June, 2001, marked my first arrival in Bangkok, Thailand. I returned in June, 2002. Then ten years slipped away before I found my way back to Bangkok this June. In the interim, though, I visited Sri Lanka in 2004 and then moved to Japan in 2005. Asia became my place of residence, work, play, and on-going discovery.
Even if Bangkok now ranks behind a few other Asian cities on my list of favorites, it will always hold a sentimental advantage in my heart. Until this summer, I never spent more than two nights in a row in Bangkok; it was merely a necessary stop on the way to somewhere else--Thailand's glorious beaches, Chiang Mai, Cambodia, or Laos. A week of days all in Bangkok was something I didn't realize I could truly enjoy, but then I did.
I had such fun checking out some of my remembered highlights from a decade ago and then learning Bangkok in ways I never could have before because I had not given myself time for such a venture. Transport (foot, tuk-tuk, taxi, Sky Train, boat) and food (and I will refrain from listing these) options evolved into moments of engaging entertainment in and of themselves. The hotel where we stayed was located in a very Muslim section of Bangkok, a part of Bangkok I had never seen before. Each day of the week ultimately unfolded its own tale woven with a rich cast of characters, humor, uncertainty, discovery, an "oops" or two, another insight, and unexpected pleasures. Now these tales are added to my story.
Here are some photos . . .
One day we took a day-trip to Ayutthaya, an ancient capitol of Thailand, and visited the ruins from centuries gone by.
This is a Buddha image set in the tree.
We took a boat back to Bangkok from Ayutthaya, and these photos come from that excursion.
And, here are ones taken in Bangkok and its environs:
The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.
