Mall food part 1

We were at MBK shopping center the other day - wow, does that place have a lot of restaurants.  There are pretty much 3 levels of food courts - including western and local chains, and a more local food court (where we ended up eating).  Just to prove how cosmopolitan are the malls around this town, here are some shots of the KFC, the McDonald's, and a Gloria Jeans.  It's just like mall food in the US, except for the sticky rice that comes with your KFC chicken, and the tuna pie at McDonald's (we were tempted, but didn't take the plunge on that one).

(OK, so Sam didn't find the tuna pie very tempting, but I was really leaning towards giving it a whirl - I remember a tuna and corn pizza at Pizza Hut in Taiwan that was delicious)

An economical sign

At first we figured they had simply left a "no" off this sign.  Then we got to thinking - perhaps there is something called "smoking alcohol".  What was it?  Where would we find it?  What would you do with it once you had it?  Smoke it?  Drink it?  Maybe both.  Perhaps it's like a flaming shot that has  been doused, and is still smoldering.

If you find some smoking alcohol, let us know - we're in.

An unlikely sign

I would never have guessed there was a sign like this somewhere. It makes sense that you wouldn't want balloons on the SkyTrain (as they'd get caught in the doors, I guess), but it still struck me as a bit unusual to have a sign dedicated to this particular problem. You wouldn't want tigers on the SkyTrain either, but would you have a sign that says "No Tiger"?

Maybe balloons on the SkyTrain were a big problem before the signs?

(note: this actually might put a cramp in our style, too - Sam's been eyeing up a nice Hello Kitty balloon they sell at a downtown mall, but if we can't bring it on the SkyTrain, then it's not convenient for us to bring back to our place -- guess we'll have to find a more local Hello Kitty balloon vendor!)

More market food pics

Fresh chilies, premade chili sauces, various premade dishes, and a whole lotta pig parts (including some quite tasty parts that you don't find often in the US).  Name that pig part!

The view from Wat Arun

Here's the view from the top of Wat Arun.  It's worth the climb!

In the first picture of the view across the Chao Phraya river, on the right you can see Wat Pho, and on the left you can see Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace.  The second picture you see the Wat Pho complex (the big building houses the huge reclining Buddha statue) on the left, and some of downtown Bangkok on the right.  The third picture is of some other buildings in the Wat Arun complex.

Wat Arun

New Year's weekend we also went to Wat Arun, across the Chao Phraya river from Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew.  Wat Arun has a tall tower (prang) which you can climb that is very steep, but affords great views once you get to the top.

Here, you can see the main tower, and the climb to its top.  The key when climbing Wat Arun - go slow!

Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace

Over the long New Year's weekend (five days of paid holiday) we went to go see Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace.  Wat Phra Kaew is one of the central temples of Thai Buddhism, and is very ornate and elegant.  Attached is the Grand Palace, the former royal residence.  It's a very interesting place to visit, although the pictures don't really do justice to its colors and forms.