Thailand: Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Sukhothai

Thailand was the first country I traveled abroad to without my parents. Complete with the necessary DSWD Travel Clearance, I flew to Bangkok in 1996 to attend a high school student council convention in Pattaya. I've been there numerous times since including memorable visits on the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) in 2002 and for the Thailand Medical Tourism Blog Contest last year, when I finally got to visit Chiang Mai. I was back again this year. And after years of wanting to visit Phuket and Sukhothai, I finally did. Here are photos from Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Bangkok, Phuket and my visit to Chiang Mai last year.

September 17-18 - Ayutthaya and Bangkok, Thailand
September 18-20 - Phuket, Thailand
September 21 - Sukhothai, Thailand
September 23 - Bangkok, Thailand
November 23 - Chiang Mai, Thailand
November 24 - Chiang Mai, Thailand
November 25 - Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thailand: Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha

The Grand Palace, which includes the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is one of the must visits when you are in Bangkok. It was the official residence of Thailand's kings up to the mid-20th century but is still as grand as its name implies. After resting a bit at the hotel, we took a cab to the Grand Palace.

As soon as we got off our taxi, a guy in a khaki uniform wearing a pin which looked like some kind of royal emblem approached us and pointed us toward a gate on the side. I was a bit suspicious since I knew where the main gate was having been there twice before. When we got to the smaller gate, I saw a sign which said "no entry" (obviously, it was not an entrance). Then a guy came out from the gate telling us that the temple was closed early today since it's prayer day for the locals and told us to come back tomorrow. Then he pointed to a tuktuk waiting by the gate and they started selling us a guided tour. Irked, I told shouted "no" to them and brought my family back to where we got down. We almost left but I decided to walk by the entrance I remembered and saw it was open. So I checked inside only to find out the Grand Palace was indeed open!

It's sick that such happens right at the gate of the Grand Palace itself. Were the authorities playing blind to such a modus operandi happening right at their doorstep? It was a good thing I had been there before. But I could just imagine other people they had fooled into taking those over-priced tuktuk tours. When we exited the palace, I saw the same guy in the khaki uniform still standing at the gate and I looked him straight in the eye with disdain.

Well, enough of that bad incident since any visit to the Grand Palace is a grand experience! The first thing you'll see when you enter is the Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. You'll need to be in proper attire when you enter the compound. No shorts or sleeveless shirts. It was good that they have long trouser and sarong rentals there since my mom was in shorts and had to rent a sarong to enter.

The Emerald Buddha is actually made of green jade and is clothed in gold. There are three sets of gold clothing corresponding to Thailand's three seasons namely hot, rainy and cool. And the king himself changes the clothes in ceremonies marking the change of season.

When you enter the main palace area, you won't miss the Chakri Mahaprasad Hall, a building influenced by the Italian Renaissance style but distinctly Thai. By the time we reached this hall, the palace security were herding people out for closing. So we were there just in time to have the area all to ourselves. We proceeded to Siam Paragon right after. But we had to go through Bangkok's snarled weekend traffic to get there.

Thailand: Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, Thailand

You haven't been to Bangkok if you haven't shopped in the Chatuchak Weekend Market! The locals usually refer to it as JJ Market. At 1.13 square kilometers and with 15,000 stalls, it is said to be the biggest market in the world. Make sure to come on a weekend because most stalls are closed on other days.

We went straight to the market right after breakfast since we wanted to maximize our time there. You'll find everything under the sun there including household items, clothing, jewelry, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, food, and live animals and plants. It's one of the best places to get local handicrafts, silk and other souvenir items.

After making rounds of the different sections (we weren't able to cover the whole market due to time constraints), we went around the food stalls to try out the local dishes. We had noodles or course, but I especially liked the coconut milk ice cream served in a coconut shell with coconut shavings and peanuts.

We didn't stay too long since we planned to visit the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha late in the afternoon. So we proceeded back to our hotel to get some rest and freshen up before proceeding there.

How to get there
Chatuchak market is adjacent to the Kamphaengphet station of the Bangkok Metro, or about a 5-minute walk from the Mo Chit Skytrain (BTS) station and Suan Chatuchak (Chatuchak Park) station of the MRT. Of course, you can take a cab going there. But after shopping, you'll definitely need to take a cab back to your hotel!

