Thailand: Central

Ayutthaya

Phra Nakhorn Si Ayutthaya

Phra Nakhorn Si Ayutthaya Province

Thailand

January 2, 2023

“Dress-up Day” at Wat Chai Wattanaram

Hello,

After he read one of my recent posts, a friend in Bangkok wrote, “I learned something.”  A comment like this is most rewarding.  The goals for my website have always been “To Entertain, To Educate, To Encourage.”

On my return trip to Ayutthaya, I also decided to learn something.   I carefully read the guide in the hotel lobby.  Here is a bit of history:

“Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 following a smallpox epidemic that ravaged the neighboring city of Lopburi.  According to the Royal Chronicles of Ayutthaya, King U-Thong and his troops trekked for days before arriving at a river.  On the other side they found an island surrounded by rice fields and three merging rivers.  The king established his new capital there.  

The Park and The Bridge

Tenasserim Hills

Kanchanaburi Province

Thailand

April 6, 2019

 

On a holiday weekend, the Erawan National Park is a favorite for Thai families and groups of friends. (Erawan is the Thai word that refers to the Hindu myth Airavata or Airawana in Sanskrit.)

Children of all ages swim in the natural pools beneath the many waterfalls, young adults climb the seven levels of the steep walkways to the top of the mountain, and family groups relax and spread out their picnic lunch.

In this life I tried for the third level.  Unfortunately, after two and a half, I received signals from my right knee that “enough is enough.”   Perhaps in my next life I’ll make it up the seven.

In comparison, it was an easy climb from the parking lot up the steel staircase to the trestle of The Bridge

Rock Sculpture

Tenasserim Hills

Kanchanaburi Province

Thailand - Myanmar Border

April 7, 2019

Older than the Himalayas, the Tenasserim Hills are a mountain chain that begins in Northern Thailand.  They provide a long line of demarcation between Thailand and Myanmar.  They form a spine on the Malay Peninsula, and end in the south near Singapore. 

The hills are covered with evergreen jungle forests.  A large variety of jungle creatures call the hills home.

Apparently, the hills also contain coal, tin and tungsten.  And logs.

On the north-south road running parallel to the Tenasserim Hills, Jenjira and I stop at the “rock shops” that feature huge creative carvings and “modern” sculptures.

The Chedi and The Cap

Nakhon Pathom (50 km west of Bangkok)

Nakhon Pathom Province

Thailand

April 25, 2019

Hello,

My girlfriend Jenjira (Ooy) and I climb the steps to pay our respects to a tall standing Buddha inside the Pathom Ma Chedi.  At 120 meters (394 feet), the bell-shaped Chedi or stupa is the tallest stupa in Thailand. 

Thai people are here to pray.  Young couples pray for fertility.  Lovely aromas of lotus flowers and burning incense fill the air.

Kanchanaburi: Hike to Waterfalls and Caves

Bangkok

Thailand

December 20, 2015

Sunday

Clear and Cool

 

OMG!  OMB!  Oy vey!

Plinio’s legs are “sore.”  Howard “blew out” his ankle.  Jan has a painful left hip and aching thighs.  Even with his walking stick, Jan can barely limp out of his apartment today to buy breakfast.

Here’s the story:

Last August, I met Plinio on my trip to Svalbard.  Plinio, from Trieste, Italy is also a “traveler.”  Plinio is visiting Thailand this month before heading up to Harbin, China. (-25C)

Last Friday, I met Howard here in Bangkok.  Howard hails from Montreal, Canada.  We “connected” immediately.  After Bangkok, Howard will travel to Cambodia, Vietnam and Bali, Indonesia.

I organized the group and we decided to hire a car and driver and head out west to Kanchanaburi Province for three days.

Utami: My Genial Guest

Bangkok
Thailand
2 May 2010
4:00 am
 
Dear "Parents,"

With assorted emotions, I just put Utami into a taxicab for her pre-dawn drive to Suvarnabhumi Airport and her flight back to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.  Are these the feelings a "father" has when he says "Goodbye" to his "daughter" as she heads back out into the world and he doesn’t know when or if he will ever see her again?

I met Utami five years ago in Kuta, Bali.  She was "happy to accompany" me on my trip to Java.  Two years ago we traveled together in Sumatra.  This year, for her twenty-eighth birthday, Utami decided to make her first "overseas" trip.  Despite her parents’ concern about the political situation here in Bangkok, Utami was determined to visit Thailand.

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