bangkok 2007 - damnoen saduak floating market
Sunday, February 25, 2007
our last big touring day was saved for the damnoen saduak floating market. located about 70 miles south of bangkok in ratchaburi, the damnoen saduak floating market is the largest and most popular market if its kind. we arrived at the market at around 9am and rented a traditional paddle boat (instead of those noisy motorized longboats) for the tour. we leisurely floated along the different canals, sampling fruits, eating boat noodles, drinking fresh coconut juice, and shopping for souvenirs. oh, there's some sweet taco's over there babe! we got to stop and get some (but will you share?)! back at the dock, we took photos with the monster pet python (over 100 lbs) and enjoyed some tea before driving back.
that evening we enjoyed a 2-hour dinner cruise on the chao phraya river with family after a short stop at klong-tom market to check out some top-grade fake watches (i almost got that panerai!). i love these long endless days...
for more pics check out: floating market @ flickr
bangkok 2007 - grand palace & wat po
Friday, February 23, 2007
no bangkok trip is complete without a visit to the bangkok grand palace. located in the heart of the city, the grand palace is a compound of dazzling, ornate structures and the home of the emerald buddha temple. it was quite a busy monday at the palace. crowds of visitors lined-up to tour the complex. we sneaked NANE into the attraction with a yellow polo shirt (commemorating the king's 60th year reign) making her automatically 'thai.' after exploring the palace, we caught a cab to the nearby wat pho famous for it's reclining gold buddha (45 meters long) and the wat po thai traditional massage school where we had a 45-minute full-body massage. wow... what magic hands, babe! ...and the massage school people were pretty good too :)
that evening, we went to watch some authentic muay thai at the popular ratchadamnoen boxing stadium and ate some famous lad na noodles in the banglampoo area. life is good.
for more pics check out: grand palace & wat po @ flickr
bangkok 2007 - ayutthaya temples
Thursday, February 22, 2007
we explored the ancient temple ruins of ayutthaya after visiting the elephants. ayutthaya was the second capital of old siam from 1350 to 1767. it's located about 50 miles north of bangkok. wandering around the magical structures hand-in-hand, we became lost in time. there's just so much to see here. we paid our respects at phra mongkol bophit, spent most of our time exploring wat phra sri san phet and did a quick stop at wat lokayasutharam among others. my camera's battery is running out, babe! phra phuttamonton, bang pa-in palace, ayutthaya elephants and temples all in one day! we stopped for dinner at a large german-themed beer garden on our way home. whew! thank you, everyone... it's been a long, amazing day.
for more pics check out: ayutthaya temples @ flickr
bangkok 2007 - ayutthaya elephants
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
the elephants are so cool they get their own post :)
we found the elephant attraction in ayutthaya after visiting phra phuttamonton (world's tallest standing buddha), bang pa-in palace and a great lunch at chatnam restaurant (jumbo river prawns!). we started out with a scenic elephant ride (20-minutes) around the ancient temple ruins (my 3rd ride, but NANE's first ever!). you feel like royalty high up on these massive creatures. the carriage rocked slowly from side-to-side with each giant step (like a rowboat in the waves). after the ride and some up-close photos, we sat down to enjoy the amazing elephant show and finished our visit here with 3 passes under the belly of the elephant~ just for good luck. it's going to be a great year, love!
for more pics check out: ayutthaya elephants @ flickr
bangkok 2007 - jatujak market
Thursday, February 15, 2007
jatujak market is the king of markets. a jungle of excess that covers 35 acres with 15,000+ vendors selling everything under the sun. over 200,000 people visit the market here on the weekends and we were out there bumping shoulders with them that saturday afternoon. i was kinda hesitant to go to jatujak at first. the long claustrophobic streets in the market get quite hot and crowded, but the energy of the place was undeniable and we had lots of fun exploring the shops and snapping photos once there. we started in the fashion area and ended in the crafts section with a nice beer-break at the cozy viva bar. we explored less than one percent of the market by 4pm when we escaped the crowds exhausted and jumped in a cab for coffee and home. is it 'roll-around-cuddle-time' yet, babe? i miss you...
before heading-out to jatujak market, we went to wat avut to make merit at the temple and visit my grandmother and brother there. it's been over 20 years since i was last here for my grandmother's funeral (their urns are now in the temple walls). time flies... i love you guys.
for more pics check out: jatujak market @ flickr
bangkok 2007 - intro
Thursday, February 08, 2007
NANE (on the right)
9 days of siam square, paragon, wat ahvut, chatuchak, phuttamoton, bang pa-in, jumbo prawns, ayutthaya, elephant rides, beer garden, grand palace, wat pho, thai massage, muay thai, floating market, big snake, dinner cruise, hair-pins, jeremy/jane, patpong, day/duke/oak, family dinners, king naresuan, coffee, 700+ photos, somboon, and sweet taco kisses... check, check, check.
where does the time go, babe?
bangkok posting!
Friday, February 02, 2007
cheers to you from the land of smiles!
see you all in alittle bit... :)
