Bangkok

Our day started with a walk through the flower market. We meandered for 30 minutes through both a wholesale area with raw flowers and then stalls which made flower arrangements primarily used as offerings at the temple. Then we took a boat across the river to Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn, built by King Rama III in 1830. The name comes from the fact that the central prang catches and reflects the dawn. As are many temples, this one was heavily influenced by Cambodian temples. The central prang is meant to resemble Mount Moru (the home of the Hindu gods) with deities and demons holding up the mountain.

Detail of Wat Arun, made from broken china

We continued down the Chao Phraya river to visit the Royal Barge Museum. The king uses these barges on special occasions (like his 50th anniversary) in religious ceremonies since the 13th century. Over 50 barges go down the river with everyone rowing in a synchronous pattern - 2 rows then oars up.

We rejoined our boat and began exploring one of the western canals. Along the way, we stopped for a demonstration of how to make red chili paste from a variety of fruits, roots, and spices. The lady had a number of us crushing the ingredients with a pestle - I ended up stir frying the paste with beans and tofu. We all ate our creation along with cucumber soup, chicken salad, and stir-fried young luffa. Aroy! (delicious in Thai).

John and Mary making green beans with chili paste

We continued through the canal, passing many styles of houses, all with their spirit houses outside. We passed garbage barges, a postman's boat, an ice cream vendor and a bank boat on our trip. I ended the day by getting measured for a new suit - hopefully it will be done by our return.