Thailand: Back in Bangkok!

Bangkok is one of my favorite Asian cities. And I found myself back again in Bangkok for a family vacation. I'm not a fan of package tours for international trips. But in this instance, it was cheaper and more convenient, especially since my niece was with us. It was my first time to see Bangkok's impressive new airport, the Suvarnabhumi Airport.

We had a half-day city tour as soon as we arrived. We were first taken to a relatively new temple (I was not able to get the name since it's not in the usual tourist radar when visiting Bangkok). But for people who've seen a Thai temple for the first time, I'm sure it looked impressive.

Since we were to visit two temples, I had requested our guides to take us to Wat Pho, the oldest and one of the largest temples in Bangkok. Said to be the birthplace of Thai massage, it's most known for its gargantuan Reclining Buddha which is 46 meters long and 15 meters high.

Another element of this temple compound which I find equally impressive are four large chedis or stupas dedicated to the first four kings of Thailand's Chakri Dynasty, Rama I, II, III, and IV. Each is 41 meters high and intricately decorated with tiles.

And just like in any tour, they brought us to a jewelry shop! At least it wasn't as bad as our Hong Kong-Shenzen tour. We didn't stay up late since we want to be in Chatuchak Market early tomorrow to shop!

Thailand: Cruising the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok

Today was another take it slow day. All I needed to do was to get my luggage from Ton's apartment. I had left one of my bags with Ton so that travelling in Laos would not be that much a hassle for me. So I woke up quite late.

Since Ton's apartment was near Chatuchak Market which was quite a distance from where I was staying, I made sure I planned my transportation to his place. And this included the Chao Phraya River Express. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, the Khao San tourist area was not connected to the skytrain or subway and the cheapest way to get to them was via ferry from Banglamphu (Pier No. 13 - Phra Arthit Pier) to the Central Pier which was a few meters from the Saphan Taksin BTS Station.

The Phra Arthit Pier was about half a kilometer from Khao San Road. So it was just a few minutes walk away. Right beside it was the Phra Sumane Fort (above), one of the few remaining fortified outposts in Bangkok. You could also see the newly-contructed Rama VIII Bridge (below) which was opened to traffic in 2003.

Sigh! The newly-built bridges in our Southeast Asian neighbors just makes me despise the DPWH which constructs some of the ugliest infrastructure in the world! I guess they've already mastered the formula of estimating just the right amount of material to build a bridge so that they could pocket as much of the funds allotted to the project as they can. In fact, there are well-entrenched corruption networks in these agencies that newly-appointed agency heads, no matter how clean, are powerless against them.

Anyway, the ferry ride was just THB11 and you passed by some of the best sights in Bangkok. In fact, river cruises along the Chao Phraya are a very lucrative business. There are even luxury ferries which offer lunch and dinner packages for tourists and locals. I was amazed at the variety of tourist ferries which were sailing along the river from the traditional to luxurious! Many if not most of the great cities of the world were founded along the banks of rivers. It makes me feel sad that the country neglected the Pasig River which had the same potential as the Chao Phraya or the Singapore River. In fact, much of Manila's heritage is found along the river. And if we rehabilitate both the river and its banks, we can lure visitors for a cruise. But this I could say, you will know if a country is mature if some of its best real estate is found along the river. I'll expound on this later.

Among the landmarks along the river are (1) the domed building of Thammasat University, (2) Patravadi Theater, (3) Wat Arun, (4) the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, (5) and (6) the Royal Naval Institute, (7) Wat Kanlayanamit, (8) Santa Cruz Church, (9) Memorial Bridge, (10) and (11) more heritage buildings and temples, (12) Holy Rosary Church, (13) pagoda of the Foundation for Morality and Propagation for Welfare, and (14) five-star hotels and office buildings along the river.

As I mentioned earlier, you will know that a country is mature if some of the best real estate is found along the river. Here in the Philippines, the Pasig River is a dumping area for factory wastes. I mean if we did urban planning right, you should see some of the best buildings from the Guadalupe Bridge. But instead, you see factories, shanties and billboards!

