Tokyo Days 3 & 4

The next two days of our Tokyo Adventure took us to a modern, interactive art exhibit and back to ancient Buddhist shrines.  We took a fancy cab and a classic electric rail system.  We saw flowers that “bloomed” in tea and and colorful hydrangeas.

We started day three by taking a cab down to the teamLab Borderless exhibit.  We were expecting a run of the mill Uber ride, but got a luxurious Mercedes with a white glove driver. It felt very fancy. The exhibit was something else. The space is largely black but there are high resolution projectors everywhere which create art everywhere – on the floor, ceiling, and visitors. Some of the lights are interactive – swiping at Japanese characters flowing down the walls in the waterfall room could create new colors or weather patterns for instance. Projections flow between rooms, but each major area has a theme. Most of the space is open and people wander from area to area but a few had limited space and needed to have a line.  We were fortunate to get there early and didn’t have to wait for the lantern room our on our first pass (we liked it enough to do twice – for anyone who was able to go to the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit, it was similar to that, but on a much larger scale). We enjoyed almost every room, and although there were a lot of people there, we never felt crowded or like it was too full. The colors were spectacular and the rooms innovative. We both enjoyed coloring a jellyfish and then watching it come to life and float away into the digital sea. Ashley’s favorite was called Memory of Topography and was a sloped room full of waist high lily pads with images of koi or birds or rice projected on them. A couple of the mirrored rooms felt a bit vertigo inducing but otherwise the exhibit was peaceful and relaxing to watch the colors ebb and flow around you.

From there we made our way to Shibuya to have lunch and watch people cross at the scramble. We chose a restaurant focused on food and ingredients sourced from across Japan. Ashley got the better lunch with some delicious fried mackerel. The cross isn’t fantastically busy at two in the afternoon, but we still saw plenty of people going hither and thither. After lunch, we headed over to Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The palace grounds are largely off limits (more on that in the next post), but we walked through the green spaces and took some iconic pictures before heading to Tokyo Station to buy Kit-Kats and have a tasty dinner.

The next morning we hopped the train to Kamakura, a little beach-side town about an hour south of Tokyo. We wanted to go down to see one the largest Buddha statues in Japan and just to get out of the city for a day. What we didn’t know is that Kamakura celebrates a major hydrangea festival each year in early June, and fortunately there were still plenty of blossoms out (and hordes of tourists… it’s the summer equivalent of cherry blossoms). We initially followed the crowd to Hase Temple without knowing what was there and enjoyed walking among the flowers and taking in the scenic views of the town and the ocean.

We continued down the street to the Kotoku Temple to see one of the largest free standing Buddha statues in Japan. The grounds were lovely and the statue is very impressive. Even better, the statue is hollow so we could go inside and see how the copper pieces were joined.

From there, we found one of the popular Instagram spots in Kamakura, where the local tram passes out of a tunnel through a parcel of hydrangeas.  Like anything popular on the internet, it was crowded with people but we were able to get a couple of good shots.

After lunch, we visited one last temple, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, before taking the train back.  Of the three, this was the most impressive in terms of color and size. After a peaceful train ride back (Drew traveled like a local and fell asleep), we stopped at Tokyo Station for a quick beer before heading back to the hotel to make a dinner of tasty snacks from 7-11. Oh, but that meant navigating the japan rail system during… rush hour.

Yes, the reports of pushing, shoving, and general sardine-ness are 100% accurate. Ashley and Drew were crammed cheek to jowl with locals commuting home. The crush of humanity makes the DC metro at its most packed feel cozy. Despite the close proximity, it didn’t feel that awful, which is a good thing because we would get experience one more time before our trip was done.

Pictures are here and we’ll share some more adventures from Japan soon.

Japan – Days 1 & 2

With the Bangkok adventure behind him, Drew began his trip back to the U.S. with a short detour in Tokyo. Ashley flew out to meet him and spend a few days on vacation together. They met up in the airport and jumped onto a train to head into the city – a decent way to get around town, but a bit complicated for non-Japanese speakers. Fortunately, everyone has been friendly and helpful in pointing us in the right direction. We think more English signage will probably go up in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics though.

We started our first day by walking through Yoyogi park and visiting the Meiji Jingu shrine. It was lovely to wander through the trees, although the shrine itself was packed. The paths were well maintained, and there was something interesting around every curve, from the massive shine gates to barrels of offertory sake. We couldn’t stay too long though, as we had a reservation at an owl cafe. Animal cafes are fairly common in Japan, and we were excited to try out something more unusual than a dog or cat cafe. We enjoyed a tasty nibble (waffle and green tea) before getting to visit with the avian stars. They had small, medium, and large owls, and we were able to stroke, hold, and feed them. Well, all but the grumpy gus. As you might imagine, owls are soft and fluffy and a great time was had by all.

