually then possible to use the wire hook to tease out one or two seedlings initially, followed gradually by more until the flask is empty. I have no doubt that de-flasking from narrow necked containers causes more damage to the seedlings, If you have very precious seedlings in such a flask, it may be worthwhile carefully breaking the flask before attempting removal. AFTER-CARE OF THE SEEDLINGS: We plant seedlings out into community pots rather than individual containers. We plant them in perlite as per the instructions in these pages. After planting the seedling, ensure the compost is moist, cover the container with a bell-jar type plastic lid, Or a plastic bag. Ensure that the seedlings do not become too dry. During the dark English winter, at least, we keep community pots under lights for some (It is useful to have some spare shelf space in the flask cabinet for this purpose. We find that this suits most seedlings very well.) PHYSAN OR SIMILAR FUNGICIDES DURING DE-FLASKING: Unless there are signs of contamination this does not seem to be needed . FLASKING TOOLS: I use two types of tool, both home made. A fine Spatula. A fine fork. Both are made from eighth or quarter inch brass rod (wire,) from a toy/model shop. Very cheap and very easy to work. For the spatula, a 12 inch length of quarter inch rod has one inch of one end flattened by hammering with a light hammer - very easy - don't hit too hard! The flattened area is then gently bent to a suitable curve with pliers. For the fork, use either quarter inch or eighth inch rod - depending on size fork required Use a fret-saw with fine blade to make a cut centrally in one end of the rod for a depth of half an inch, Pliers and a fine metal file are used to make points, separate the ends and produce a suitable curve. It is useful to have two sizes or fork, one for small seedlings, the other for the large ones. Stainless steel is mentioned by most authors, but I have had no problems with brass. It stands up to bleach solutions well, and does not appear to have any bad effect on seedlings. It is cheaper and easier to obtain as well as being much easier to work. ©Cedric Maunder....See MoreSteve & Dr Larry 's Bromeliad trips in Thailand Part III
Comments (19)Thanks for the drool feast Stephania! Cheer us up in our wet wet winter here. WBC in Thailand sounds perfect. There's only one big problem: No one will want to leave!!! It's a total hedonistic delight- paradisical resorts, sumptious food, amazing scenery & endless array of adventure activities all available at a very civilised price. Here's a few pics of our `basic' accomodation in Pattaya to discourage holiday makers! (LOL)...See MoreSteve & Dr Larry 's Bromeliad trips in Thailand Part II
Comments (20)Many thanks for sharing all these great images of Nong Nooch with us all. Brings back memories of our trip there last June. Simply a amazing place. The giant replica ants interested us. Heres some pics Its not all plants at Nong Nooch Love the N 'Shelldance'. Glad to see some of the guests are finally wearing shorts !! with a sweltering 30 + how could they be wearing longs in Bangkok ?? By the way one thing we picked up on is the broms are all mist sprayed from over head sprinkler system every minute keeping them and us from drying out. Keeping the leaves moist helps stop the heat stress....See MoreHas anyone traveled to Thailand?
Comments (6)My kids backpacked the across most of the country three years ago. Loved it. Still talk about how beautiful it is, how wonderful the people are. This year, when they went to Vietnam, they made a point of ending their trip with a few days in Northern Thailand, they loved as much again....See More- 9 years ago
Time for a bath in the river. The elephants really enjoy playing in the water, especially Navaan.
Followed up by another of their favorite things - a dust bath!
The only thing better than splashing in the river is playing with old
tires and rope. The first three photos are of Navaan who gets in a
couple of well placed kick moves. The naughty boy doesn't like to share
his tire and chased me when I was standing too close to his toy!
Part III next...
- 9 years ago
Adult elephants like to play too...
Elephants eat several hundred pounds of food per day...
What goes in must come out - my goodness!
Sometimes an itch just has to be scratched!
This old girl had only been at the park a few weeks. Note how thin she
is, but it won't be long until she gains weight and is a healthy
elephant.
The banana room - it's a full time job keeping the elephants stocked up!
Besides elephants, the sanctuary is home to rescue dogs, cats and water buffalo.
I really enjoyed helping with bath time. Each person in our group was given a bucket and instructed to douse the elephants. Um, ok!
- 9 years ago
We would have loved to stay longer, but sadly the day came to an end.
As we rode back to our hotel, my thoughts turned to Lek and the amazing
job she has done with not only the sanctuary and elephant rescue but in
educating those who operate elephant camps and work with elephants.
Every now and then an extraordinary human being comes along and Lek is
certainly one of them. To quote William Shakespeare, "though she be but
little, she is fierce" and she lets nothing stand in her way when it
comes to helping her beloved elephants.
Thank you, Lek!
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
9 years ago
9 years ago- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
9 years ago- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
All over Thailand and Bangkok there are Spirit Houses. They can range
from quite small to very large and elaborate. Spirit houses serve as
shrines to protective spirits. The spirits are thought to protect homes
and businesses from misfortune.
Spirit houses are usually placed in a favorable location chosen after
consultation with a Brahmin priest, often in a corner of the property
that does not get shade. Normally in the form of a miniature house or
temple, spirit houses are often mounted on a single pillar or on a dais.This spirit house was on a roof and visible from the train as it passed by:
The elephant is an important symbol in Thailand - animal representations are often included as part of a spirit house:
The spirit house provides shelter for spirits
that could cause problems for the people if not appeased. The shrines
often include images of people and animals. Offerings of food, drink,
incense and flowers are left to nurture the spirits. In return the
spirits offer protection and good fortune.