In Bangkok, the Royal Orchid Sheraton, Shangri-La, Oriental, Sofitel Bangkok and the Peninsula are just some of the few luxury hotels right by the banks of the Chao Phraya River. In fact, when I took a walk around the Bang Rak area a little later, I was surprised to see that the land route to these hotels were not scenic and you had to pass through some narrow streets and backroads to get to these hotels. Thus, the river is their biggest asset and each has a port from which their clients could go on cruises along the Chao Phraya.

I think Metro Manila can change this by re-zoning the banks of the Pasig River. All factories and other industrial structures must be relocated elsewhere and these properties along the river should be redeveloped. Once this is done, coupled with the rehabilitation of all the heritage along the river, and that includes restoring the old bridges and preserving the Arroceros Forest Park which we all hope Mayor Atienza won't chop down, we can lure tourists to enjoy a dinner cruise along the Pasig and out into Manila Bay.

I got off at the Central Pier and walked a few meters to the skytrain station. I got a day pass for THB100 but unlike the Hong Kong pass I got, it wasn't a 24-hour pass and was good only up to 11:59 p.m. of the day you purchased it. Anyway, I got my bag and then took the subway from Lat Phrao to Hualamphong Station where I planned to take a cab to Khao San. As soon as I got out of the station, it started to rain again. Damn! It was supposed to be the dry season and my trip had been marred by rains everywhere I went. Our weather has gone haywire thanks to human intervention, especially those countries who produce the most pollution and yet don't want to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

I had planned to walk around Bang Rak after dropping off my luggage at the hotel. Since it was raining, I took a cab to the area instead of a ferry. The Silom-Bang Rak areas offered several great walking tour routes including one that took you around the seat of Catholicism in Thailand. My first stop was the Holy Rosary Church (which is known in Thailand as the Temple of the Beaded Virgin). It's signature gothic spire can be seen from the river. Built in 1767 after the fall of Ayutthaya, the current structure was rebuilt in 1897.

Then it was off to the Assumption Cathedral which was a kilometer or so away. The walk under the rain was most worth it. Greeting me was a complex of stately and elegant colonial buildings surrounding the Assumption Cathedral. The interior of the cathedral was so grand that you would even think while marveling at the interior of the Assumption Cathedral that Thailand was more Catholic than the Philippines! Right beside the church and the complex of old convent buildings were more stately buildings including the East Asitic Company and the Oriental Hotel.

After saying a few prayers, it was off to more exploring. On the way to the skytrain station, I passed by a hawker stall which sold noodles and rice meals. I realized that there was something in the way they arranged the ingredients in the stand that attracted tourists like myself since a few minutes later, a lot of foreign tourists were stopping by as well to order food, attracted by the display. First and foremost, if our hawker stalls in Manila are to become popular and tourist-friendly, we have to ensure cleanliness at all times. At the same time, displays must be attractive with ingredients colorfully presented for all to see. Anyway, I ordered noodles.

The next day, I was off to the airport. For breakfast, it was more phad thai! Again, the stand was attractive thanks to the mounds of noodles and other ingredients on display.

I booked an airport bus the day before which costed THB100. I had planned to go by train since the ticket was much cheaper but I realized that that did not include the cost of the taxi, the hassle of carrying your bags here and there, and when you got to the airport train station, you had to bring all your luggage up a pedestrian flyover to the terminal. And it was a good move as well since it was raining. I could not imagine the hassle I would have gone through if I took the train.

It was actually a van that took us to Don Muang Airport. The ride offered me another way of seeing Bangkok's core. The avenues and boulevards were wide and islands and sidewalks full of neatly-cut shrubs and flowers. Stately colonial buildings and government offices were in abundance. And every little bridge over a canal was a work of art. I have yet to see a bridge in Bangkok's center similar to our ugly standard DPWH bridges since every little bridge had a unique design, pedestrian bridges included! Hello DPWH! Wake up and stop making Manila the ugliest city in the world!

Anyway, my flight to KL left at 3:15 p.m. There was a THB500 airport tax so don't forget to save money if leaving Bangkok from the airport.

Thailand: Songkran in Bangkok... Sawasdee Pee Mai!

I was back in Bangkok from Ayutthaya at about 7 p.m. When I arrived at the Mo Chit Bus Station, I took a quick cab to the Mo Chit Station of the skytrain for THB35. Then took the skytrain to the Sala Daeng Station in the Silom area to check out the night shopping areas which included Patpong, a red-light district which had a popular night market.