After the owls, we walked down the Takeshita street which is crammed with stores selling everything from cameras to housewares to a variety of fashion sub-cultures. And people. Soooo many people.  There’s no way to go any faster than the slow plod of the crowd. In between shopping, we found a good burger joint by winding through some charming back streets and alleys.  It’s amazing how going just a short walk off the main street eliminates the noise and crowds.  It really makes you feel like it’s completely different city. We rounded out the day with some good craft brews at Baird Beers and headed back to the hotel for an early dinner of sushi and tempura before giving in to jet lag and heading to bed.

Day 2 was a trek to the opposite side of the city for the Studio Ghibli museum. We took a detour once we arrived at the train station and walked a few extra blocks to pick up some gourmet coffee. So gourmet that the barista tasted the pour over before serving to ensure it was made properly. In fact, it was delicious – it actually tasted fruity (a word we often hear used to describe coffee but rarely ever taste ourselves). A quick walk though the peaceful Inokashira Park and we arrived at our destination.

We couldn’t go in right away, so we picked up some snacks at the local convenience store and sat on a park bench to enjoy the morning.  Drew particularly enjoyed the cool breeze after the humidity of Bangkok. No photos were allowed inside, to encourage visitors to experience it in person, not through a lens. On a practical note, there were enough people that cameras and selfie sticks would have caused major headaches, but we still would have enjoyed capturing a few of the details. The architecture was one of the cooler features – the inside featured wrought iron staircases and even a bridge spanning the center atrium.

Studio Ghibli is the home to films Like My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, and Princess Mononoke. The museum is a mix of history lessons on animation and film and an exploration of the studio’s work. The museum was designed by studio founder Hayo Miyazaki and much of the design feels like it flows from his movies and favorite things.  Two rooms seem to replicate his personal office or studio space and the books scattered everywhere provide clues to his inspiration and the breadth of things he studied to provide details in all his movies. The short film included with our ticket, Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess, was cute with an easily recognizable witch. The takeout counter was good with excellent beer, available only at the museum with labels done by the studio. And in the blink of an eye, it was getting towards rush hour and we wanted to get to the hotel before the crowds hit. We snuck into a sidewalk gyoza stand for delicious dumplings and fried rice, ordered by pointing as we haven’t picked up any Japanese.  More pictures from the first two days are here and we’ll post more soon.

Thailand: Last Weekend

Well, its down to the last weekend. Time to tick off those last few remaining items of touristy, must do or you didn’t really go items. Despite the start of the rainy season, it’s still too hot here. So rather than make myself miserable and sweaty, I chose to do them at night.  Via tuk tuk. What could be more touristy than that?!

The answer is not much but I still had great time.  We started just south of the old city and wound our way through alleys and back streets to one of the local markets.  Compared to Chatuchak, these markets are tiny.  But it was picking up steam at around 1900.  Had my first meat on a stick, which is omnipresent street food, but I have always been a bit leery of. The sausage was pretty good; bit spicy but it went great with a fresh slice of ginger. Don’t think I could pick out this particular type off a different cart so this will likely be my only taste.

From there we snaked our way to the river front for a quick history lesson and then off to the first temple.  We stopped by 3 temples in all and I will say they know how to light them at night. All of the ones we rode past sparkled and glittered from every angle.

We hit the Giant Swing area next while we waited for our table to ready.  I guess our group moved fast because we made it all the way to Grand Palace before we ate.  The street leading up to the palace is festooned with white LEDs that gave the area a very festive feel.

When we finally arrived at dinner, one of folks on the tour noticed that we were right next to the Michelin star street food stall made famous by Netflix and others. Sadly, they were booked through July so that wasn’t our dinner. Between that and our restaurant, the side walk was packed with people and smelled of freshly fried food.  We ate at Thipsamai and I have to say, it was probably the best pad thai I’ve had here.  It comes out a bit on the sweet side but add some pickled chilis and a good dash of fish sauce and it was delicious.

We finished the night at Wat Pho and the Flower market.  We didn’t get to see the famous statue at Wat Pho, which I guess means I should go back? The grounds were still impressive and definitely something to see.

