In search of an original title...: Thai holiday - Part Two

When we left off, we were en route to Bangkok from Chiang Mai. We arrived in Bangkok on a stormy Wednesday afternoon, having not seen that much rain since leaving the U.S. Upon arrival at our hotel in the late afternoon, we unpacked our things, settled in and assessed our plans for the next three days given the fact that Mother Nature was out to ensure that we did not dry out during our time in this frenetic city.

McNamaste Chiang Mai

We awoke early on Thursday morning and set out to explore Bangkok. We had no set plans, deciding to let the roads and the weather guide us. About 30 minutes out from the hotel, a local woman befriended us on the sidewalk, insisted that we needed to go on a canal boat tour, secured a Tuk Tuk to take us to the waterfront (complete with local discount), and we were on our way. Being the suspicious Americans that we are, we were wondering if it was all an elaborate scam, especially as the Tuk Tuk wound its way through back alleys and up on a sidewalk right before dropping us at our final destination.

Deciding to do the complete circuit we wound our way through a series of canals ultimately ending at the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. We went through a lock, bought beers from a back alley canal boat vendor, and saw some pretty amazing canal houses and yards.

Waiting for our turn at the lock.

Inside the lock.

On the other side and headed through the canal circuit.

Buddha peaking over the roof of the building.

Quintus was on the edge of his seat during the entire boat ride...

Upon arriving at our final destination, we disembarked from our boat and meandered our way through a series of vendors to the extensive complex of Wat Pho home of the world renowned Reclining Buddha.

Reclining Buddha

Another angle

Hey there Blue Guy, how you doin'?

This shot should provide some perspective on the scale of this incredible statue.

The Feet

Quintus making an offering of coins

One hundred times.

The Quintus "photo bomb"

The "Don't Even Start With Me" Buddha

"Yes....yes..."

And now for something completely different...

The next day we decided to go to the Red Cross Snake Farm. As you may or may not know, there are an insane number of venomous snakes in Thailand, including the metro-Bangkok area. Given the scarcity of anti-venom in the region, the Red Cross established this snake farm in Bangkok in order to develop a local source of the treatments needed for these often lethal bites. In addition to the extensive live snake exhibit, the Snake Farm had an incredible educational exhibit, as well as a twice-daily venom milking demonstration. The calmness with which the handlers dealt with frightened/angry cobras was truly awe inspiring.

We went from the Snake Farm to the movies where we saw Finding Dory on a rainy Bangkok afternoon. For those who have not seen it, go ahead, it definitely entertains. A couple of reflections on our movie theatre experience: 1) tickets are insanely cheap (~$3) as were the snacks and 2) there is a tribute to the King of Thailand (including a photo montage) before the movie starts and everyone in the the theatre stands in respect until the movie starts. There were eight of us in this 400 seat theater.