Time for me to take a turn....

Thanks to Kit's consistent blogging and picture-sharing, you've been able to read and see pictures about our experiences here in Thailand so far.  I've been thoroughly enjoying this trip with three doctoral students who are all seasoned travelers and deep thinkers.  That makes the questions coming my way both enjoyable and challenging with pushes me to also learn and get a deeper understanding of the Thai culture.  Having family members here in Thailand who have welcome and entertain us has allowed us to experience another dimension of the country and culture. 

I enjoyed returning to Wimanmek Palace last week which is the old palace in which several royal families lived.  King Rama IV (King Mongkut) and King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn) are particularly prominent here through the many artifacts gifts purchased when in Europe and received from visitors from around the world.  Those two monarchs are credited with modernizing Siam in the early 1900s.  Here is a picture of the palace and one of the U of MN visitors.

One of the things I enjoy about visiting Thai temples is the amazing and varied types of designs and styles.  On the first day here, we took a long-tailed boat ride on the Chao Praya River and visited several temples - Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat PraKaew, and another temple whose name escapes me.The following pictures show the ornate and the unusual.

And you never know who or what you'll find lurking in the nooks and crannies of the temple walls and sculptures!

Off for a day of adventure.  Wishing you a good night's sleep!