The flower market was interesting as a place but it struck as part of an economy that is rarely seen in America.  The ability to wander whole sale markets that are bustling throughout the night to prepare for the next day is a unique experience. It’s far removed from the mega-marts and Costcos back in the US.  Part of me thinks it would be awesome to be able to go a pick up fresh food and flowers at a place like this and bring them home. The rest of me realizes that involves being up around midnight to do my shopping which sounds awful.

And that wraps up my time in Thailand. It’s be a good trip but I’m ready to head home.  The rest of my pics from the night (including probably my favorite of the trip) are here.

Thailand: Chiang Mai

Woops! Let this one slip a bit past the events. Spent Memorial Day up in Chiang Mai. It’s northern Thailand’s biggest city, a popular destination for American tourists, and a welcome change from the hustle and concrete of Thailand.

I took the sleeper train up from Bangkok.  For anyone traveling without small children, I’d recommend it. The rocking motion of a train makes for a good night sleep and the bunk was fairly comfortable. The food is terrible but you leave Bangkok late enough to grab dinner and get in early enough to get breakfast in Chiang Mai.

After arriving Saturday, I walked around the old city. The central part of Chiang Mai is a walled city about two kilometers square.  Inside are, of course, more temples and some really great graffiti. 

 

The predominant motif of Chain Mai would be elephants.  They adorn a lot of things, from temples to pants. I visited a number of temples but found the weather just as hot as Bangkok.  That forced me to find some local places to cool my heels and recover in the shade.  Doing so helped me appreciate the slower pace to everything in Chiang Mai.  There was a much more chill vibe to everything going on and people seemed to be in less of a hurry. There is a huge night bazaar (not to  be confused with the weekly night market) near where I stayed with anything you could want for sale. But I had to be up early for a a sunrise tour.

Sunday started at 0500 with a sunrise tour of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The temple is at the top of a mountain along a windy road and then a climb of 300-ish steps. At that hour, the road up is popular with cyclists and runners. 5AM is morning prayers for the monks. No one was at the temple so the only sound was the peaceful drone of chanting.  All around the temple, wild jasmine was blooming and the air was fragrant with it’s calming scent. Between the quiet, the smell, and the early hour, it was the most relaxed and calm I have felt since arriving in April.  It was definitely a moment I wanted to last longer that was possible.

From there, we headed down the mountain, stopping at two more temples, one still in operation and one ancient ruin.  Both were interesting, particularly because they were in the middle of the jungle. It is very different to see a mountain river running through the temple grounds and compare it to the grand buildings in Bangkok.

After lunch, we visited an orchid nursery.  My guide suggested it as some place to get great pictures.  There were just rows upon rows of orchids in bloom.  It was a nice touch and I appreciated the suggestion based on an obvious interest.

After that I was worn out. I put my feet up for a few hours before heading to a cooking class.  It was largely the same as the other class I took but it was still fun.  Everyone else in the class with one exception was an American college kid who just graduated. It was a unique experience to be in the same foreign location with people in such a different place in their lives.

Monday was a train ride back.  All 11 hours in an old, Chinese made train. I would probably recommend flying back to Bangkok instead.  I posted a couple of videos from out the window to try and share a glimpse of the country side.

My time in Thailand is winding down. Probably only one or two more posts before I get to head on back to the good ol’ US of A. As Always, photos here.

Bangkok: Gaggan

Note, this post will contain pictures best described as food porn and alcohol. If that’s problematic for you, we apologize.

How much is a once-in-a lifetime experience worth? By their very nature, these experiences are fleeting and ephemeral.  I’m putting this post together immediately after an amazing meal to try and capture the fleeting nature of taste, vibe, smells, and sound before it fades into the oblivion of sleep and tomorrow.

Gaggan is regarded as one of the best restaurants on the planet. If you watched Somebody Feed Phil’s Bangkok episode or Chef’s Table season 2, ep. 6 on Netflix, it’s featured there. I can’t say if I agree but I will say it was a dining experience unlike any I’ve had.  A word of note: eating in the “lab” or what might be described as a bar is far more interesting than any other seat in the house.  The staff is engaging, available for questions, and shares some insight about the food. The rest of the place feels more traditional fine dining. The food will still be outstanding but it sounds like the service is less interesting.

Utensils are provided as needed which makes many of the dishes interesting, particularly when the only thing provided is your tongue.  Most of the course are 1-2 bites, but you will leave full.  The menu is….emoji?  It’s not hard to guess what some of the items involved but other….it’s a mystery until it shows up.

