Bathing Optional

Thailand : Christmas and New Years 2002

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The main Buddha (Goddess of Mercy) image at Nakhon Pathoms giant stupa. Here, its lit up in neon and gold at night.
Welcome to Bangkok. This is probably the best way to introduce this hectic, sprawling city of street stalls and markets.
Bangkok, where grimy alleys end with modern buildings. Its in Thailand where we felt the most obvious push towards development of all the South East Asian places we visited.
Traffic, traffic, traffic. Thats Bangkok, rush hour or not.
Theres another side to Bangkok too. This is a city with more Buddhist temples than any other weve ever passed through.
Miscellaneous temple building, Bangkok.
Temple gate, Bangkok.
Buddha silhouette, Bangkok.
Us inside one of Bangkoks main temple buildings.
Monks robes hanging in the temple grounds.
Roadside shrine. These can be found EVERYWHERE, on ever corner, in ever yard, all over Thailand.
Temple sunset, Bangkok.
Approaching the Grand Palace, Bangkok.
Elaborate details cover Bangkoks Grand Palace.
More Grand Palace details.
Grand Palace statuette.
More Grand Palace detail.
Another of Bangkoks main sights : Wat Poh.
Dont take one of these! Tuk-tuks may be fun but invariably the driver will rip you off somehow.
The town of Nakhon Pathom (our favorite in Thailand) is known for this stupa, the largest Buddhist stupa in the world. It rises high over the entire town which is built in concentric circles arround it.
View from the walkway about midway up the stupa.
One of dozens of statues filling the walkways that surround the giant stupa. Worshippers buy and paste thin strips of gold leaf to each statue.
Nakhon Pathoms giant stupa from our guestroom across town.
The famous floating market near Nakhon Pathom is an interesting place to visit.
The floating market looked pretty empty until we rounded the next bend...
Ladies ready to sell their wares to the unsuspecting tourist...
Christmas Day. We arrived in Chang Mai early in the morning by night bus from Bangkok. Our bad feelings about Chang Mai began when we the bus dropped us off outside the city and then our only option was to take one of these tuk-tuk cabs into the city. Of course the driver didnt take us where we wanted to go but rather directly to a tour office that tried to force jungle treks and elephant rides on us. Bad first impressions...
Chang Mai did have some beautiful historic temple buildings, though. Heres one.
Heres another of the ancient (and crumbling) temples in Chang Mai. A new Buddha image can just be seen tucked away in the niche up top.
Smiling Buddha as seen from inside one of Chang Mais temples.
On our way back down to Bangkok from Chang Mai we stopped in Sukhothai where these fine buses took us from town center to the Sukhothai Historic Park.
Sukhothai Historic Park is an amazing collection of restored temple buildings a millenium or more old.
More of Sukhothai.
Some of Sukhothais relics still have a long way to go in terms of restoration.
Us in Sukhothai.
Buddha duo in Sukhothai.
Still on our way back to Bangkok we stopped in Ayuthaya, the second of Thailands most famous historic sites.
Temples in the Khmer style, Ayuthaya.
Stupas, Ayuthaya.
Ayuthayas main treasure, this huge seated Buddha.
The huge Buddha closer up.
Fabulous temple towers, Ayuthaya.
Buddha watching our backs, Ayuthaya
Ashe made a new friend in the ruins.
Another seated Buddha image.
Giant reclining Buddha (can you see Ashe) in Ayuthaya.
Ashe on the ferry crossing in Ayuthaya.
Elephants walking the streets, goodbye Ayuthaya.
Back in Bangkok after our failed attempt at New Years in Ko Chang we found this shrine devoted to Thailands much-beloved King. (Note : they also play a Buddha Save the King before movies in the theater too).
New Years Eve in Bangkok. How romantic (and, no, thats not the Eiffel Tower behind us, its a giant Buddhist stupa).
3-2-1... Happy New Year!
We did stop in Bangkok for one more day sometime in April. We happened to arrive on the day of the infamous Thai Water Festival. Its a big party for all Thais and involves covering everyone you see with colored paste and then soaking them with water.
This guy was really getting into the party...
Crowds in the streets, Khao San Road, Bangkok.
Thai kids love the Water Festival -- its a chance to spray everyone with their water guns!
More kids with water guns.
Heres us after getting that paste slapped on by some stranger and looking drenched from all the buckets of water that were thrown on us.
Ashe loading up with a water balloon...
... and throwing it on me!

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