Bangkok

We've had a roaring time in Bangkok, Thailand for the weekend, visiting our friend Lucy. She lives right in town in the perfect location, right around the corner from the Central Chidlom department store, so right in the middle of it all. We visited most of the main tourist sites, including the Grand Palace, Wat Pho - the Reclining Buddha, enjoyed the view from the Moon Bar which is on the rooftop of the Banyan Tree Hotel. We saw the famous Khao San Road, and had afternoon tea at the Author's Lounge in the Mandarin Oriental hotel. We also went up to the Bridge over the River Kwai and stayed overnight in a floatel - a floating jungle hotel called the River Kwai Jungle Rafts. While we were there we learned about the Mon tribal people and enjoyed a tribal show. The Mon people are an ethnic group from Myanmar (Burma), who live mostly in the Southern Thailand / Myanmar border. They were some of the earliest people to live in Southeast Asia and were responsible for the spread of Buddhism in Myanmar and Thailand. We also took a day trip up to Ayutthaya,  one of the old Thai capitals and a UNESCO World Heritage site.