Bangkok….Dangerous!

Hate to plaigiarize a mediocre movie (sorry if you saw it!) but fitting in this case. Dangerous? You bet. Guard your wallet….not because of pickpockets but because you will find plenty to spend your money on! I am not a shopper! In fact, sentence me to a day of shopping and my mind wanders to other, lesser tortures like waterboarding or dental work without anesthesia. I was surprised by the amount of shopping that is done by everyone here. It seems as if either everyone is shopping or supporting other’s habits of shopping. I found plenty to shop on myself. The bargains are really something else. Leather, clothing, electronics and plenty of unique items are available for a song. I had a couple of suits made ….won’t bore you with the details but they would probably cost at least $1500 in the states for which I paid about $250 for. Pat will post an entry later with more details. Ken and Barb were a big help here knowing the ins and outs of bargaining with the locals.


On to more “worthy” stuff about Bangkok….it really helps to have a local guide here. I briefly mentioned our friend and guide Noppadon who has driven us this week. Ken and Barb have known and been using Noppadon for about 13 years….he is consistently on time, polite and knowledgeable about the entire area. His contact information is below. We would absolutely use Noppandon again. Should you plan to visit Bangkok, contact Noppandon through the e-mail address below.

As with Pattaya, Bangkok is not for everyone…..it is noisy, crowded and no holds barred. It also has a tremendous energy which I found exciting….this is one of the major reasons that our relatives continue to visit every year….Barb really enjoys the energy. Like Pattaya, the people are extraordinarily friendly and helpful. I would certainly return

During our time here and between shopping trips, we visited lot of really terrific sights such as the reclining Buddha (best guess over 200 feet long and entirely covered in gold guilt), the solid gold Buddha, and the Grand Palace. Pat got to touch more animals including an 84 year old elephant…I got to drive an elephant (not really…..I mostly held on for dear life!).

What a ride!

Ken and Barb on the left

Pat....petting more animals.  The Elephant is 84!

The Golden Buddha of Sukhothai Traimit is more than 700 years old and is the largest in the world. It measures almost 16 feet tall and weighs 5 tons. It was re-discovered somewhat by accident. The Buddha was concealed by a plaster coat to hide it from invading armies. It was moved to it’s present site in 1955…..beautiful grounds and building.

5 Tons of Gold

Reclining Buddha.....largest in Thailand

Pat in front of scale model of Angkor Wat....at the Grand Palace

"Beaked Warrior" statue (I think he can take me!)

Much more to post but no time to do it complete justice right now. We have a nice fast connection so I will use less words and more pictures….BTW, here is Noppadon’s contact info:

Noppandon Tempsinpadung
Home # : 02-4167457
Mobile # : 061-4881648
Email: mameawja13@hotmail.com

Back to Hong Kong and then Home!