Aug 19 2007

Wat Arun, or Temple of the Dawn as it's also known, is a famous landmark in Bangkok along the shores of the Chao Phraya. This shot was taken on the ferry service across the river. The boatsmen are absolutely amazing here, they can turn a boat on a dime.

Last night was quite nice. I found an Irish Pub, O'Reilly's, in my quest to have a Guinness in every country I visit. I must say, the Guinness in Thailand is fantastic, second on to Ireland and the UK. Outside of the Guinness I also wanted to watch a few football matches and was treated to enjoying the Man U/Man City game with a drunk customs clerk from Dubai who apparently holidays in Bangkok every year (I'll let you figure out why). Enjoyable conversation, though I must admit he had an odd fascination with William "The Refrigerator" Perry as he continuously talked about him, regardless of the subject. I get the impression that outside of Michael Jordan, The Fridge was the second greatest athlete...ever. The second game was Liverpool and Chelsea, I was joined by a delightful family from South London. Really enjoyed the chance to get to know them, and not just because they bought me a few pints (I tried to reciprocate but they wouldn't hear of it). The son worked in the "bush" of Madagascar searching for metals, sounded like an absolutely fascinating career.

Today's plan will be play it by ear. I think it will involve some light sight seeing, lots of photos, and off to bed early so tomorrow I can either hire a car to go up to the old ruins or maybe take a longtail boat through the canals.

Wat Arun
Bangkok, Thailand