Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, is a large city known for ornate shrines and vibrant street life. The boat-filled Chao Phraya River feeds its network of canals, flowing past the Rattanakosin royal district, home to opulent Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kaew Temple. Nearby is Wat Pho Temple with an enormous reclining Buddha and, on the opposite shore, Wat Arun Temple with its steep steps and Khmer-style spire.

BANGKOK HIGHLIGHTS & RIVER CRUISE January 6, 2017

Hightlights of the tour
-Bangkok's largest flower market
-A cruise on the Thonburi canal for a waterside perspective
-The Marble temple, made of marble from Italy

It took us 2 ½ hour by motor coach to reach Bangkok. We left at 7:30am,Once we arrived in Bangkok we drove through Chinatown’s commercial district. The one thing that was interesting about the streets of Bangkok is that the electrical wiring is all above ground. You can see in some of the pictures the strands neatly bound together. The city grew much faster than the infrastructure could keep up with. The King of Thailand passed away in October and there are memorials all over the city, mourning his passing. The mourning period is 100 days but he won't be cremated for a year. We stopped at the Bangkok flower market. It kind of reminded me of the Farmers Market in LA but not as tourist oriented. I don't think some of the folks were real happy with having a bunch of tourist blocking the narrow passages as it was a work day for the locals. People traveling through the narrow streets on small motor bikes, bicycles or push carts.

We then walked over to the pier to board our boat for our river cruise. The river was very busy and the boat was rocking back and forth from all the waves from the traffic on the river. It was an interesting way to experience the colorful daily life of bustling Bangkok. As we cruised down the river and through a canal, we saw houses built on stilts and the Royal Barge dockyard. We also fed the cat fish bread, which can't be a very nutritious meal for the fish. But they did enjoy it. You will see in the pictures how close they got to the boat. And you will notice how close we were traveling on the water. There was so much traffic on the river/canal. A big wave nailed Craig and me!!! We laughed it off but the tour guide was horrified that we got wet. Stuff happens. You will also see a LARGE Lizard resting on the wall of the canal in one of the pictures. We then had lunch will be at a riverside restaurant. The food was great. Craig and I made certain that we had local Thai food.

Afterwards we got back on the bus and traveled to the Marble Temple, Work began on constructing Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaran in 1899 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V). The King liked a European feel in his palaces and continued the theme in the design of Wat Benchamabophit with Italian white marble used extensively throughout the temple. Following the death and cremation of King Rama V, his ashes were placed in the base of the main Buddha image which can be found in the ordination hall. Wat Benchamabophit is classified as a top-ranking royal temple with connections not only to King Rama V but also to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (the king who recently passed) who stayed here as a young man when he ordained as a monk. Inside the temple was an alter in memory of King Bhumibol Adulyadej who recently passed away.

Last stop was at some gem place. I was going to check out the unmounted stones but there weren't any. They take the stones and make jewelry on site but the pieces weren't my style. We then left to go back to the ship and it' took FOREVER. Lots of traffic. After dinner we saw a show of authentic Thai dancers. The costumes and dancing was fantastic.