Where to begin? It’s a 25 course chef’s tasting menu. They describe the food as deconstructed Indian but I would put it in the molecular gastronomy camp. There are a variety of textures, flavors, and concepts that work to subvert expectations. Some do, some taste like what you would expect. If anything, there is a lack of memorably crunchy flavors. They have the crunchy/soft/different exterior with liquid interior down pat, but I wanted something that’s just crunchy without a puree or emulsion to go on top.

The wine tastings are unique.  They pride themselves on biodynamic wines and the sommelier was outstanding.   Mostly I appreciated that the wines were things I’d never tired and never heard of. For the Japanese section of the menu, they had an amazing sake that tasted of anise. I haven’t had sake in a very long time and this was a surprising and refreshing interlude between glasses of wine.

I appreciated the combination of food, wine, and music that accompanied each dish. I could try and describe each dish but that would take too long and not serve a good purpose. Out of the 25 dishes, most hit their mark. Some fell flat, typically when one flavor overpowered the rest of the ingredients. The onion tart definitely over powered the uni. The staff did an excellent job of preparing & presenting the dishes and managing the spiciness across a variety of foods.  The presentation is what one would expect from a top restaurant.

Was it worth it? Hard to say. I will remember this for a very long time. But it’s the show and the feeling of doing something truly different and unique that will stay with me more than any particular taste or texture.  That willingness to try whatever is put in front of you no matter how strange or different is not something we get to experience every day. The food was outstanding. But worth is a tricky thing to estimate, particularly on something as fleeting as food.  Am I glad I went? Absolutely.  I guess in the end, it’s only money, which can be replaced. The is no facsimile for the experience.

I’ve tried to annotate the photos here and they should be in meal order. A couple of the courses don’t have pictures, notably the lamb lollipop (wind icon, don’t ask) which was truly outstanding.  More updates soon.

Bangkok Weekend 4: Ayutthaya

It’s been 3 straight weekends of temples and museums. I needed to get out of the city. So I did! And then saw more temples……but these were different! I booked a guided tour of the ruins of Ayutthaya. The ruins are an hour drive north of Bangkok and represent the capitol of the ancient kingdom that occupied most of  Thailand up until the mid to late 1700s. Doing a 1-on-1 guided tour with someone that doesn’t speak lots of English was an experience but I did have a good time.

First stop was the temple just outside the city named  Wat Chaiwatthanaram.  Not officially part of the Ayutthaya world heritage site, the temple is still an amazing ruin.  I had plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the grounds.  We kept bumping in to a group of children monks who, according to my guide,  were on a break from school. They seemed to be enjoying a field trip to learn about their cultural heritage. 

From there, we went to a museum dedicated to the excavation of the two major temples in the Heritage Site.  There were a number of statues and an interesting map of the ancient city. The highlights were the relics found in the crypts or vaults hidden the temples. Many felt similar to objects I’ve seen in treasure vaults in Europe.  Sadly, not photos allowed. Disappointing but understandable since one of the rooms contained holy relics.  After talking to coworkers out here, not many people go to this museum. It was definitely worth a stop.

From there, on to the main park that makes up the World Heritage Site.  We stopped at Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit which is a nice temple but felt like many of the ones I’ve visited in Bangkok.  Immediately next door was the ruins of the former Royal Palace.  Each of the three structures left houses the remains of three Thai kings. I quickly figured out that most tourists were finding the most photogenic spot and then moving on.  Walking completely around the grounds offered some different views that were unobstructed by other visitors. Besides, none of them were paying attention to the very adorable temple guardians.

Two temples rounded out the majority of my day. Wat Ratchaburana which was built to honor the remains for two brothers who died dueling for the throne by their third brother. Not sure why he got to sit that one out but . I could have walked down to the crypt but I could see bats roosting in other parts of the interior and thought better of it.  However, this temple showed the best examples of how the concrete facade was placed over the brick structure.  It’s also been retouched more recently than some of the other ruins in the area.

Finally, Wat Mahathat which dates back to the 1350s.  This is the stop at Ayutthaya.  No, i didn’t get a picture with the stone head in the tree. There was a queue and instructions on how to show the proper respect. What I found more interesting was this pile of statue bits. They are the remains of destroyed Buddha statues from the site.  Since they represent holy images, they can’t simply be discarded. So they are collected in a central area to respect their sanctity.  Multiple tour guides have pointed out that when the Burmese would invade, they would destroy the statues as a way of  denigrating the king, who was seen as the a religious figure as well as a political one.  As if the invasion wasn’t enough.

