| October 28, 2001 page 2 We have used this time to see some of the temples of the city. We went to the temple of the Reclining Buddha and the Grand Palace. They are both very beautiful. The Grand Palace is home of the Emerald Buddha. It was found centuries ago and was encased in stucco. The Abbot noticed the nose was rubbing off and looked green. Once uncovered, it was found that the whole statue was made of emerald. Truly stunning. We did not get to see the statue very well because on the day we visited, the temple was filled with worshipers praying and chanting, lead by a monk. We found the spiritual ambience to be more moving anyway. The Grand Palace was built by the great Thai king Rama I in 1782. It houses the current royalty and some government offices as well as temples and museums. We also visited what is said to be the best shopping in SE Asia. Siam Square and the World Trade Center is very much the modern Thailand. Teeming with teenagers and tourists, on a regular Saturday it is sure to rival any american mall on a pre-christmas day. Brad was a bit overwhelmed except that he chose for us to be here because he decided we needed a new camera. A rather pricey birthday present! Our camera is very dirty and we did not want bad slides/pictures of our next expedition. The price was the same as we would have payed at home, and Brad has vowed to eat fried rice, 3 times a day, for the next 3 months to pay for its expense. It is a great camera, and you all will be rewarded upon our return we assure you. Also, it turned out nice that we had some extra time because Jen developed a rather nasty sore throat with swollen glands. It has taken about 5 days of rest for her to return to her sparky self. Our handy medical travel book indicated it was probably just a virus, so she needed to let it takes it course. We are not sure what Jen is doing to acquire her various ailments, but she has been a trooper. Brad must be due for something soon...knock on wood. We have monopolized this computer long enough, so we are siging out. We hope to leave Bangkok this Wednesday, November 1, on our way to Cambodia. First we are going to celebrate Brad's birthday on Tuesday by seeing a movie. First run movies are 80baht ($1.90). And if we are lucky, Brad found a bar that plays reruns of NFL games on Tuesday from 4-7pm. A truly great birthday celebration! Link to the pictures of our hotel Link to the pictures of the temples We send our love to everyone.... Brad and Jennifer |