Sawat Dee, Everyone!
This was a week of adventures right in Bangkok. First, the banana roti lady was back! I was glad Grandpa finally got a chance to eat one right after it was cooked. Then, we went out to eat with Grandma’s friends from the Faculty of Nursing at Grandma’s favorite restaurant. The name of the restaurant is Khinlom-Chom-Sa-Phan, which means “watch the river, eat the breeze.” It is on the river near the Rama VIII bridge, so it’s a very pretty place after dark.
On Saturday, we started the day by going to the Museum of Siam. The displays there explain that Thai people are a blend of several ethnic groups. It was fun to pretend to be a street food vendor and a rice farmer. I recognized Notre Dame cathedral on one timeline display, and I made friends with the first mailbox ever installed in Thailand.
After lunch, we went to a palace museum that is right under the Sky Train tracks, Suan Pakkad Palace. King Rama V had 77 children, so there had to be lots of palaces where they could live. Suan Pakkad means “cabbage patch”. That’s what the land was used for before the palace was built. This palace is a collection of traditional houses with collections of Thai musical instruments, china and minerals. I visited a royal barge and made friends with another cobra here. When we left, there were people walking around in traffic selling fried bananas. They were yummy!
Next, we went to the tallest building in Bangkok, Baiyoke Sky Hotel. There were displays of Khon masks on the observation floor, so I had another chance to see Hanuman, the monkey warrior. I made friends with a herd of elephants, then we went out on the revolving roof to see the view from all sides. After that, we had dinner at the buffet restaurant six floors down from the top. By the time everybody was finished eating, it was dark and I needed a nap!
Today, Sunday, we went to see a large Buddha image made out of real gold! I made friends with a kitty who was asking for donations for the monks. Joe-san warned me about Siamese kitties, but this one was very nice. Then we visited a museum in the same temple about the way Chinese people came to Thailand. I got to see what Bangkok Chinatown was like in the early days. It wasn’t as crowded then as it is during Chinese New Year now!
Then, we had dinner with Dr. Punkae and Dr. Banchong at their house. Dr. Punkae is the person who invited Grandma to come to Thailand on this trip. I was glad to have a chance to thank her for my adventure.
Tomorrow is Grandma’s last day teaching in Bangkok, and then we are going to Chiang Mai. Grandma says we will have more adventures there before we go home.
Love,
Lion-san