However, as soon as I exited the skytrain station, I could hear loud shouts from below. Just great, the whole street had teenagers with water cannons and powder paste celebrating Songkran. Hmmm, I would have joined in the fun if I didn't have my camera and celphone with me.

Songkran is the three-day celebration of the Thai New Year which coincides with the new year celebrations in Cambodia (Bonn Chaul Chnam Khmer), Laos (Pii Mai Lao), and Myanmar (Thingyan Water Fesival). The word itself translates from Sanskrit as "beginning of the solar year." During this three-day event, Thais pray at temples and bring food and other offerings to monks. There is also a bathing ceremony where monks will pour a little water on the shoulders of devotees as a symbol of cleansing and blessing to begin the year. Now this is where the water wars evolved from wherein the public "blesses" one another with water as well and thus, over time, the festival has become a lively celebration and a national water fight. Equiped with water pistols, super soakers, balloons or buckets of ice water, locals and tourists alike make sure that no one remains dry during the three-day celebration.

But I made sure I wouldn't get wet yet. Hehe! So I ate dinner instead inside the mall and bought some stuff at the supermarket. Then I took the skytrain to the National Stadium Station which is the nearest to the Khao San area. That is also the station nearest to MBK, a very popular shopping complex to Thai teenagers.

I got down and looked for a cab. First cab asked me for THB200. Asshole! Then I checked with the tuktuks who asked me for THB100. I walked around to look for more taxis and the next one asked for THB300. Crazy! No one wanted to do meter service if you said Khao San Road since they knew you were a tourist. Sick! So I asked around for buses to Khao San and I was told to wait for bus no. 15. After 30 minutes of waiting, I decided to just take the tuktuk and got it for THB80 which I guess was good enough. The taxi from the National Stadium Station of the skytrain and the Hualamphong Station of the subway (these are the nearest to the Khao San area) should be between THB55 to 65.

You could also take a skytrain to the Saphan Taksin Station where there was a Chao Phyraya River Express terminal waiting to take you to Banglamphu, the main tourist area of Bangkok (there seemed to be more foreigners than locals in the area of Khao San Road). However, ferry service ends at 3 p.m.

Anyway, it was the end of the dry road for me since I just remembered that Khao San Road was the epicenter of the new year celebrations. Argggggh! So as I manuevered my way into the sea of wet revellers, ocassionally being hit by water guns, trying to avoid getting dirtied up in the face by powder paste and keeping my camera and celphone dry, I finally got to my hotel.

I changed into my beach shorts, slippers, put my camera in a ziplock back and left my phone and other belongings in the room. I first went to an internet shop to relax a bit but on the way, a street fight was brewing and people started moving away. So I entered the internet shop first.

After an hour, I was expecting to see the party in full swing but to my surpise, there were much fewer people walking around. Broken bottles on the ground was evidence of what had just occurred. I went to the convenience store accross the street to buy some water and asked the cashier why there was no more party. And they confirmed that beer bottles were flying all over the place and the police stopped the party. Hmmmm... good I was in the internet shop while it happened.

Things like these rarely happen since during the three days of Songkran, you have to be a good sport. If your celphone, camera or anything of importance gets wet during these three days from April 13 to 15, you can only smile at the person who wet you and say to yourself how stupid of you to bring it out without protection. Anyway, this is the last night of the three day Songkran Festival so... Sawasdee Pee Mai!

Thailand: The historic city of Ayutthaya

I didn't try to wake up early today since I had been travelling nightly for the past few days and this was my first time in a bed since I left Bangkok Tuesday. In fact, I don't even consider Monday night as sleep since I was rushed to the hospital early in the morning. Hehe! So I was up by about 9:20 a.m. if I'm not mistaken. It was raining! Just great! So I was pondering whether to push through with Ayutthaya.

I ate breakfast at the same place Ton and I ate dinner Monday night. This time, I had green papaya salad (the less spicy version) and phad thai. Hehe! The rain stopped so I decided to go even if it continued raining. Going tomorrow was out of the question since I did not want to be caught in the Sunday madrush back to Bangkok.