On this particular day, the spirits must have taken the form of pigeons when they visited the spirit house to accept the offerings of food and drink!
While walking around Bangkok, it was interesting to note that the
spirit houses come in many different sizes and shapes and range from
very simple to very intricate and complex.
The spirit houses are also another example of the contrasts found in
Bangkok. It's an ultra modern city of sky scrapers, high rise
apartments and some of the best medical care in the world, yet a
multi-million dollar construction project can't or won't proceed until a
spirit house has been properly established on the property. Failure to
do so could bring unimaginable bad luck.
These contrasts or ironies are also a major part of Thailand's charm and
appeal. It's rather cool that there is room for both modern progress
and ancient beliefs in this amazing country. - 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years agoI am going to try and wing it, however there are a million pieces so I am not sure how it will go.
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
While in Bangkok, we spent a day on the Chao Phraya River which runs through the city. We bought day passes for the water taxis that cruise up and down the river which allows pass holders to get on and off the river boats as many times as they
want. They stop at piers up and down both sides of the river. Many Thai people use the water taxis as a mode of transportation to commute to and from work.They do get very crowded during the early morning and late afternoon commute hours. We tried not to use the water taxis during this time.
Besides the water taxis, there are many boats that give guided tours of the river area:
Like much of Bangkok, the shoreline is a mix of old and new:
Chee Chin Khor Pagoda was built by the Chee Chin Khor Moral Uplifting Society which performs charitable works:
There are also luxury high rise apartments, condos and hotels along the river:
Buddhism is the main religion practiced in Thailand followed by Hinduism. We saw several ornate and elaborate temples along the banks of the river as well.
Our original plan this day was to visit Chinatown, but we were sidetracked by the call of the river. We'll get to Chinatown some other day! - 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
9 years ago- 9 years ago
- 9 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
A trip to Bangkok would not be complete without a visit to Chatuchak
Market which is a 27 acre open air marketplace. Chatuchak Market is
open on Saturdays and Sundays and attracts crowds of an estimated
200,000 per day.
The easiest way to get there is to take the Sky Train to Mo Chit Station which
is the last stop on the line. After exiting the train, follow the
crowd.
Before entering, make a stop at the information center to pick up a free
map of the market. It is divided into sections based on the
merchandise being sold and helps in finding your way around. Once
inside, the clock tower can be used as an orienting landmark or as a
meeting place.
Prepare to haggle as it is expected and the vendors will think you're
strange if you pay the asking price of their items. Personally, I
dislike haggling as it makes me uncomfortable. I grew up in western culture where we go into a store and pay the sticker price and walk away with our puchases, but even I gave it a go.
I must admit it was rather satisfying to walk away with my purchases
after paying quite a bit less than the asking price!
Everything under the sun can be found here from clothing to jewelry to art to home decor to pet supplies and much, much more.
There are also food vendors throughout the market as well as a food
court offering delicious food and treats like vanilla ice cream served
in a coconut shell. Yum!
The market can be hot and crowded. It is a good idea to wear light clothing, comfortable shoes and drink plenty of water to stay
hydrated. Putting oneself in the right mindset of calm and patience is also necessary due to the crowds and noise, but what an experience it is! - 9 years ago
- 9 years ago
Given that 95% of the population of Thailand is Buddhist, it's no
surprise that there are an estimated 40,000 temples in Thailand. Thai
temple complexes usually include a temple or wat, feature a tall bell-shaped
stupa which is a place for relics and the ashes of monks, ordination and sermon halls, a space for shrines and Buddha
images and a residence for the monks.
The public is welcome at most temples. When visiting the temples, please show respect by observing the following guidelines:
Take your shoes off before entering the temple.
Make sure shoulders are covered and wear long pants (or long skirts for women).
Remove hats and sunglasses, don't chew gum or smoke and speak quietly.
After entering the temple, sit on the floor with your feet under you and
try not to put yourself in a position where you are higher than any
Buddha statues or Buddhist monks.
It's ok to take photographs unless there are signs forbidding it, but don't use a flash.
With their ornate appearance, the temples are easily recognizable:
These are peaceful places, and even if not Buddhist, one may feel the urge to reflect or meditate while visiting.
Beautiful arrangements of fresh flowers adorn the interior of the temples and they are spectacular:
The interior of the temples are dominated by Buddha statues. Buddha
statues are made out of many different materials from gold plate to
stone to wood to clay. One famous statue, the Golden Buddha, was
thought to be made of plaster until it was being moved to a new location
in 1954. Ropes supporting the statue snapped causing the statue to
fall to the floor and resulting in some of the plaster chipping off
allowing the gold surface underneath to be seen. After carefully
removing the plaster it was discovered that the statue was solid gold.
It is believed that it was covered over with plaster in the 1700's to
prevent theft, although at 5.5 tons stealing it would be a daunting
task!
The interior of the temples include beautifully embellished shutters and ceilings.
And, detailed murals cover the walls:
- 9 years ago
A walk through the temple grounds is a visual treat:
Many of the temples are surrounded by park like areas making them a quiet oasis in the middle of the city:
Bangkok is a very large, very busy, very noisy place and an afternoon
spent at a temple is a nice way to have a few hours of restorative quiet
time before heading back into the hustle and bustle that makes the city
so exciting. - 9 years ago
RosieOriginal Author