Trip to Thailand & Laos- Bangkok

A great Spirit House near my Bangkok hotel.

Traffic is terrible in Bangkok and I like to stay near the River and use the River boats to get around town. The water was very high. There was major flooding in the low lying areas about two weeks after I left.

Two huge barges being towed by tug boats.

An old Portugese building

A vendor on my street.

Another advantage of my hotels location is a Swensen's Ice Cream Store half a block from my hotel. Location is everything.

The display area in the airport on the way home was full of orchids again.

The trip had its good and bad points. The Temples of Nan were absolutely fabulous and well worth the trip there. And I always love coming to this area and just hanging out and walking around...especially in Laos.

On the negative side...it was hard to get around Nan with no tuk tuks...prices are rising rapidly everywhere...and crafts are becoming harder and harder to find.

A nice perk on the way home was the use of the first class lounge while I waited for the plane. Great food and comfy surroundings.

Trip to Thailand & Laos- Train from Nong Khai to Bangkok

The Royal Family is greatly revered in Thailand. Members spend a great deal of time visiting charities they sponsor and "opening" things. A couple of years ago the rail link from Nong Khai Thailand across the Mekong into Laos was completed and, of course, had to be "opened". The King's second daughter, Princess Sirindhorn did the honors. When a Royal "opens" something apparently everything they deal with must be preserved and shown. In the Nong Khai station is this large glass case with the Princess's photo, a sofa she sat on, the podium she used for her speech, photos of the event and so on. My daughter, son-in-law and I happened to be in the station a couple of years ago the day before the opening and the station was full of folding chairs in rows, neatly covered with white cotton slipcovers waiting for the great event.

I was waiting for the evening train to Bangkok. I used to buy a First Class ticket and reserve the whole compartment (upper and lower) but the Railway changed the rules and I was no longer able to purchase tickets online. I then discovered that 2nd class was very comfortable and much cheaper. The racks hold luggage and serve as steps to the upper bunks.

The seats which face each other are wide and very comfortable.

An attendant makes up the beds adding a foam mattress and clean bedding. I always bring a pillow and extra blanket (which comes in handy just about everywhere with the air conditioning)

And all the bunks have privacy curtains and there is a western toilet at the end of the car. The train leaves Nong Khai around 6:30 pm and arrives in Bangkok around 7am the next morning. Not a bad trip. The second class ticket is around $25.00.

Trip to Thailand & Laos- Chiang Mai

The next day after a lovely six hour bus ride I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The ride was over a very hilly section full of rice paddies and small villages. My hotel in Chiang Mai was across from Tai Pai Gate...a landmark on the old City Walls and the scene of the Sunday afternoon and evening market.

Okay...I know you have seen enough temples but I couldn't resist this one on my route into the main section of the City.

I'm not quite sure what this creature is.

The Sunday evening market is full of fast food stalls.

And stalls full of all kinds of crafts and nick nacks.

More fast food by one of the Temples.

This beautiful old building on one of the main streets has been turned into a Lawyer's Office.

An interesting dress made from fabric stripsAnd another interesting temple.

I had dinner one evening at one of my favorite restaurants...the Riverside on the Ping River.

They also offer dinner on their boat which cruises up the river later in the evening. Two weeks after my trip there was massive flooding in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand.

Trip to Thailand & Laos- Nan Part 7

On my last day there was a parade in front of my hotel which I could see from the balcony.

Monks, schoolchildren and marching bands.

Apparently it had something to do with celebrating the end of the Monsoon Season and the harvest.

A collection of antique shuttles on display in one of the hotel living rooms.

And local weaving.

Aside from the temples the town was rather boring post war concrete construction.

I walked just one block north from the hotel and discovered two more gorgeous temples.

A doorway to the first one.

And the Bell Tower.

The second had definite Chinese influence.

And some of the most gorgeous dragons I had ever seen.

And the usual 3D murals inside.

And what about these doors!

Trip to Thailand & Laos- Nan Part 6

A monk praying at yet another temple.

A beautiful gold chedhi under repair.

Gold lotus blossoms on the ceiling.

This temple was on a hillside and the dragons at the entrance were so long it was impossible to photograph the whole length.

Beautiful rice fields out in back.

Inside were the most amazing 3-D murals I have ever seen inside a temple.