So I got dressed and took a cab to the Hualamphong Train Station which was the grand old station of Bangkok. Our main train station in the Philippines was the Tutuban Train Station. But since Filipinos think of building nothing except malls and shopping centers, that grand old station of ours is a shopping mall today. Sigh! Although I'm happy they did adaptive reuse since the old structure is still standing. I hope when the Northrail is completed, they reinclude this old building as the main entrance to the new terminal.

Ayutthaya is about an hour and a half from Bangkok. I arrived at the station in the nick of time since the next train left in ten minutes. I was charged only THB15 for the trip! It was a non-aircon train but it was quite ok since it was a short ride and there were not much people in it. On the way, it started raining again. Sigh! I arrived in Ayutthaya at about 1:30 p.m.

The train station at Ayutthaya reminded me of our own old train stations along the Manila-Dagupan route. I hope the policy makers of the Northrail project realize that these old stations are a better attraction than any new ones they will build. They could easily equip these old structures with modern amenities inside if they wanted to. Check out the ICOMOS Philippines blog for photos of these old train stations today.

In the station, there was a sign board which detailed the tuktuk and taxi fares from the station to any particular site in the city. That is a must in every tourist city so that cheating drivers could easily be detected. At the bottom, there was also an option for a tour at THB200 an hour. Hmmmm... since it was raining, I decided to rent out a taxi for an hour and hope the rains stop a bit.

The Historic City of Ayutthaya and Associated Historic Towns was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. I was founded in the year 1350, and became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai, another UNESCO site. The city was destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century and the structures that remain are characterized by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, a somber reminder of its past glory.

The nearest important site to the station was the Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol. Entrance fee was THB20. I took quite a while inside since it was difficult to move around due to the rain. So I told the driver to bring we to the Wat Mahathat where I would take a walk to other nearby sites.

It was heavy traffic into town due to the water wars along the street. From the bridge, you could see pick-up trucks seemingly parked along the street as its passengers at the back ensued in water fights with each other. So the driver made a turn to avoid the area. We got to Wat Mahathat a few minutes later where I got off and paid him THB200 for the 1 hour. By this time, the rain stopped a bit. Good! Entrance fee to the site was THB30.

Next to the Wat Mahathat was the Wat Ratcha Burana. Entrance fee was another THB30. Hmmmm, every site had its own ticket. And that helps raise funds to maintain the sites. I wonder why the Philippines does not charge for visiting its UNESCO sites. Hehe! It reminded me of Hue since each royal tomb had a US$3 ticket. Once declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it increases market value as well. Hehe!

As soon as I had exited, the rain started to get stronger again. So I ran to the nearby restaurant to have a late lunch. It was a traditional setting since you sat on a suchion on the floor. And the view of Wat Ratcha Burana was great and relaxing. After the meal, I waited outside for a tuktuk but none passed by.

Walking to the next site was out of the question since it was raining and there were so many pick-ups just going around with new year revellers at the back with drums and pails of water looking for hapless victims to drench even further. As if the rains were not enough! Hehe! It was a very lively atmosphere with passengers at the back banging on drums and pans, shouting, chanting and singing, or dancing to the beat of the loud music being played up front the vehicle. Well, I had a camera and celphone to protect so I really avoided getting wet. Hehe!

By this time, for some reason, my camera lens fogged. And it seemed like it wasn't going to dry up within the next few minutes. Sigh! So I guess that was my signal to go home. I checked mail a bit to kill time and then took a walk to the ferry station that would bring me to the train station. On the way, I happened to pass by the bus station. Just great! Hehe! Since it was raining, I decided to take an aircon bus. It was THB50 back to Bangkok. On the train, that would have been THB40. So that was not bad at all.

Laos: The Friendship Bridge to Laos PDR and around Vientiane

As I mentioned in my previous post, land travel in Southeast Asia can be difficult. Just right after I posted the last entry, Ton had to rush me to the hospital at 2:30 a.m.! Hehe! Let's not get into the details but it was sort of a result of that long trip. And the rest of the plans almost got cancelled if I did not improve. Luckily I did and I'm at it again. Hehe!

So I rested the whole morning and met up with more of my SSEAYP batchmates for lunch. I took a subway from Ton's apartment then a skytrain to Siam Square where Nun would meet me. We had lunch with Bee at See Fah restaurant. Cee joined us as well. In the photo are myself, Bee, Cee and Nun.

