Auspicious Beginning

We were thrilled to find Antonia, Euphie and Melinda were on our flight from Pohnpei to Chuuk and Guam. Antonia adorned us with fragrant mwarmwars as good luck omens for safe travels.

In Guam

we were met by ever-lively Chuck & Ivy Heberle and their lovely kids Carla and Charlie. They provided us a comfy bed and warm hospitality despite our short stay.

Bangkok!

A city of enchantment and culture. This is a tuk-tuk (pronounced duk-duk).

A City

of millions, Bangkok has good public transportation from samlors, to tuk-tuks, taxis, buses, skytrains, subways, canal boats and ferries. The city center boasts a skywalk, though even surface streets are safe for walking.

We Loved

the clever signs that so eloquently communicated important messages, irrepective of whether you spoke the language.

This One

made us smile

Street Food!

Thailand's street food is legendary and we were lucky enough to have a good selection right on our "soi" or side street at Siam Square, nearby our guesthouse, called Wendy House.

Thailand Seemed to Be

a country of cats who are treasured for their important role in the household. Our kind of place!

Buddhism

and its beautiful symbolism are evident everywhere. Respect for Buddha is enforceable by law.

The Original

Erawan hotel was built near this site. During construction there were many mishaps that mysteriously stopped once this shrine to Erawan was erected. Often the site of citizen protests, a bomb was planted here in August 2016. This did not stop pilgrims from visiting...

Thailand is Known

for its medical tourism. We took advantage of one of its private hospitals called Bumrungrad. We were impressed with the quality of care at competitive prices.

Weekends

in Chatuchak means a huge market - one of the biggest in the world.

Shoppers

need their sustenance.

Noodles

and sweet Thai milk tea!

Just North

of our guesthouse was a canal that hosted rapid transport. This photo was taken from a rare footbridge linking Siam Square to the ancient Baan Krua neighborhood.

Riding

the canal boats was not for the infirm; they paused only briefly and passengers had to hustle to get aboard before the boat thundered off again leaving a tiny tsunami and a cloud of diesel smoke.

Baan Krua

was the neighborhood of silk weavers. Two were said to remain though it took some looking for us to find them. Mr. Aood was just a young man when Jim Thompson began buying silk here and shipping it aboard, essentially reviving Thai silk.

Mr. Aood's

tiny home is his operation

This is

his attic.

This

is a combination, workshop, living room, showroom and museum. We bought this gorgeous weaving.

Mr. Aood

knew the famous Jim Thompson. He is the man on the dock behind Jim.

Just Across

the canal, very near to our guesthouse, is the home of US-born silk entrepreneur and former spy, the mysterious Jim Thompson, who eventually disappeared without a trace. The home was assembled from eight traditional Thai houses, re-assembled and joined on site. The house is preserved and open to the public.

The Spirit

house at the Jim Thompson house is still maintained. A spirit house is constructed and maintained to mollify spirits who might occupy the site.

Nail Dancing

dancing - fon muang - is a Thai tradition from the Lanna culture. Tradition calls for eight nails, the long sarong, sash, and bare feet.

The Museum

includes demonstrations on the silk weaving process, including boiling of cocoons while hand spinning thread.

Thai Silk

has a warm natural color

Wat Traimit

houses the magnificent 5.5 ton solid gold Buddha - AND an open-air crematorium

It is

spectacular

Every Wat

has a donation bin, or three; with a doctor's appointment looming the following day, it seemed wise to beef up our karma.

And then

it was time to eat again. Yahoo. Across from our "soi" in Siam Square there was a special market called Hua Hin Lover (Hua Hin being a seaside resort in western Thailand). Just a short walk from our guesthouse, it was a hard place to resist.

These

lacey omelets were very popular.

Leslie

particularly loved green papaya salad. This booth made it with freshly cooked shrimp on top.

Yum

Bangkok's

big river is Mae Nam Chao Phraya. It is here that the co-habitation of the old and the new are evident.

Tiny

Buddhist Wats are dwarfed by enormous skyscrapers.

As Ancient

wooden boats compete for river space.

Modern Ferries

are popular. We first took the blue-flagged or tourist boat that clean and tidy. We took the local boat back. I have no photo because we were packed so tight I am not sure I could raise my arms.

Wat Arun

was our first stop on this day. It is on the west side of the river and is composed of shards of ceramics set into brilliant white clay.

This Beauty

was caught taking a selfie of her traditional dance attire.

Detail

We Also

adored the animal statues and their festive accoutrements.

This Carving

was particularly serene.

So Called

powder technique is painting on concrete. Ancient murals are common in Thai Buddhist Wats.

The Bronze

Buddha glows next to the brilliant Wat.

A Monk

was blessing any who wished to be blessed and we took our turn.

Monsters

protect this temple at Wat Arun.

Wat Pho

is known for its enormous reclining Buddha. It's not a city block but it's pretty long. Notice the person on the lower left of the photo

The Bonsai of Wat Pho

was ancient.

The Distorted

statues at Wat Pho were popular with the birds. This appears to be a fan-tail.

And Then

we went to Chiang Mai....