etc.

— Thai Dancers

During our visit to the Vimanmek Mansion, pictured above, we had an opportunity to watch a troop of dancers perfoming traditional Thai dances. They also demonstrated some traditional Thai martial arts. Here are a few of the photos that Jim took of the dancers:

— Dusit Zoo

The Dusit Zoo is a large, park-like area with a variety of animals on display. Some are in rather small, old style cages. Many others are in large, open pens which give the animals room to move around in a fairly natural environment. Here are a few pictures of the many animals we saw during our visit:

— Royal Barge Museum

The Royal Barge Museum is on the northern bank of the Bangkok Noi Khlong. It is not far from our guest house on the other side of the Chao Phraya river. The barges are stored here for infrequent use by the King during special occasions. We had an interesting walk to the museum through narrow alleyways (too small for any car) that twisted and turned through a traditional Thai neighborhood. The residents gave us directions as to which way to turn at the many decision points. There is no other land access to the museum. It is easier to take a boat to the museum docks. Here are some photos of the barges:

— M.R. Kukrit's House

M.R. Kukrit Pramoj was an interesting man who was born into an influential Thai family in 1911. He was a businessman, a University lecturer, author, poet, and the Prime Minister of Thailand for two years. He was also a film actor, appearing with Marlon Brando in The Ugly American.

Beginning in 1960, Mr. Kukrit purchased several traditional 19th century Thai homes and moved them to Bangkok, where he set them up to make a grand residence for himself and his family. Mr. Kukrit died in 1995 at the age of 84. Today his house and grounds are a museum open to the public. Here are some photos from the marvelous gardens that surround the structures.

Phra Thinang Aisawan Thiphya-Art

 
— Index —

• Bangkok
  
• Palace
  
• Wat
  
• Chinatown
  
• River
  
• Khlong
  
• etc.
  

— Bang Pa-In Palace

The Summer Palace at Bang Pa-In is perhaps the most beautiful place we have seen so far in Thailand. The palace was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) during the period from 1872-1889. The buildings are a stunning mix of Thai, Chinese, and European styles. (The names of the various buildings are quite a mouth-full.)

We took a 3-hour ferry trip up the Chao Phraya River to visit the palace. It was hot and humid on the day of our visit, but the palace grounds were very comfortable with a light, cool breeze. It was a lovely experience

The grounds are open to tourists, although the interiors of many of the buildings are closed. The current King and Queen still use the palace occasionally to hold receptions and banquets. Perhaps that is why the grounds were kept so immaculate. Even the bushes were sculpted into some of the most imaginative topiary we have ever seen. Here are the photos:

— return to the 2004 Journal Archive