After lunch, Nun accompanied me around Siam Paragon, a really nice mall which is said to be the largest in Asia. That's why Mayor Atienza shouldn't have demolished heritage structures like the YMCA Building and the San Lazaro Racetrack, replacing it with two SM malls because unless SM stops building those prefab malls (no unique design whatsoever), it's no attraction at all. Sigh! I liked the greenery inside the mall. Nicely done! We had some ice cream. A lot of unique flavors like red bean and green tea, horlicks, ovaltine, roasted sesame, etc. Yummy!

It was then off to catch a skytrain to Mo Chit Station where Matong would meet me to accompany me to the bus station. I had wanted to take a train to Nong Khai so that I could sleep comfortably but it was fully-booked a long time ago since it's New Year in Thailand as well as in Cambodia and Laos. So I had to make do with a bus. Little did I know that the ride was going to be another horrible fourteen hour trip! Imagine the Holy Week rush to the provinces. In Thailand, it was the same rush for the long holiday. Sigh!

For some reason, we got a ticket easily. I got on board the bus at 4:30 p.m. It was scheduled to leave at 5 p.m. We left a little late though. When we were on our way, I slept only to wake up an hour later since we were in another bus station stuffing in more passengers. When we left the first station, we were already full. But the bus was not satisfied, they placed stools in the center!

When I thought we've loaded enough, the bus just kept on stopping trying to lure in more passengers. My God! Greedy is the only term I could think of. Thailand and the Philippines as well should enact a law against overloading. If there are no more seats, they shouldn't overload. It may be ok for those in the center that they are in the center aisle but did they care to ask those seated comfortably earlier if it was ok with them? Hmmm... And the air-conditioning wasn't that strong.

By the time we got to another station, (yes, we stopped at a third, fourth and fifth station if I remember things right) passengers were already complaining since we were always stopping! To make the long story short, I wasn't able to sleep well since we were so cramped up.

We arrived in Nong Khai at about 6:30 a.m. just in time for me to get a ticket for the 7:30 a.m. bus to Vientiane. At least it was more comfortable but just a short ride to the border and the Friendship Bridge to Laos. The Friendship Brigde is the most popular border crossing between Thailand and Laos. And at least I did not have to walk far since the bus took us to the other side.

By 8:30 a.m., we were in Laos. It's a good thing Filipinos don't need visas in all ASEAN countries except Myanmar. I didn't go to Vientiane with the bus since Loulou, another SSEAYP batchmate was at the border with Tuy to meet me. We picked up another Tuy at her house then went to Kao's shop. Since Loulou had to go to work, Kao, Tuy and Tuy would take me around.

We first went to Patuxai, an imposing concrete monument which is sort of Laos' version of the Arc de Triomphe. It was built to commemorate those who died in battle with concrete donated by the U.S. supposedly for a new airport runway. Hehe! There was a cafe underneath and you could climb up to the top but I was just too exhausted. The interior was nice but it seemed like an unfinished structure when seen up close from the outside.

After that, we proceeded to another imposing structure, the That Luang, the national symbol of Laos and its most important religious building. The present gold leaf stupa is a recreation of the 16th century temple thought to have been built by the King.

Outside the stuppa, we bought roasted honeycombs from a hawker and let me taste. Hmmm... not my type especially since there were bees roasted in it too. I thought it would taste like honey. Hehe! It had this wierd aftertaste as well. They were also selling live snakes! I had some roasted banana as well.

We then had lunch at Loulou's place since they were having a new year celebration there. Joy, another ex-PY joined us. For good luck on new year, we ate lamb aside from other dishes. There was so much food including a whole roasted-calf! It was a good introduction to Lao cuisine. In the photo are Joy, myself, Tuy, Loulou, Tuy and Kao.

Then, it was off the the Ho Phrakeo (below). This temple, built in A.D.1565 by King Xaisetathirat, is the oldest temple in Vientiane. You would notice outside a sign that the temple used to house an emerald Buddha image which has been out of the country for several centuries now. Well, that emerald Buddha is the one in Thailand after it was captured during an invasion.

Anyway, I'm resting now since I'll be off for another long bus ride to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang. I should prepare to get wet within the next few days since the new year celebrations in this part of Southeast Asia tend to become water wars. Sigh!