Hotel to Ship Day

Well, today was a transit day. Shangri-la hotel to some Bangkok port, where the Oceania Regatta is birthed. The cabbie knew where, which was good since there are two, and I couldn't find which was ours before the actual ride. Other people we talked to actually went to the wrong port, costing big time. As it was it took 1.7 hours to go maybe 10 miles.

Our luggage took 4.5 hours to get to the room. It was claimed the bags were being searched individually. What for, I can't say. This happened on the Panama Canal trip, and was caused by a lost tag.

Anyway, off to sleep now. No pics today, which readers should be grateful to. Great meal; steak, salad, good wine, ice cream, broccoli soup and (3) tiger prawns (ordinary shrimp.)

Ayutthaya Tour and sights around Bankok

We started this morning (Sunday the 30th of March) at 7 AM on a tour of towns and ruins about 60 miles north of where we are staying in Bankok. A bus whisked us north on the freeway to the Si Ayutthaya area, where there is a UNESCO world heritage site with temple ruins, Buddhas, working temples, and all manor of other Thai religious artifacts and buildings.

As an aside, religion is represented on the national flag as the color white. The other colors are red and blue, standing for nation and king (royalty) respectively. From wikipedia:

"The colours are said to stand for nation-religion-king, an unofficial motto of Thailand,[1] red for the land and people, white for Theravada Buddhism and blue for the monarchy, the last having been the auspicious colour of Rama VI. As the king had declared war on Germany that July, some note the flag now bore the same colours as those of Britain and France"

The Ayutthaya world heritage site at our first stop was originally an old city with a very large assortment of ruined  stupas and temples, made of what appeared to be ordinary brick, veneered with mostly eroded stucco-like material, and tilted at precarious angles. We were told this was the result of earthquakes, but I'm skeptical of that as the only explanation, as many of the walls were bent in ways that looked like just plain sinking land with poor footings. The original structures were built around 1350. It was the capital of the country until its destruction by the Burmese army in 1767.

The tour was billed as 1/2 day, but was quite a bit longer. After the ground tour, we boarded a riverboat for lunch while returning to near the hotel around 3:30 PM. The lunch was delicious Thai fare, better than than the restaurant meals we had the previous two nights in my opinion. The whole day including tours, lunch, bus and boat cost only 2100 bht per person (about $67.00 per person.)

Sunday evening we took the free boat provided by the Shangri-la Hotel down river to the "Asiatique"  mall and restaurant complex, where we had a minimal dinner (after the large lunch) and Judy, Judy and Melinda rode the large ferris wheel.

Judy, Prudence and Melinda, with leaning stupas in background

Judy and Prudence

The head of Buddha Wat Mahathat

 Large Golden Buddha

 

"Reclining Buddha", with suggestively positioned stupa in background

"Asiatique" waterfront and Mall downriver from Hotel

Royal Palace, Bankok

Today we visited the Royal Palace and grounds. We took a boat from the Hotel up the river about 4 km to a dock near the entrance around 10 AM for about 40 bht ($1.29 per person.) It was a very warm day, and we suffered, but have been telling ourselves no to mention it since we could not wait to leave the late cold weather in Maryland and NH.

The architecture and decorations are really too beautiful to describe and too many to count, but I included a couple of photos here that might give some idea. These are from an iPhone, compressed and emailed to myself, so they lack some detail and colors.

I suppose these buildings and ornate jewelry we saw inside represent an appreciable portion of the country's riches.

Tomorrow we are off to visit an area in the country side north of Bankok, going up by bus and back by boat. Early start, so signing off for now.

A long flight: days 1 and 2

Washington, DC Dulles to Bangkok in two hops makes for a very long day. Leaving at 12:20 PM on March 26and arriving at the Shangra-la hotel at 12:30 am on the 28th, after stopping in Tokyo, we spent the first day sort of recuperating. The first leg, Dulles-Tokyo, was all in daylight, with spectacular views of artic ice, breaking up now, and Siberian snow. Very comfortable plane, a newly outfitted 777-300, which was the same model as flight 370...

Backing up a little, our trip is mostly via ship, the Oceania Nautica, which holds ~600 passengers. We embark in Bangkok Monday the 31st and get to Rome the 5th of May, after stops lots of places in between. Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Phuket, India (which visa is another long, boring story), Jordan, Israel, Crete, and Rome.

Today, in a haze, I was convinced to get a jacket custom made for around $296.00. I am acting like a rich person. Anyway, I'm told I will get to wear it at least twice after the trip, the first time being at Judy's beautiful cousin Kate's daughter Barabara's wedding back in MD in September. Sorry for the awkward phrasing here.  Fitting tomorrow, delivery Monday, am they say. Photo to follow.

PS, Richard got one made too, of a more daring blue color.

Anyway, that's all for now...