Sanuk Canadian

After leaving the Elephant Zoo, rain clouds moved in as we visited our next stop: Wat Pra Prathon Chedi Worawiharn . This Wat is located in the ancient city of Nakhon Chaisi and was built by a young prince as an appeasement to Buddha for killing his father. The Wat tower: Ornate temple windows: While walking around the structure, I came across a long row of toy ducks. In Thailand, at many shrines, you will often see many small, toy animals left as an offering. I usually see elephants or zebras, but this was my first time to see ducks. They were so cute, I just had to take a picture:

We ate lunch at the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo . After lunch, our travel group's tickets included an elephant show and a crocodile show. First, I watched the elephant show, which was really good. The grandstand seating area was completely packed! Introduction: Royal and regal elephants (with real tusks!!!) : The Elephant World Cup Soccer game: My favorite part had the elephants re-enact battle scenes from Thai history. I did not know this, but elephants were used in the Kingdom like tanks -- their riders would hold weapons and "ram" or "charge" enemies. This part of show included cannon fire, explosions and lots of fire. Very exciting! The crocodile show was next and it involved two very brave Thai men placing their hands, arms and even heads, INSIDE a croc's mouth! Crazy? Absolutely. I couldn't look...except to take a picture! @_@

Before lunch time, our tour group headed over to Wat Rai Khing . Walking through the temple market: According to legend, the townspeople found the image of Buddha floating in a nearby river. They plucked it out of the water and enshrined it at this temple. Inside: (note the strings, which are "prayer lines"--these run to various parts of the temple complex.) People buy gold leaf and apply it to the Buddhist image: People praying: There were also rows of bells for worshippers to ring to cleanse one's spirit. The ladies from California said they did this and enjoyed it very much. The smells and sounds here were amazing!

After a 2 hour train ride, we arrived at the station: Transferring to a coach bus, our first stop was the Don Wai Floating Market . This market was huge! I spent an hour walking around and found many delicious things... Chicken and duck: Fresh vegetables: Cute sweets: Many in the tour purchased baked goods, as there was a large selection. I found something interesting...Japanese sweets, Daifuku!!! ^_^

I took a one day train trip with a travel group to Nakhon Pathom -- the province next door to Bangkok. It was a 2 hour train ride from Hua Lamphong Rail station. We were originally supposed to ride via steam train, but alas, it was being repaired. Instead, we rode a special "Thailand Tourism" train featuring the Royal Barges: Onboard, we listened to our guides explain the day's events. We also passed the microphone around and everyone introduced themselves to the group: There were trivia contests, in which you could win a stuffed toy if you knew the answer. Here, a girl from Singapore won a prize from the owner of the railway: Included in the tour was also a mini breakfast of jelly juice and a muffin! Yum! ^_^ This travel group was unique in that it attracted people from all over the world. On the train, I sat next to a woman from Kenya. A guy from Egypt on the tour said he had just passed his Canadian citizenship test! Bravo! I also chatted with two ladies from Californi...

I spent my day off walking around the northern end of this park. Chatuchak Park is really large and can be compared to Central Park in New York City. I stumbled across two recent university graduates, taking pictures among the flower blossoms: The northern side of this park also features large gardens and sculptures: It's a really lovely spot to escape the city noise.

I headed over to this large department store on my day off. I had a mission: buy some shoes! But, while walking around, I stumbled onto two nice things: First, a skating rink: I brought my skates back with me from Canada, so I will be sure to head over sometime. Next, an art exhibit showcasing traditional arts and culture in the Kingdom. (completely free!) Oh, and I did find some nice shoes. These were made in Malaysia: Did you know that when girls buys shoes, the experience releases a chemical in the brain that results in happiness. So guys, quit complaining that we have too many shoes. We are just making ourselves happy. ^_^