Bangkok

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I had an up and down day in Bangkok today. Some things worked out well, others didn’t. I’ll concentrate on the good stuff. My first stop was Lumphini Park where I hoped to see monitor lizards that live there. As it turned out, there were a number of them in or by the little lake. They all about 3 feet long (including tail), so they were not as large or fearsome as the Komodo Dragons that I’ve seen in zoos. Nearby is the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute which specializes in producing snake antivenin and there is a “snake farm” with various species of snakes from all over the world, including a king cobra that seemed interested in a little girl who was touring the facility. There is a poisonous snake “milking” demonstration every day at 1100. After all my reptile interactions, I decided it was time to look into the things that Bangkok is more famous for, specifically its Buddhist temples. I went to two today. Wat Pho was my favorite. It has a gigantic golden reclining Buddha statue as well as numerous smaller ones. Wat Phra Kaeo is a more famous temple, judging by the press of people there to see it. There is a jade statue of the Buddha there, but I chose not to stand in the queue to see it. I did take a ride on one of the “express boats” that ply the small rivers of Bangkok. It was a way to see the city from the locals’ viewpoint, but one has to be willing to get a little wet from the splash of water. Overall I enjoyed my time in Bangkok, but I’m leaving tomorrow for my next destination, so I’ll report again from there.

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