Visit to Bang Pa-In and Ayutthaya

A couple of days ago we took a tour to a place about 50 miles north of BKK that I had visited in my first trip to Thailand in 2005. A van ride up there and a boat ride returning. Bang Pa-In is the site of king' palaces from the period when Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam in the 14th-18th centuries. It was extensively restored in the 19th century my Kings Rama IV and V as a summer place.

Ayutthaya was sacked and burned by the Burmese armies in the late 1700's so the capital was moved south to it's present site, Bangkok. It left behind haunting ruins of Ayutthaya and the beautiful grounds of Bang Pa-In which has multiple architectural influences as Rama V traveled extensively.

 Above is a Thai style pagoda containing a statue of King Rama V set in the middle of a lake.

An example of the horticultural humor used to decorate the grounds.

This is a chinese style pavilion that served as a guesthouse:

A couple of exquisitely decorated items in the Chinese style building:

From there we went up the road a few miles to Ayutthaya where there are extensive ruins from the 400 years it served as the capital of Siam ... from 1350 to 1767.

When the Burmese sacked the place, one of their distinctive actions was to knock the heads off most of the decorative Buddha images:

And one was found later engulfed in a tree:

Among the Buddha images now in Ayyutthaya:

A few other photos of the Ayutthaya grounds:

It was a warm day and we went to the river, boarded our boat and had a nice buffet lunch and sailed 2 hours down the Chao Praya river to BKK.

My usual stay in Pattaya

I have spent 5 days in Pattaya, the beach and sleaze community about 2 hours southeast of of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand. This is a place where the beach and the lovely pool at the Marriott are the prime daytime activities with naughty shows and bars the nitetime fare.

This the beach. It is great because you can rent a chair with umbrellas blocking out the harsh sun and a sea breeze trying to cool you down:

There are services available such as the massage being given below. I also get my annual Manicure-Pedicure here byt one of the skilled ladies circulating...actually the same lady the past 4 years. And the masseur is a regular for the past few years too.

On the way back to the hotel, I had to photograph this sign. It is to the point but has the innocence that Thai people have about sex.

Chiang Mai..the old city and its Temples

2 days ago I took a 4 hour tour of the central old city of Chiang Mai. It was established as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom by King Mengrai in 1296. Ironicall in Thai "Chiang Mai" means new city.
It is surrounded by a moat the is 2 km on each side of the square. Inside is a wonderful Arts and Cultural Centre which has many exhibits and videas about the history and life style.
Early on, because the Lanna Kingdom was in the north it was influenced by the Burmese, Laos and Southwestern China. It really didn't gain ties with the Siam Kingdom until the 18th and early 19th century beause the King og of Siam did not want it incorporated into the British or French colonial expansions in the are in the mid 19th century. Thailand has never been a colony of another power. A railway from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was completed in only 1921.

There are several temple complexes containing interesting pagoda. One Wat Phra Singh contains a stone Buddha image that looks similar to the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. But this one is not emerald...but is still held to be the most sacred Buddha in the North.

Golden Buddha images in other pagoda are gorgeous with beautifully decorated halls:

Several exterior are lovely. In the photo below the original giant pagoda in the back was destroyed by an earthquake about 200 years ago- it has been partially restored. but a new one was built 100 years ago to replace it is in the foreground:

An unusual white pagoda stands out in the beautiful weather we had while I was there:

There were some other beautiful and odd scenes

A side door in one of the pagoda halls:

 A beautiful and fragrant flower on the grounds:

 A particular scary Naga...a mythological serpent creature that protects entries to pagodas:

Some interesting signs- please dress politely is a wonderful phrase:

Having a chat with an actual Monk was available:

And a shaded lane to walk on the grounds of a temple complex

Elephant Camp near Chiang Mai, Thailand

 I flew from BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport to Chiang Mai...about an hour 15 minutes. Above is a view of a court yard and the exterior of one of the 5 terminal sections

My first full day in Chiang Mai was very busy with a 6 hour visit to one of the elephant camps about 35 miles north. Since the elephants no longer work since logging teak has been outlawed, they are kept and exhibited for the tourists' experience at these camps. One can't help feel sorry for the elephants exploitation this way but it does make for an interesting and entertaining day. I took a lot of photos and videos and it will take time to edit and then post these over the next couple of days.

The day started with an elephant show- washing and performances of tricks, then an elephant ride, followed by an ox-cart ride. Then lunch in the afternoon followed by a float down the river on a flat bamboo raft.

I can't edit the videos so I will upload a couple of short ones and the long video tomorrow which is now uploading to Facebook. And some photos over the next few days.

Elephant riding in the river:

Playing soccer:

Washing in the river:

A mother with her 6 month old baby. They are very protective of their progeny for several years after birth. Pregnancy gestation is 20-22 month and each female can have up to 4 or 5 children during their 50 year life span.

They elephants can be very playful such as placing and removing hats if you stand nearby

Washing the elephants is a fun part of the show as they play in the river and their handlers (Mahouts) scrub them. A long video is above

After the washing the elephants kicked soccer balls (video above); made amazingly intricate paintings:

After the elephant "show" we went on a 45 minute ride thru the river and jungle:

This is a photo from the back of the elephant with the mahout sitting on the neck and "driving":

After this there was an uncomfortable, bumpy ox cart ride :

A scene of the fields from the ox cart :

 Then we got on a flat bamboo raft for a lovely float trip down the river:

A dwelling on the shore:

A couple from France shared the raft:

Dense, green foliage on the shoreline:

Our raft "captain":

A video of tranquil float down the river on flat bamboo raft: