Well we haven’t posted for awhile because “the Baby” is here!!!!
We are enjoying her visit. Christina’s friend, Peter also came. He arrived the day after Christina and at the moment he is off on his own, gone to Koh Pha Ngan, for the full moon party on Sunday.
Christina is coming with us, we leave for Phukett and Phi Phi tomorrow morning early. We are flying as it is about 9 hrs by train.
It is the rainy season here now so not sure we will see much sun and the ocean might be rough but at least it will be a break away from the city. It is Dave’s birthday and our 30th (!!!!!!!) wedding anniversary next week and as Tip, our maid, said we are having a second Honeymoon with, as I said, “the baby”!!!!!! Should be fun.
The rainy season started here last week and so far it rains a couple or three times a day, sometimes really heavily, we also get thunderstorms at least once a day. They often happen at night and are really loud and last for a while. Of course the streets get flooded often as the drains have trouble coping with all the rain. Flip Flops and fisherman’s pants (3/4 length) are the preferred mode of dress and we never go out without an umbrella. In between rains the sun shines sometimes, but it seems not as hot, it is very humid of course and my glasses steam up when I go outside from the aircon, just like Canada only in reverse!
The first w/e our visitors were here we went to Koh Chan, an island about 4 hrs. drive from Bangkok on the right hand side of the Gulf as you look at the map. It was ok. A bit busy because it was a holiday w/e here and a lot of Thais also took the chance to go away on the last w/e before the rainy season. It was great to go in the ocean and lay on the beach after my illness and I felt so much better for it. Christina and Peter hired motorbikes and explored the island a little. The roads were scary and we met a French woman who had come off her bike and had a badly scraped knee/leg as a result. The road (only one circling the island like a necklace)had very steep inclines and hairpin bends which is why it was easy to fall. Fortunately C. and P. were ok. I remembered a motorbike ride I took once in Mexico with Nina, my friend, on the back. After being cut off by a truck turning right in front of us we landed on the road with scraps to knees and ankles but thankfully nothing worse and we continued on the bikes for the rest of the day. This happened when we were young!!!!!!!!
We have also visited The Grand Palace, a must for any visitors to Bangkok, where the Kings used to live. ‘Tip(a mine of information)tells me they don’t live in it any more as it takes too many servants to keep it running so it is a tourist place only and the King has a new Palace. We also saw the temple of the Emereld Buddha which is close to the Grand Palace as well as Wat Poh (Wat Phra Chetuphon), Bangkok’s oldest and largest temple; as well as Thailands foremost centre for public education. The temple houses a 150Ft. long image of a Reclining Buddha, made of plaster and brick and covered in gold leaf with inlaid Mother of Pearl feet. A truly stunning sight!
One day we took a trip out to Kanchanaburi, a town associated with the infamous Death Railway made famous by the fictional film “Bridge on the River Kwae”. We saw the steel bridge which still remains and toured the “JEATH” (Japan, England, Australia & America, Thailand and Holland) War Museum. A very dusty cobwebby sprawling place which nevertheless conveyed very well the way the prisoners had lived and died. We also visited the war cemetery, and saw a lot of graves of young men in early twenties and these are only a small portion of the actual dead, a lot died and were buried in mass graves in the jungle. A very sobering place.
On this same day trip we visited an animal sanctuary where there are tigers which you can go up to and stroke, we did and have photos to prove it. They are looked after by Monks and have been bred in captivity or rescued as cubs. Yes, sometimes some tourists have been mauled, it all adds to the appeal!!!!!
must end now and finish packing.
Not sure when I will post again as we are off to Canada on the 3rd June.
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