Phuket

Our stop in Phuket was about half way through our trip and almost in the middle, geographically speaking, of all the countries we visited and were going to. It was also for the first time in 2 months we allowed ourselves to slow down and stay in Phuket for 10 days. And the highlight of our stay there was that Anna's mom flew in from Boston and joined us. Now, a little bit about the island. I is the largest island in Thailand, the most developed, touristic and world renown  This made us a bit worried as we usually try to avoid tourist crowds, yet we were pleasantly surprised to find a little piece of heaven there. The picture above looks down on the 2 busiest beaches on the island, which we passed on our way to a more secluded place.

By chance we stumbled upon Ao Sane, a hidden beach with few waterfront bungalows, a rocky shoreline with some great snorkeling.

Overlooking the harbor from our porch. How lucky were we to wake up to this every morning :)

We did a couple of daytrips from Phuket to keep us entertained. First was tour of Phang Nga bay between the island and the continent. The bay is famous for its unique limestone cliffs emerging from the waters.

A quick stop at the infamous James Bond island.

A rock that sheared off from the cliff under its own weight making an exceptionally clean cut.

A lunch stop at a floating village. Literally everything was floating, even the stadium.

Speedboat ride back to the harbor.

Similian islands is an archipelago of 9 islands, a national park open only 6 months out of the year to help preserve the marine life. It is famous for its underwater diversity and coral gardens, making it one of the world's top diving and snorkeling destinations. The first island we visited has an iconic "sailing rock", seen in the background here.

Climbing up to the viewpoint at the sailing rock.

Overlooking the clear harbor with the best water we've seen in our lives. So thankful to have Anna's mom there!

SlavaAnna on the rocks.

This must be diving heaven.

Our visit to Phuket town luckily happened to be on the same day they were celebrating the city anniversary  Little streets were closed to traffic and filled with vendors and street performers.

The little doll is ready to dance.

Some locally produced snacks.

The viewpoint overlooking the bay we were staying in. Slava is admiring the sailing boats, dreaming of his own someday.

It was time to say good bye to Phuket, 10 beautiful days flew by too fast leaving special memories behind.

Kanchanaburi and Around

After the chaos of Bangkok we headed to the peaceful riverside town of Kanchanaburi. Famous for being the basecamp for prisoners of war (POW) building the Burma railway, Kanchanaburi has much nature sightseeing to offer as well. 

We arrived in town and were met by excruciating heat, thankfully Slava was willing to help carry both backpacks.

The most famous site in town is the bridge over the river Quai. It is still an operational railway, although the train is strictly a tourist attraction, taking you to the Hellfire pass and back.

 Peace vessel at the Hellfire Pass museum set on a shaded terrace overlooking the valley. It is a beautiful place to reflect. The museum itself gives a great overview of the history of the death rail. Almost impenetrable terrain was chosen by Japanese military leaders for the construction of 415km of the Thai-Burma railway. The project that lasted for 15 months during WWII employed 60000 Allied POWs and 200000 Asian laborers. By the time the railway was completed it earned its nickname - the Death Railway by taking the  lives of 16000 POWs and 100000 Asian laborers. Overall they built over 14 km just worth of bridges with the most famous one being the bridge over the river Quai.

We took a walk on the remains of the railroad track and were amazed how these people carved pathways in mountain rock with basic tools while being under the most miserable conditions. 

The infamous Hellfire Pass, nicknamed so because the workers were forced to work through the night illuminated by torches which resembled from a distance the fires of hell.

 Our next stop was the multi-level waterfall of Erawan national park. Composed of 7 tiers of turquoise clear water you can hike all the way to the topmost level through the jungle making up for a nice daytrip.

 At about the 5th tier the water collects into a pond with fish. Which unlike any other fish isn't scared of you and would gladly munch on your dead skin. It feels a little bit ticklish.

 

The short visit to Kanchanaburi and around was definitely worthwile as we were left pleasantly surprised with everything that area had to offer, from history to natural beauty.

Bangkok

 It was our second arrival into Bangkok after about 1.5 months of travelling, and this time we intended to stay. One of the grand things to see in the capital is the Grand Palace. For 150 let it served as a home for the king and his court, as well as, the entire administrative seat of the government. Although the king does not live there anymore, the palace remains the seat of the power and spiritual heart of the Thai kingdom. The complex is notoriously famous for a statue of the Emerald Buddha which is considered Thailand's most sacred site, located in Wat Phra Kaew.

 There is a strict dress code to enter the complex and no body parts should be over-exposed. Although we were sure that Anna's scarf would pass the dress code, we had some initial trouble getting past the guard no matter how good we wrapped her. Fortunately there's a shirt rental service on premises which proved extremely useful.

 A statue of Hermit Doctor, the father of Thai herbal medicine greets us right at the entrance into the palace.

 A pair of 6m tall Yaksha demon statues guard the entrance to scare away and  prevent visitors' demons from entering the complex.

 The complex grounds also depicts 3 pagodas of different styles representing changing centers of Buddhist influence, from left to right, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Khmer (Cambodian).

 Demon guardian at the entry to Thai library temple in the foreground. In the background you can see Phra Sawetkudakarn, a temple that was decorated with donated Chinese porcelain.

 Our sweet guide with a picture of the Emerald Buddha dressed in 3 costumes. Only the crowned prince is allowed to touch the Emerald Buddha while changing his costumes and jewelry 3 times a year to mark the change of seasons. The Emerald Buddha itself is only 75cm tall and, sitting on a large stupa far away, you can barely see it. Although it was very special to be in such a spiritual place, we can't say it matched our expectations.

 The dragon railing at the entry into the temple.

 Outside the temple there was a bowl filled with holy water and lotus flowers. One would dip the lotus flower into the water and bless himself.

 Along the perimeter wall of over 1km in length there are murals depicting fragments of the ancient Hindu story, Ramayana, showing the triumph of good over evil.

 Dancing demons holding the roof of a temple.

 And other statues...

 Miniature model of Angkor Wat.

 The actual Grand Palace in the background which still hosts the most important ceremonial events in Thailand.

 Our next stop was Wat Pho, Bangkok's oldest temple known for housing an enormous statue of reclining Buddha.

 Beautifully decorated pagodas with colorful porcelain pieces.

 Model of the entire complex.

 Colorful portal into a small garden.

 Tranquility...

 A statue of Buddha meditating, protected by the 7 headed Naga

 We were allowed to enter and pray with the monks to the statue of golden Buddha.

Passing through the flower market where you can buy many kind of flowers. These particular ones are used in temples and shrines as gifts.

Bangkok was a perfect spot to trim Slava's uneasy hair. You should have seen the surprised look on the face of the owner of the salon while we tried to communicate to her to let Anna do the cutting.

 Thai telecom :) a common sight in south east asia.

 On next day was the celebration of Chinese New Year, which precisely why we arrived to Bangkok, as it's supposed to be one of the best celebrations outside of China. Picture hundreds of people walking the main street, street food, music performances, dragons and costumes.

 Chinese tea flower bud sold by street vendors among a myriad other things.

 Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, a very popular drink.

 Many funny encounters.

 You can find anything at Chinese New Year, even your future ;)

 Steamed dough balls with funny faces.

Chinese lanterns overlooking the crowds.