Thonburi

On the western bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite the busy city of Bangkok, is the district of Thonburi. Here you won't find the tall skyscrapers and the chaos of the city; you are taken back to an earlier time when Bangkok was known as the 'Venice of the East' and life was slower and revolved around the canals or khlongs. We took an afternoon longtail boat ride along these waterways.

I wouldn't go swimming in the khlongs but the kids seemed to be having a great time!

This old lady was waiting for our boat to arrive - it was obviously a planned stop - she was selling a variety of goods straight from her little boat.

We then stopped at a real floating market. There were shops on the water...

...and shops on the land

There were a variety of homes on the khlongs, from rundown shacks to the more classy but what they all shared in common was a waterfront view!

It was a great experience to take a trip through the khlongs of Thonburi.

Lumphini Part 2

Some more pics of Lumphini Park this week. The first one shows people enjoying the shade by one of the lakes.

I came across this group of people playing a very difficult version of volleyball that they seem to like in Thailand. It uses a smaller ball and you play with your feet!

There are lots of joggers and walkers.

Or you can rollerblade around the park.

Or just chill out and have a sleep (although if you look closely the man closest to the camera spotted me taking the picture!)

There are lots of playgrounds for the kids.

A collection of different people.

You get a shock the first time you meet these locals - the Monitor Lizards. They are all through the park and some of them are huge!

 

Lumphini Park - a quiet, green space in the heart of Bangkok

 

Sunday afternoon in Lumphini Park - Part 1

A green oasis in a crazy city - Lumphini Park is a great place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. As you will see over the next two blogs, the people of Bangkok agree.

  Fishing the well stocked lakes

Dad struggling with the kids

                                                                                                                

Some old folk in a game of chess

   

         

  Picnicking girls

                                                                                                                                                                                

Out on the lake

         

Completely relaxed       

                                                            

Keeping the park clean

            

 A policeman not on 'Red Shirt" duty 

  A girl on the swings

  

                                               

Trick biking

  

Playing in the sand

Kuala Lumpur 2

Malaysia is a muticultural society but the majority of the people are Muslim. The Jamek Mosque stands at the location where the city was founded at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers.

Most of the women wear headscarves but the style in this part of the world is much more colourful than the Middle East.

As in the rest of South-east Asia the markets are an important and lively part of the city.

There is also the obligatory Chinatown - the place to find the cheapest goods in town.

The colonial district of town includes the large open space of Independence Square with its huge flagpole. Back in the time of the British this was a cricket pitch.

The National Monument, which commemorates the Malaysians who lost their lives in the wars, is dominated by this impressive bronze statue.

One of the popular tourist attractions in KL is the Bird Park, which boasts that it is the largest free flight aviary in the world. It was a nice place to spend a couple of hours walking through the jungle setting and seeing lots of unusual birds.

There were also some other interesting sights in the park.

Although KL is very modern, there are still places where the old remain. Narrow streets and old buildings stand amongst the gleaming skyscrapers and glitzy malls.

This old style Post Box ends my blogs on KL.

Kuala Lumpur Part 1 - A Modern City

KL is a clean, sleek and modern city in the tropics. The identity of the city seems to revolve around the spectacular Petronas Towers, until recently the tallest building in the world.

The towers are surrounded by a big park including a place for the kids to cool down under the hot Malaysian sun. It's a great spot to chill out under a tree and relax in the centre of the city.

The second big tower is called KL Tower which due to it's location on the top of a hill actually stands higher than the Petronas Towers. The shot below shows them both.

Here is KL Tower itself, soaring into the sky. It provides a fantastic view of the city and the surrounding countryside.

The following photos show the view from KL Tower through the haze. Two things you notice about KL are that there are hills (Bangkok is flat) and there is lots of green space.

KL is easy to get around with a variety of rail systems including the monorail shown below.

In the Petronas Towers complex is a small but impressive concert hall where we saw a performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Not my usual night out but a wothwhile experience.

Of course give me good coffee and I am happy - when you can have a taste of home at Gloria Jeans it's even better!