I’ve been thinking about the ruins and the city that remains populated around it. Thousands of people still live on the island in and among the ruins.     It seems crazy to me that the ruins are from the mid-1700s.  So while American’s were protesting The Stamp Act, Ayutthaya was under siege for 14 months. In 1767, the city was finally razed but not by the French, British, or Portuguese, but the Burmese. There’s a long history of animosity between the two kingdoms.  The total destruction of the buildings and grounds felt almost biblical in it’s totality.  Had these been destroyed in an earlier period, I could understand the state of ruin. But to see something destroyed so recent feel so ancient was eye opening.

More pictures here.

 

Bangkok Weekend 3: Beware of The Lost Shoes

Another weekend in Bangkok down. Since Bangkok is a hub of fine dining venues, I decided to step out for something near and dear to my heart: cocktails and jazz. I moseyed down to the Bamboo Bar. The atmosphere was completely on point, reminding me of a high end tiki bar sans kitsch.  The drinks are very well thought out but the cocktail just missed the mark. However, the fancy mocktail was delicious.  The house band was very good and the vocalist had a great set of pipes.  I stayed for 3 of the 4 sets and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  However, I am not longer built to see the far side of 1AM.  That meant Saturday was a bit of wash.

Sunday was more temples.  With idea of scoring a great lunch afterwards, I hopped a cab over to Wat Suthat Thepwararam.  By a stroke of luck, the taxi driver dropped me off in the back of the compound which meant I got to  visit the ordination hall first.  This section of the grounds was deserted and it was interesting the see the the statues of monks/disciples in the front of the hall.  The walls are covered murals depicting scenes from the life of Buddha. While most murals that I’ve seen are black and gold lacquer, these are fully colored and very detailed.  I enjoyed the difference in styles and subject matter. Large sections of the temple were under renovation, likely for the upcoming royal coronation, hence the scaffolding.

The main temple was busier, with several guided tours coming through but still impressive.  The air quality was took a turn for the worse which made taking photos challenge.  It’s the first time I’ve noticed it while trying to take photos outside. The portico around the outside was nice and several groups were having a session with the monks. The inside of the main temple continued with the colored mosaics and another large statute.  They start to blend together after a awhile, unless they’re the next temple I went to.

Before calling it day, I snuck over to The Golden Buddha Temple. From the quiet of Wat Suthat, this was packed with tourists.  For very small temple, there level of activity isn’t surprising…when the centerpiece is 5.5 ton, 10 ft. tall solid gold statue. The story behind the statue is fascinating, this might be the real Maltese Falcon.  I also found the the wall decorations very different than any other temple.  I would highly recommend it as a stop but you’ll only spend 20-30 minutes maximum.

At both temples, there were plenty of signs warning about shoe thieves, in almost proper English.  I definitely like this sticker the best.

I’m a bit templed out for the moment.  Next weekend will be something different.  More pictures here.

Bangkok Weekend 2 pt 2: Cooking and Temples

I couldn’t spend a whole two days lounging around the hotel! I’d scheduled a morning cooking class (before going out to Silom) and then decided to visit some of the temples around Bangkok to round out my weekend.  The cooking class turned out to be interesting, if a bit basic. I went through the Silom Cooking School and was impressed by how well they managed a group of nine adults with different languages, tastes, and skill levels.  The menu was tom-yum, pad thai, masaman curry, and finished off with mango sticky rice.

I did spend a day in between learning to cook and getting soaked to take care of some basics but ventured back out into the heat to visit a few temples.  First up was Wat Saket and the Golden Mount.  Wat Saket was gearing up for the last day of Songkran but I got there before the crowds. I found the memorial Buddha statues lining the court yard an interesting tribute to deceased loved ones. It was a nice and quiet start to the day. Immediately next door is the Golden Mount.  It’s hard to say if I felt the Golden Mount was too touristy or not.  Certainly everyone there was taking pictures and enjoying the views of Bangkok but many visitors were attempting to pray and showing their devotion.  It was worth the trip to see something that has become so iconic to Bangkok and I would have liked to linger a bit longer but the heat was starting to get to me and I wanted to stop one last place before heading back.

Wat Ratchanatdaram is just across a canal from the Golden Mount but no one was there.  It took me by surprise how few people ventured the 10 minute walk to this amazing temple.  I didn’t have time to explore all the grounds but I found the architecture of the main temple interesting. The grid layout got smaller on each floor but was designed to foster a different type of learning.  I’m definitely considering going back to explore more of the grounds later.

