Encore Bangkok

On s'est leve dimanche matin prets pour visiter quelques sites aves nos copains Thais. Here are some photos of the Grand Palace grounds. It must be noted how much they love their king here. The moms we have met refer to him as "My King", as they are very proud of him, of how good a man he is, of how kuch he has done for the people of Thailand. The pictures will do the talking here...although they do not do this place justice.

L'Entree principale du site

Respite from the heat..

Bangkok, Thailand

This is the first of at least two Bangkok entries. Amanda and I decided to go there at the last minute, well, sort of. The whole process, from getting the idea to coming back took about four weeks. Although we were only there for a long weekend, we were blown away by the place. Dizzying, beautiful, littered with foreigners, alive, seedy, rich in culture, oppressively hot, you name it, Bangkok is it in some way. I am not sure how long it would take to see all of Bangkok's faces, but the few we saw left us wanting more. Voici les permieres photos, et il y en aura d'autres a venir...

Temple vue de notre "long boat" sur la riviere.

On the long boat with our Thai friends.

Un marche-resto sur la riviere, un de plusieurs marches flottants.

Swimming anyone?

Thai lunch with our Thai friends and Jame's mom.

The reclining Buddha, a massive golden statue of the Buddha as he leaves this world (so I am told by one of the locals).

Amanda and Mafan dropping pennies in pots, for good luck.

On the grounds of Wat Pho, where the Buddha reclines.

Sur notre bateau

Un petit lunch

Devant le Buddha

Avec la delegation Thai de notre village l'an dernier

Gyeongju III

At the SaRangChae Guesthouse, likely our favourite place out here.

The yard at SaRangChae

Le Bassin Anapji - a man made pond with what used to be a large palace. Built centuries ago but burnt by the Japanese at some point in the 1500 or 1600's. Only a few temple style structures have been rebuilt. Le parc est vraiment jolie avec beaucoup de verdure, ce qui est devenu quelque chose qui nous manque enormement dans la grosse ville.

Pas Anapji, mais une bonne forme!! Photo prise dans un des parcs qui contient des tombeaux (les petites collines comme celle derriere Amanda)

De retour a Anapji

AK having fun in the midst of some lilly pads.

Of course!!!!

Bulguksa Temple - A few kilometres south of Gyeongju at the base of a mountain lies this temple. Built 15 centuries ago and then enlarged some time after that. The Shilla Dynasty called Gyeongju home, so many important historical sites are in and around here. As seems to be the norm in Korea, the Japanese burnt a good chunk of this place down in the 16th century. It has been re-built to its former glory in the last 40 years. This place is beautiful, serene.

There is a little area where these are put together by visitors. I do believe they represent a person's prayer.

A bientot...