Thailand 2005-2006 Home Base and Eldertreks Tour

Muscle Power at Wat Phra Kaeo and the Grand Palace


Royal Barge Museum

Met Bee, our local guide for Thailand. She is very cute, speaks clearly and is young and energetic. With her husband, she has a 5-year-old daughter, cared for by her family while she travels, which Bee does not plan to do much longer (our loss, but good for her). With her leading, we toured the Grand Palace complex with its two temples featuring the Reclining Buddha and the Emerald Buddha. Sumptuous gold and porcelain decoration on these extravagant buildings.

After buffet lunch aboard a restaurant boat we took a longboat on the Chao Phrya River and up the small canals to see how the Thais live on the water with restaurants, fruit sellers, laundry and even temples accessible by water. Our final canal stop was the Royal Barge Museum to see huge decorated long boats that are rowed in processions honoring the king and in annual festivals. With whole chunks of rolls sold by handy vendors in hovering boats, we fed swarming cat fish before we returned to our Royal River Hotel to prepare for tomorrow’s departure by van to points west, then east and northern Thailand.

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