At this point, the heat won out and I had to head inside for lunch and then back to the hotel.  Photos!

Bangkok Weekend 2 pt 1: Songkran

Four day weekend! That means extra exploring hence two posts. Why you might ask? The Thais celebrate New Year’s on April 13th in a festival known as Songkran.  It’s a national holiday which means most small shops and restaurants are closed.  I’ll skip right to the chase, this is the craziest, city-wide water-gun fight I’ve ever seen. Younger people roam the streets with overpriced super-soakers ready to spray anyone. Kids out in front of their houses with buckets of water prepared to dump them on anyone who walks by. Bright Hawaiian are the proper attire but anything that dries fast is also acceptable since you’re going to get wet.  Well, there are some rules.  Don’t spray monks, people in the face, or any of the city’s countless people on mopeds.  In general, if someone looks like they want to stay dry, leave them alone.

Bangkok has a couple of main areas that are known for their water fights.  Down near the Central World/Erawan Shine, the side walk is packed with revelers just waiting hose passersby down.  There are giant tubs to refill your squirt gun for a ~5-10 baht  and if no one is filling up, the vendors will toss a bucket full into the crowd.  There was a small market sell street food that people would duck into for cover.  Being on the side of a major road, it wasn’t uncommon for a tuk-tuk to pull to a stop and everyone inside to start spraying anyone on the side walk.  After a few minutes there, I was drenched and engaged in a serious back and forth with a group of four other guys.  After maybe 20 minutes and a couple of reloads, I was wet enough and headed back to the hotel.

The first day did nothing to prepare me for the craziness in Silom.  The Silom neighborhood is water fight central for Bangkok.  The police shutdown a two block section of road under the elevated subway.  It is wall to wall with people and water vendors.  Everyone is shouting, completely soaked, and wildly spraying anyone.  Even people on the stairs going up to the train platform are squirting down at people in the streets.  The water vendors here, one about every 5 feet, hauled in giant blocks of ice to keep their supply through out the day. This means it was a nasty shock to get hit with a pail of ice water when I wasn’t paying attention.  I did two laps around the road and decided I’d had my fill. This is definitely an event to go with friends, act silly, and then go out for drinks afterwards.

Why no pictures? There was absolutely no way to keep a camera or cellphone dry. However, this BBC article has some good ones. I did get one photo at Lumpini park. There were fewer people there, mostly kids, playing near the water tanks.  A quarter mile away 1000x more craziness was going on but the park was relaxed and pretty chill. It made a nice last stop before calling it a day.

Part two is here. As always, other photos from the trip are here.

 

Bangkok Weekend 1

Woah, it’s been a while! Not that nothing exciting hasn’t happened but nothing that should end up here. But we can’t go forever without a good adventure so one of us has up and traveled to Bangkok for a couple of months!

The 20+ hours of flight time between home and Bangkok generates a helluva lot of jet lag so the first weekend in town  was going to be light. First stop was Lumphini Park. The park is nice.  The flowers are blooming the park is impressively quiet despite being located right near some major intersections.  And giant lizards. Turning the corner to find this guy moving like a dinosaur through the median was amazing.  Between the heat, lizards, and topical foliage, the atmosphere felt wonderfully complete.  Did I mention it’s hot? Someone had the crazy idea that they should walk to two museums the next day. Mother Nature decided make sure she brought her A game for that day. First stop was the Suan Pakkard Palace.  The museum is an odd conglomerate of several different exhibits, some good, some just ok. There is a large collection of historic artifacts from the Iron Age from across Thailand that are well persevered and have educational descriptions. As a counter point, there are several rooms of mineral samples, from Thailand? They didn’t make much of an impression or seem to fit with anything else.  The highlight was definitely the Lacquer Pavilion which has stunning black and gold mosaics depicting the life of Buddha. There was also a great gallery of musical instruments.  However, the staff were strict about enforcing the no photos rules in the galleries so I was left taking pictures of the grounds.

The second stop was to the Jim Thompson House.  The house was home to the expat who made Thai silk a hot fashion commodity and dressed Yul Brenner (and the rest of the cast) in The King and I.  The Italian marble floors in the entrance felt both like they belong in an entrance hall andand very out of place but the rest of the house was a very nice museum.  It’s guided tours only but the guide spoke good English and made the tour very enjoyable despite the heat.  Again, photos were only allowed on the grounds.

More photos here where all the photos from this trip will be uploaded.