Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Me
Here you can see more of the detail work. This entire site that we're going through now was in a great state of disrepair, and was all restored with great care through the 70s and 80s (I forget the exact dates). It was a personal project of the current King's daughter (and heir appearant..though the son is also the heir appearant. Appearantly, there's some confusion.)
Offerings
Cows are not sacred like they are in Hinduism, but they do have some significance, which I either didn't learn or don't remember.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Front shot. The story behind the Jade Buddha is a bit interesting. At some point, it had been enclosed in a layer of cement (or something like that) in order to protect it from thievery/plunder. Then it was forgotten that it had been done for many years, and only relatively recently did they figure it out and remove the outer covering.
Mythology
Half-giant, half bird. Look carefully at the face--that's the stylistic way to demonstrate a giant.
Mythology
Half man, half bird.
Royal Symbol
That's the symbol of the current king, the trident.
Model of Ankor Wat
Ankor Wat used to be part of the territory controlled by Thailand. One of the more recent kings of Thailand really liked Ankor Wat, and wanted to reassert control. This lead to bickering and negotiations over many years. Eventually they gave up on it, and the king was satisfied with this model, on the palace grounds. You can see the Cambodian style Chedi in this model, with the multiple angles as opposed to being round.
Scenery
Scenery
In the foreground is a more heavily chinese influenced piece. You can tell this from the ceramics and difference in colors and style. Also the statue is a dead giveway. That's Bom in the left hand corner.
He doesn't move
Someone visited Buckingham Palace at some point, and decided having a soldier stand like that outside the palace would be a cool idea. So now they have to stand there in the heat all the time. I think it's a three hour shift.
Palace
Built by Rama V (I think), the interesting thing to note there is the mixture of western (on the lower levels) and Thai (upper levels, roof) influences. The elephents are another interesting touch.
Reclining Buddha
Big guy, isn't he? The sign there on the right is telling people to not touch the feet, which have lots of inlaid mother of pearl.
Reclining Buddha
Go go gadget one-armed photo technique! That's my friend Bom there.
Subduing Mara
This particular one is interesting for the pupils (or whatever) sitting in front of Buddha.
Chedi
Chinese influence.
Ah, pork!
It's what's for dinner! Or in this case, lunch. The partiular dish I had centered on thick cuts from the pork belly, breaded with flour, then deep fried, and cut into smaller chunks. Absolutely fabulous. This is a typical street vendor. I think the whole meal was 40 Baht, or $1. And it's sure filling.
Home Cooking
Absolutely delicious. Let's go in for a close up.
Home Cooking
In the upper right is the pork dish I described from the street vendor. (Which is simply addictive.) Some fish over there, and more heat on the bottom left. The most remarkable dish though, was the green soup. Unfortunately they didn't know the english names for the ingredients, but it was superb. I liken the big round things to more-starchy peas, and some of the other bits to zuccini, and I think there was some curry flavor in there too.
The Subway
One is not allowed to have food or drink anywhere in the subway system. While it is very new, it's being kept remarkably clean, which I like. Until recently, they didn't think they could build a subway system in Bangkok, due to the type of ground and such, but I guess they eventually figured it out, and this is the first line they have built. There are two more lines in progress. I used the subway extensively. It's cheap, convienient, and sure the hell beats the traffic on the surface.
The Skytrain
While the subway is government owned and operated, the skytrain is private, and came first. Unfortunately, even though the two systems use the same type of car, it is unlikely they will be integrated anytime soon, as after the government put in the subway (which has three intersections with the skytrain) the profitability of the Skytrain increased dramatically. The skytrain tends to go to commerical kinds of places, while the subway is more in residential and other areas.
Thai Puppet Theater
This is traditional Thai puppet theater, an art form which was resurrected in the last couple decades after some careful research by one man. The "actors" are visible with the puppets at all times, and what's interesting is how the motions of the actors don't exactly mirror those of the puppet, but emphasize those movements.
Open Air
Ah, an open air festival sort of place with live music and such. That's a football game in the back of the stage, so that guys don't have a reason to not come. I love it.
Open Air
Flavor Shot
Starbucks
Two interesting things. One is the fact that even here, where you can get delicious coffee from any street vendor, they have Starbucks. That said, they continue their trend of trying to fit into the local architecture, which is what I found interesting here. Also, if you think of Starbucks as more of a milk bar than a coffee shop, it is true that there is a difference in the types of coffee.
Levels
I love this shot. The monks (standing in the part of the commuter boat reserved for monks, as the sign says), taking a picture of the scenery, a tourist taking a picture of the monks taking a picture of the scenery, and me taking a picture of the tourist taking a picture of the monks taking a picture of the scenery.
Flavor Shot
Flavor Shot
Bird
I forget what this bird is called, but I guess it exists both in Thailand and in Qatar, so I imagine it must be common through the warmer parts of Asia.
Flavor Shot