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Motor Scooters and More Motor Scooters and More…
Bangkok is a city of conflicting images. There are modern buildings, many of which are designed to mimic other famous skyscrapers (e.g., Empire State Building in NY, Pickle in London), highways clogged with horrible traffic (8 million vehicles for 12 million people); yet many parts of the city are primitive and the stringing of electrical wires into the apartments is so bizarre it is hysterical.
As might be expected in this part of the world, there are many temples and statues of Buddha. Bangkok is home to a famous one that is solid gold and weighs 5 tons.
On our second day in Bangkok we drove farther outside the city to a less cosmopolitan and more scenic (rice fields) area. We saw the very impressive ruins of the old (1300’s-1700’s) capital of Siam, Ayutthaya. We also stopped at the Summer Palace of the royal family (whom, incidentally, we “met" on the way back when we encountered and were delayed by their motorcade). The Palace grounds are beautiful and immaculate, reminiscent of a Disneyland in its cleanliness.
