A Learning Journey - more cultural gems from Bangkok

There is no other city like it and I only saw 2 of the major heritage sites up close. Here are detailed shots of the Grand Palace (where the Emerald - really Jade - Buddha is) and the Reclining Buddha (the most exquisitely decorated room I may have ever entered).






Even the rooftops render me speechless


One must decorate every pillar


And every inch of the ceiling


And here is the man/statue himself - solid gold, my friends.


Something (the base?) decorated with the finest in-lay

The roof of the actual pagoda where the Buddha reclines

Some of the bejewelled characters outside the Reclining Buddha





Some scary fellows who guard him





Some delicate porcelain



The 1/2 glazed (so practical) tiles/ The maintenance is on-going so there are always artisans at work and small areas roped off. Very impressive.

A ceiling in the compound of the Reclining Buddha - because, in case you haven't figured it out by now, one must decorate every surface

What do you do...

if you have no place....

to put all your Buddhas?

A small fort on the riverbank

Wat Arun during the daytime. There are tiny VERY steep stairs you can climb on the outside if you want to risk it with no handrail

A Learning Journey - The High Life in Bangkok

I saw amazing cultural sights in Bangkok, I had two spas (one traditional - i.e. painful - Thai, the other consisted of tiny fish nibbling dead skin off my legs - honest), I shopped, I stayed in a lovely house in a exquisite compound, I ate well in Bangkok (though not as well as I had hoped). I led a charmed life.

The compound - right on the river


The view from the veranda - the orchids (one must, it seems, have orchids), the fountain, the foliage, the fish-filled waterway


The staircase in the house...


Its swimming pool. Yes, I got a flutter about "the expat life"


The fish nibbling away


The bar/resto to be in to watch the sun set on old Bangkok (there is another "it" place for sunsets on modern Bangkok - next visit!)

A Learning Journey - Bangkok, the working city

Despite being a joy to visit as a tourist, Bangkok is very much a working city - home to 11 million people And the modern part really works. The river, the skytrain, the train, the metro, they all function relatively efficiently. The roads on the other hand....



A commuter ferry


A ferry station for tourists and locals


The working river plied by ferries, tugs, pleasure boats, etc.



One of the 6 bridges that cross near the heart of the city



The sky train



The gleaming sky train station





A different pace of life exists on the many canals


One of the striking skyscrapers that dot the river banks and concentrate in the modern city's centre


However, all that glitters is not gold - shell of highrise that will rise no further because of the economic turmoil


Half the other 80% live

I hope the river doesn't rise

A Learning Journey - Japan's majesty by air

Sadly, I was in Tokyo only during the night hours and thus saw nothing of its culture, modern workings and/or beauty. But if the shopping complex at the airport was anything to go by....

I did however see by air the stunning, snow-capped mountains ouside the city, including the majestic Mt Fuji.


I also have "nothing to show" for my 6 days in Paua New Guinea - except for my "big hair" snaps that I posted last week. But I can't wait to drink their coffee.

A Learning Journey - the first leg

After learning the hard way that Air Canada flies to Sydney in February so Aussies can ski at Whistler, etc. I finally arived in the northern town of Cairns. Its main raison d'etre currently is the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, I had no time for that and besides, the only lingering trace of the pulimonary mishaps of my 21st year is that I cannot scuba-dive.



There had been a cyclone nearby three days prior to my arrival, but locals said that the wind on the day of my arrival was worse!


Cairns has a lovely boardwalk and yummy restaurants. It must have the world's best municipal pool (in the not-for-doing-laps category); it's right on the board walk and seems to go into the beach. It is gentle entry, surrounded by palm trees, and has metal fish sculptures in it. If you leave the town, you can take an interesting old railway ride, visit opal mines and swing through the tropical rain forest.

It is Australia.

Fog in the palms? No. Steam on the lens

A quaint brick path wends its way along

The pool reaching out to the ocean

And the pool as art gallery

And to make it even better, George and Loraine will visit it next month!

I know, I know

you want snaps of the kids! Here's what they got up to in my absence. Sebastian also finally received his longed-for camera while I was away, so I will have to wade through his 100s (!) of shots.

Grandma plays "Grandma's garden"


A magic show for Montreal's finest


Time on skates


First time on skis!

homeward-bound

where a post-ski welcome crew will be waiting for me at arrivals. Can't wait!

It's like stepping into a page of National Geographic

Too many impressions of Bangkok. So I'll let some photos do the talking instead.

While the baby bears are at home

Mama Bear is globe-trotting. Try: Australia (done), Papua New Guinea (done), Japan (one night only and that's tonight), Thailand (3 nights in Bangkok will make this grown woman very humble - about her cooking if nothing else), Myanmar, and China (but it doesn't count because I don't leave Hong Kong airport).

Here are the self-portraits that I sent the kids so far! I am going to blog about my curly locks! I love the tropics.
I am very fortunate. I am also very eager to go off and eat sushi....

That's some kind of magic

Some weeks back, Sebastian came home from school and declared that there was to be a talent show and he was going to perform. Oh, we said and do what? Magic, he answered with great confidence. But you have never done it in French, we offered (and only 3 times in English). But that didn’t faze our boy. After one practice at home and one at school, he performed twice on stage en francais and in full costume.
It’s not surprising really. Our boy loves the spectacle. The substance is not so important. Give him the razzmatazz and sparkle; the fireworks and flare.
Again I wish I could upload video footage but suffice to say that he made his mama bear so very very proud with his showmanship. His class cheered for him and when he came off stage (in marching band jacket and silver cardboard hat, plus his royal blue satin cape), his teacher waved him over and a friend put his head on his shoulder. Made my day.