April 16, 2010 Where shall we go?

We headed off to the Myanmar embassy here in Bangkok in a túk-túk only to find concrete walls with metal spikes at the top, study metal door with a notice and a pad lock. The Embassy was not going to open until Monday so on to plan B.  I had researched hotels the night before in Myanmar along with ones in Cambodia and knew we could book the Cambodian hotels online. The air portion of the trip was something it was best to get help with.  We went to a travel agent over near the Shangria La Hotel who was able to get us flights to Siem Reap  tomorrow and then we will  find out way to Phnom Penh before flying to Chiang Mai on the 23rd. Airfare costs for the 2 of us was a little over $700.  We had to pay 3.5% extra because we used a credit card instead of paying cash. Still saving the cash dollars for Myanmar as we will try again in a few weeks for another trip there.

After setting those arrangements and confirming the area of the Dusit Palace was safe, we headed back towards the water taxis to go there.  We stopped and had lunch at a wonderful place, "Queen of Curry" that was right near the hotel.  One of the other hotel guests said this was an excellent restaraunt and it was so good we went back again for dinner.  The Abhisek Dusit throne room is a one-story building constructed in 1903 and features Victorian-influenced architecture with Moorish porticoes.  The building was restored and reopened by Their Majesties in 1993. The throne hall now displays arts and crafts produced in Thailand under the auspices of the a foundation the Queen has established.

We also toured the Vimanmek Mansion which is still today a place where the royal family still receives visitors.  This area of Dusit Park had many more security guards, cameras etc. and the security guards were also the tour guides once you had taken off your shoes and stowed your handbags, cameras and cell phones. Vimanmek Mansion, "The Palace in the Clouds", is pieced together from golden teak without a single nail & houses an extensive antique collection. It was moved to the current site in 1901  having been orginally built on the island of Ko Sichang. Rama V is responsible for the move and the lay-out of Dusit Park as a result of being the first Thai king to visit Europe - its genteel architecture and formal gardens bear testimony to the influence of his visit. Apart from the King, the palace was for women only. It was the first building in Thailand to have electricty and an indoor bathroom.  the toilet was like the current commode toilets used for those not mobile. The Mansion was renovated by HM Queen Sirikit in the 1980s, and made into a museum paying homage to the late King. You were allowed to take a picture of the Mansion from the outside once the tour was over and you had collected your shoes, handbag, camera and cell phone. 

I had used the hotel room's washing machine with a 50% success rate.... one load came out okay but the second was still sopping wet even after the endless spin cycle.  So it was back to using towels to wring out the clothes.  Hopefully everything will be dry in the morning as we have arranged a taxi for 9am to take us to the airport and damp clothes in a suitcase can get smelly.