I went to Bangkok with my son and wife on 19 - 23 December. It has been six years since I last visited Chiangmai, Thailand with my son Solomon in 2003. Our trip was planned to be on 14 - 18 December. Since there were no air tickets for us on those dates, the tour agent finally arranged our trip on 19 - 23 December and travel by business class flight.

After checking in at the Changi Airport, we were invited to the Skyview Lounge. As the flight delayed by 25 minutes, we took our meals at the lounge.

The flight took off at 2.20 pm Singapore time. It took about 2 hours and 20 minutes to arrive at Bangkok. It was 3.40 pm in Bangkok and 4.40 pm in Singapore.

The main course: Veal pot	roast with mushroom sauce fettuccini
My vegetarian meal	Father and son

We went to the Phaphong Night Market by Tuk Tuk. The night market was like our Singapore Bugis. As it was still early, there were not many tourists. I would like to show my son Solomon the night life of Phaphong. But most of the nightclubs were not ready for business.

We took the barbecue pork from the roadside hawker. It was the sliced dried meat and unlike the satay, the baked meat, we took in Singapore. My son and I prepared to take as many local foods as possible. In order to maintain good digestive health, Solomon took Yakult the fermented milk drink for a week before our departure.

Solomon and I took the roasted pork noodle with crab meat at a shop, but not his mother. After that, we went to A & W Restaurant, so that Solomon's mother could take her dinner. Solomon and I took the root beer and ice cream wafer, which we missed for a long time.

Hamburger	Donuts
Roasted pork noodle with crab meat	Dried noodle
Barbecue hawker	Telephone booths

20.12.2009

The local tour agent provided a boat ride to Chao Phraya river and visit to the Temple of Dawn on the second day morning.

It took about fifteen minutes for us to travel from the Twin Towers Hotel to the terminal. We stopped over at the Temple of Dawn for about forty minutes. After that we continued the boat ride to small canal. There waw no more Floating Marketing but a few boats selling fruits and souvenirs to us.

Those families staying along the river traveled by boats. There were also Floating Bank providing banking service to the local families and the tourists.

While riding through the river, the tourist guide showed us the locations of Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, the former old capital and the present Bangkok. Besides, there were also National Museum of Royal Barges, and Siriraj Hospital.

Bangkok

at 7.00 am

	Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun)

Souvenir booths	"Please contribute for clearing the toilet"
Temple of Dawn	Grand Palace

After the boat ride, we went to the Gems Factory. It was boring and time-wasting for us.

Then, the driver a group of us to the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

Chatuchak Weekend Market is the biggest well-known marketplace, most favorite shopping place both for Thais and foreign tourist. On over estimated 28 acre of this marketplace can accommodate 200,000 people a day. There were about 15,000 stalls in 27 zones with variety products. It opened on Saturday and Sunday.

I visited Chatuchak Weekend Market once in 1996 and remembered it very much. I visited Bangkok a few time after then, but I did not have a chance to visit this market as the trip did not fall on weekend.

Heavy traffic around	Chatuchak Weekend Market
The roof of the stalls	Handicraft stall
The lane in the market	Stalls under the sun
Shopping under the heat	Take a rest under the shelter
Take whenever is ready	Fresh fruit
Thai beef noodle	Fried quail eggs