This is Khao San Road. Basically, it is a tourist ghetto. This is during the day so there aren't many people hanging out.
Traffic was crazy. There are four lanes going each way but everyone else decided there was seven lanes.
These sorts of booths and stalls completely covered the sidewalks. Most of the time we had to walk out in the street, which certainly wasn't the safest thing.
Everywhere we went in the city was rot and decay. The sidewalks are covered in a oily grime. After a day of sight seeing you just feel filthy from all the pollution.
This is the front of the Ministry of Defense. It is right next to the Grand Palace and some temples. While I was taking this picture a guy tried to tell us that the Grand Palace was closed until 3 o'clock. It's a lie.
This old lady had these birds in a cage as she relaxed next to the wall that went around the Grand Palace. They must not have been for sale because she didn't try to sell them to me.
A Temple Guardian
A local man takes a break in the shade to read.
Here is the Grand Palace I was talking about.
I thought these moldings made the roofes look like the prow of a ship.
Here is the reclining Bhudda regarding all the little people.
To get an idea of scale, I'm over 6 feet tall and the base this was sitting on came up to my chest.
These old guys on the left are reading palms at the reclining Bhudda temple.
More roof molding. I kinda like the guadiness of it.
One of the many Bhuddas we saw on the trip.
This is one of the spires at Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn
This is a long tail boat. They are powered by a huge deisel truck engine with the transmission still attached. They are called long tails because they run a 25 foot shaft out of the back with a propellor attached to it. The big motor bigs these boats a lot of power.
Here is the main spire to the Temple of the Dawn. You can climb quite a bit a ways tot he top of it. The final flight of stairs are a doozy. You have to go down them backwards to get down them safely.
Here is the city from the topmost tier.
I believe this is where the monks live that help maintain this temple.
Off all the main roads are these alleys where all the people live.
Against Gail's wishes we wondered down one of these little streets to find this little temple.
These are some monks' pet birds.
People built their shacks right out into the river. I found it a bit amusing that the houses are falling down but they have satelites attached to them.
Long boat parking
There is a lot of filth floating in this water. I was really impressed by how large the river was and how much it stunk. Riding in the taxi boats you just kept your mouth clamped shut because you didn't want the errant splash to land in your mouth. I grimaced everytime the water hit my lips.
Here is more of the rot you see everywhere.
You have these wondrful buildings and then this crap heap next door.
A building in Chinatown
The broken fade that is Bangkok.
Chinatown is clausterophobic. This alley is maybe 6 feet wide but people on motorcycles still ride down them. People just try to get out of the way as they barrel by.
You could buy anything in Chinatown. Here are bags and bags of pork rinds. The big bag (about four feet high) is selling for 150 baht which is about $4.50.
This is a Chinese Temple in Chinatown.
This is really what the city looked like everywhere.
Since Gail showed all the good stuff, I'll show the bad so you can really get an idea of what Bangkok and Thailand is like.
This is the main train station in Bangkok. All the natives sit in the seats down ont eh main floor. All the tourists are in the upstairs seating where there is a Starbuck-esque coffee shop that none of them can afford to buy something at.
ANother view from our perch on high. A picture of His Royal Highness the King looks out over the common area.
The train yard
The inside of the train.
One of the many canals that slice through Bangkok.
More decrepit buildings.
These piles of trash a much too common sight. This isn't just back alleys. This is on main roads and in tourist areas. After a week in Bangkok, I just felt that Thai people must not have any idea what clean is.
We took that train north to teh old capital Ayuttaya. Here is a picture of the red brick ruins at one of the sights.
As night fell they lit up the ruins. From a far they looked like the were ablaze.
Some ruins during the day.
It looks like some forgotten king holding court in a ghost town.
When I see these ruins, I couldn't help but think about the effort that went into building them. How callous it seem to have let them fall to this.
Another reclining Bhudda.
Here is my arm right after I fell down some steps at our hotel. Two days later my entire forearm turned black. It took three weeks for the bruising to disappear. My arm (and ass) still hurts a month later.
After a week of Bangkok and inner Thailand we headed to the beach. Thank God for the beach. By the time we got to this place I was really, really starting to hate Thailand. The beach's very relaxed atmosphere let me wind back down.
