Bangkok Images

Bangkok 

We arrived from Istanbul Turkey on December 6th and spent two days in Bangkok before moving south to the beaches of Koh Lanta. Returning from Koh Lanta on January 3rd and en route to Laos we spent another 24 hours in Bangkok. In such a short time we just scratched the surface of this magnificent city, we will come back again.

We went to visit the King's palace, however the day we got there was the king's birthday and the king was there that day so only Thai people were allowed into the Palace grounds.

We thought about sneaking past the King's guards, common sense prevailed.

Luckily just down the street from the King's palace was the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The image of the Reclining Golden Buddha is 15 meters high and 43 meters long, the largest Buddha in Thailand.

The Buddha's feet were inlaid with intricate patterns of mother of pearl.

Closeup

We took a long-tail boat cruise on the Chao Lhraya River and canals.

Chao Lhrayra River

Our boat

Canal view

Lots of the canals in Bangkok are highways for goods and people.
All of the myriad of canals that crisscross the city control the water
levels, as the city is on only 5 feet above sea level.

Random city images

Khoa San Road the famous backpacker street in Bangkok

Colourful street vendors

Electrical lineman's nightmare

Koh Lanta, Thailand

We have been on the road for almost 4 months and ready for some rest and relaxation. So now we paused for some "island time". There are so many possibilities in Thailand and our original research pointed us to Koh Samuri. One brief chat with a fellow tourist and we were off to Koh Lanta instead, as it sounded more laid back and less touristry. On Dec.9th we arrived at Lanta Pavilion Resort, after a flight to Korabi and a boat ferry across lovely Andaman Sea.

Our bungalow had a balcony, amenities like a fridge, A/C, TV and a palm line driveway that led to the pool, restaurant/bar and the beach. At first we thought it was the perfect setup yet we had to ignore the noise of motorbikes, the rocks on the beach and most importantly that the resort was fully booked over Christmas. That fact we were unable to ignore so after a week we moved to Moonwalk Resort, just up the beach and settled into a airy, brighter bungalow for what became 3 weeks.

Any thoughts of moving around Thailand during the holidays were abandoned after frustrating efforts to find available accommodation and secure transportation. So we settled in, made friends (Katy and Gareth from England) and enjoyed our time swimming, pool lounging, card games, pool playing,  reading, trying Thai food in the many restaurants, seeking the perfect shrimp dish and 99 BHT happy hour screwdrivers.

 There was a Mynah bird in a cage who could wolf whistle, imitate motorbike braking and say words like moonwalk and "oh no" which became our mantra when things were amiss.

We also got to know the resort staff and observe just how many hours they worked for so little. The bartender preformed fire shows and that the local guys loved their pool and trying to beat "20 BHT Bob" the usual bet per game (about 75 cents).

Bob decided he needed a project so we beach combed for glass and then he made numerous motorbike trips to stores for supplies to create a mountain peak scene back lit with tiny lights. Why? Well one of our favourite places to have iced coffee was owned by 2 sisters and called "The Peak". On our last night on the island he gifted them with this piece!!!

At this point one has to mention the weather.....it was not your typical Thailand "hot and sunny" but instead there were many overcast, slightly cool and showery days. The temperature felt good so we didn't mind that our tans weren't stellar. Plus by keeping in touch with family/friends over Christmas
we knew we dare not complain! They say Lanta is known for it's sunsets....well they were few and far between yet the ones we saw were memorable.

Early on we took a day excursion south to Koh Rok, an island that was a national park. A huge speedboat with twin 225 hp Honda motors zoomed us across beautiful waters to private bays for snorkeling and sighting plenty of colourful fish. It did rain and then it was better to be underwater than out. Brrr!!! A good tour with good service, sights and a yummy buffet lunch on the beach.

Gasoline for motorbikes with many variations of spelling on wooden signs such as "grassoline", "gasso" or "gasolin" was cheap at 40 BHT per old liquor bottle, purchased from one of many roadside stands.We enjoyed other excursions by motorbike especially to the southern tip of the island where jungle scenery and beaches were best.

Across the island, over at "Old Town" we rented a kayak and paddled over to an island, discovered a sweet restaurant in a building on stilts over looking the sea. On a walk along the shore we saw a shrimp boats closeup. Their white lights at night actually shone green on the horizon and was one of my favourite memories.

If you meet us when we are back home and have a desire to hear a few stories, well there's bat hunting, scooter traffic, or our kayak adventure.

We were here for both Christmas and New Years. Christmas day seemed like any other, I so missed my family and our traditions. Skyping sure helped and then we played pool and ate BBQ chicken for dinner. New Year's Eve was much more fun as the resort decorated everything including the beach. Even the sunset was stellar! Tourists released paper lanterns and fireworks filled the sky. We celebrated with other guests; German, English, Scottish and Dutch and of course Canadian!!!

"Oh no"...... it became time to leave behind the island life and the people..... hard to go yet we were rested, relaxed and keen to see more places.