A Glimpse of Smiles Across the Miles

The temple is notably older than Bangkok City itself as it has been founded in the 17th century.  The name Wat Po originates from Wat Potaram.  RAMA I was the founder of Bangkok who then enlarged the temple and installed several statutes and many memorabilia recovered from Ayutthaya and renamed the temple as Wat Phra Chetuphon in 1801.

In 1832, RAMA III enlarged the temple even further and turned it into a very important source of learning for Thailand's first university.  RAMA III was initiated the construction of the reclining buddha which is up to now housed in the Wiharn which is only big enough to hold the statue and thus, it would be very difficult for visitors to take wide shots of the whole image.

The Royal Grand Palace is a must-see attraction for visiting foreigners of the Kingdom of Thailand.  It is without a doubt one of Bangkok's most famous landmark which was built in 1782 and had been a home of the Thai King, the Royal Court and the Administrative Seat of Government for 150 years.

In visiting the Royal Grand Palace however, it should be noted that a certain dress code applies.  With the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand's most sacred site.  Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed to enter into the temple.  Male visitors are required to be wearing long pants and shirts with sleeves (no tanktops), sandals with socks or flipflops with socks are tolerated.  For female visitors, modest or decent clothing are also expected; no see-throughs nor off-shoulders and sleefless shirts are allowed.  For those visitors who arrive at the vicinity with the prohibited type of dress code, there is a nearby booth at the entrance area which can provide clothing to cover you up, accordingly, although certain deposit fee is required.

My family and I went to Safari World Thailand on the 14th day of September 2009.  We had a great time being out of our very busy schedule in the office.  Upon our arrival at the vicinity, we were really caught in awe for the vast land housing different herds and flocks and groups of animals (crawling and walking), birds and sea creatures.  We brought our niece (8 years old then) and nephew (3 years old then) with us and they really enjoyed the ambience, the child-friendly creatures and the shuttle bus which gave us a tour around the wide fieldspan.

For those who are interested in visiting Safari World, I encourage you to go there very early in the morning so you get to maximize your time, get to tour around all of the attractions in the zoo.

Lumpini Park - a place open for everyone and I mean, everyone, young and old, single and married, student and pensionner, local and foreigner.  Yes, you read it right.  This park is very safe to all foreigners despite it;s being open to the general public; police officers could be seen roaming all throughout the vicinity.  The place has a certain relaxing ambience which entices everybody to get moving without fear or feeling of awkwardness.

When I was at Lumpini Park, I saw people jogging, dancing, playing around and having fun.  There were also families who were having picnic.  Food is never a problem since there were canteens and stores sited near the entrance gate which were selling a variety of finger foods and ready-to-go drinks and shakes.