it was a great idea visiting this temple and I hope that you get a chance to also spend a few hours to enjoy all of the images, but you have to travel to Bangkok
The last of the comics
Comic Temple Part 2 – Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram, Bangkok
Bangkok on a dime, or 2, or 3, or 4, or …..
Comic Temple? Partly!
temples are held in reverence for their religious sanctity. This temple in Bangkok, Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram, has a little different bent on expression, enlarging it to include modern attractive icons to highlight inclusive of Buddhism. Just look at the photos and you will understand everything. I took so many photos so I’m splitting it into several PHLOGS. It would take several hours walking around this temple area to identify every icon.
Bangkok is interesting, if you notice everything.
Chatting at Chatuchak
in Bangkok there is a very large open market frequented mostly on Saturdays and Sundays call Chatuchak. Normally they have all the shops open and they sell virtually everything but because of Covid most of the shops are closed or have gone out of business and on the date we went only the shops selling plants on the walk-throughs were open. Here you can see a lot of the different kinds of plants you’ll find in Thailand. Some are very interesting. Don’t ask me what any of these plans are because I don’t know anything about plants except what color they are.
Bangkok a la China
Recently, I stayed in the Chinatown area, around the back streets, and found it to be a very interesting place. There are many tourist shops and restaurants open that cater to people they may never see again but you really want to go to the local shops and restaurants where you get local Bangkok and surrounding area residence to frequent. The back streets are also filled with automobile repair and motorcycle repair shops. One shop I found particularly interesting was the Vespa repair shop.
Birds in the Trains
After arriving at Bangkok train station from an overnight sleeper from Surat Thani I noticed birds flying in an out of the cars. This is what it looked like.
The Great Escape..NOT?
Japan now says they will allow me to apply to get a letter letting me through immigration in Japan. I would need to test negative for Covid within 72 hours before the flight if I received “the letter”. Friends in Japan are losing faith in their government for mishandling the Covid 19 virus. Infected people are increasing. So now everyone is telling me not to return for safety reasons.
Croatia was allowing tourists in under certain screening or quarantine. I was thinking as using that as my escape route into Europe. But the last few days England put restrictions on people coming in from Croatia since Covid cases are increasing. So now will this cause problems for my escape? Actually I have no problems being in Thailand. It is safe, medical services are good. Everything is fine. But I can’t stay here much longer, maybe not past September 26 when the Covid amnesty ends. Since things change from day to day I guess I will just have to see what the next month brings.
Thailand Covid 19 Demonstrations
I bet you expect this title to indicate I am going to yada, yada about “mask” issues. Ain’t gonna happen on this website. I save that for my egghead facebook page. Here you will find recent perspectives on Covid and political demonstrations in Thailand.
Thailand continues to have very few, not more than 15/day, positive Covid tests and still at zero daily deaths. Talk about “safety” and “freedom”, Thailand gives tourists a lot of those 2 so come to visit when possible. Now tourism is blocked. Even returning Thai nationals need to quarantine for 2 weeks in Bangkok at their expense. Diplomats and UN people need to quarantine if they are even allowed into the country, no entry permission is guaranteed.
The website at the Japanese Embassy indicates I can now apply for return to my country of residence. Not sure what that means since it does NOT indicate an automatic system for residents to return, those who aren’t “exceptions”. But I need to sit a while longer without travel in Thailand to recover from surgery. The hospital here says they will help with immigration if the stay goes past September 26, the last day of the visa amnesty granted to tourists who got “stuck” here due to Covid-19.
So, I make the best of things staying at my friend’s estate outside Bangkok. He has 2 free dogs, a swimming pool, large back yard for dog Frisbee games (not throwing dogs) and a coffee maker. So, life is now on autopilot until all things improve.
It seems an escape West might work through Croatia but that situation is changing as they accept US tourists and Covid positive people increase. Croatia’s acceptance rules keep changing. It is in the EU but not in Schengen so automatic entry to other Schengen countries is not possible. But as an EU country, showing a period of stay there, Covid negative, can be a positive to entering Schengen, other EU countries or other countries in the area, Scotland or England.
Oh, concerning Demonstrations, almost forgot, let me just say read the news. There are currently pro democracy demonstrations and you will read also about some complex political issues surrounding demonstrator demands. Most of the demonstrators are University students. Stay tuned.