October 25th, 2008 We woke at 4:15 am and left at 5 am to get to JFK at 7 am to get on our 9 am flight. It took two hours to get to Detroit. We had lunch and got on our flight to Tokyo which was 13 ½ hours long. Then we had a two ½ hour lay-over and got our flight to Bangkok, Thailand which was another 7 hours long. We arrived in Bangkok and were met by representatives of our tour company, Overseas Adventure Travel, for our 45 min. ride to our hotel. At this point we met one of our travel companions Alice who was traveling alone. It was now 4:30 am Thailand time and one and one half days after we woke up. (we crossed the international date-line) We were met at the hotel by our group leader, Anya, who told us where and when to meet the next morning. October 27, 2008 We met the next morning in the lobby of the Tawana Bangkok Hotel. Here we met our other seven travel companions. One couple traveled with OAT 9 times, another 7 times and a third 4 times!!! After our orientation, we visited a floral market at Pakklong Talad. We then boarded a motorboat to see the sights along the winding waterways. We stopped to visit Wat Arun, the Temple of the Dawn. This brightly and highly ornate temple has pieces of china, sea shells, pieces of dishes, and five colored Thai chinaware known as “benjarong’s”. It showed ancient Chinese soldiers, animals, and flowers. There were 6 pavilions in Chinese style, 4 slender tapering brick towers and steeples everywhere. Anya told us about 6 million people live in Bangkok but there are 10 million during the week and the total population in Thailand is 64 million. Also, there are about 32,000 temples!!! We went back on the river to one of the many canals and stopped at a local home for a cooking demonstration. On this side of the canal (klongs) there are no cars so you need a boat to cross. So the families’ transportation is water taxis, sampan or small boats. There were so many rivers and canals it felt like a very intricate maze. Along the way we saw lush vegetation, small wooden homes, luxurious teak houses on stilts, and ornately decorated Buddhist temples. We also got our first glimpse of a Kimono Dragon along the shore’s bank. We then had our cooking lesson and ate our creation!!! It was delicious!! We noticed that the Thai people do not use knives. The people use spoons or forks to cut their food since most of their food is served already cut in small pieces anyway. We went back on the canal and learned that many of the canals were filled in with dirt to give Bangkok more roads for the ever increasing number and size of cars. Next, we went back to the boat to visit the Royal Barges Museum to see the beautifully ornamented boats used by the King in special processions on the river. The King was crowned at 18 years old and now he is 80 years old. These boats were about 150 feet long with gold leaf art work. Each required 40 to 50 oarsmen. On our way back to our bus, we saw many Long Tail boats which have motors up to 400 hp motor and can go up to 150 mph!!! Rudy wanted one of those!!!! We had some free time before we went to dinner!!! October 28, 2008 Today we decided to have a free day. We both went to the Spa and I got a Thai Massage and Rudy had a foot massage. We also swam in the outdoor pool and had a delicious lunch at the hotel. After lunch we walked down the main street and peeked into the shops and watched the people buying the many offerings of the food vendors. That night we all had dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. It was a relaxing day. October 29th Everyday Anya, our tour guide, gives us a history lesson and/or a language lesson. She tells us about her everyday life in Thailand and about the Thai people. She also buys fruit and other goodies so we are able to taste the flavors of Thailand. Rudy and I enjoy her easy manner and the information she shares with us. We departed Bangkok and stopped (in the rain) at an outside tent where they were making coconut milk. Here again Anya explains the process and lets us taste all the goodies!!! They train monkeys to climb up the tress to twist the coconut off of the branches. Next we went to the Floating Market of Damnern Saduak. Here they sell almost everything and anything to eat and wear!! I bought a coconut handbag. We also visited a Teak Factory where we saw the most beautiful pieces of furniture and carved pictures. We arrived at Kanchanaburi for lunch. This province is a lush green region where the river and the countryside is much like it was during the era of World War II. It is here that the Allied POWs and Asian prisoners were forced to build the infamous World War II railway and bridge over the River Kwai. About 200,000 Asian laborers and 61,000 Allied prisoners of war built this 260-mile stretch of rail, in abominable conditions--- for every half-mile of track laid, 38 POWs perished. The River Kwai Railway is still used today. After lunch we took a walk over the Bridge over the River Kwai just upstream from the original. Then we visited Kanchanaburi’s War Cemetery and the War museum. Then we were on our way to the River Kwai Resotel by bus and then by River Tail Boat. We had dinner and went to our bungalow, which was in a picturesque surrounding, for the night.