CM to BKK

My break started alittle earlier than everyone else's.  I had to leave the country due to my visa running out.  Frankly this was okay with me, it gave me more time with friends and family and most importantly giving me more time to get my visa.

So my first leg of the trip:  Bangkok, a 12 hour train ride south from our little city.  I woke up early in the morning, rechecked that I had everything and headed to the train station.  I bid my farewells to Kelly and got settled down for my long ride.  
I was off.

  

Pondering and listening to music

Reading

The non-rhythmic, loud snorer behind me

The view



I was headed down to Bangkok to spend a couple of days with my friend, Crystal, before I flew out to the US. It was great to have that time with her. We went to college together back in the US about five years ago and I have been meaning to go down there for a while but with her college schedule and mine it just didn't work out.
Crystal took me on a small tour of some of the historical building in BKK.
There is the The Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall: Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go inside. We arrive 20 minutes late. Maybe next time.

The Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall

And the Vimanmek Mansion: world's largest golden teakwood mansion and I don't have any pictures of because I wasn't allowed but it was pretty cool. If I remember correctly Rama V had it built in the 1901. He lived there for years. Now it is on display. It actually has a section of the mansion that was hit by a bomb in WWII. That restored some of the it but left a small crater like dip in the floor that is still charred. Kind of cool. The house is huge and the wooden floors and layout of the place is really cool. I would have loved growing up in a house like that!
Some pictures from the grounds


A very large lizard!!!! He was probably 5 feet long

A very large sign of the King and Queen. He just recently celebrated his 80th birthday.


Now on Sunday we sure did have to travel to get to the church. From the apt we took two mopeds to the main road. From there we walked on the over-walk and waited for the two other girls. From there we took a taxi for a couple of miles. Then we stopped and hopped on a transit van and packed in. From there we went probably for 45 minutes. Then we walked a bit to another bus.

That bus we rode for another 45 minutes and then when we finally got off it was a 5 minute walk. Talk about a long commute. After church we had a chance to see just a fraction of Ayuthaya. It was the capitol in the mid 14th century and was so until the late 18th century.




The night before I left Crystal and some people she knew were having a costume Christmas party. The three of them dressed up as the wives to the three wise men. And I didn't have anything because I was flying the next day so I wore white and put glitter all over my face and arms. Come to find out I think we were only 4 or 7 people to dress up. In the pictures you don't really tell I have glitter on, I just look really sweaty!


Cute little Thai boy I was holding