My Thailand in Pictures & Poetry (2004)

(With apologies for my very amateur Haiku -  my maiden attempt! Dare I even call it Haiku? Unrhymed, 17 syllables - 5, 7, 5 right? Maybe Haiku in the form/structure, but the concept? Again, my apologies especially to Basho, Buson and Issa!)

This time we greet you
Sawadika from Thailand
Land of smiles aplenty

Bangkok fair, we come
Tis charming to see beauty
Your people so warm

M, B & ethnic ladies from the mountains hawking in the city (CNB 2004)

The Palace is Grand
A must-see sight by evry (sic) one
Bangkok's most famed place

Three happy imitators (AB 2004)

Gold, gold everywhere (Our Guide 2004)

The rain it pours down
Drenching us and some students
Despite it we smile

A, M and me with some college students (BB 2004)

Here sir, let me help
Smoothen your uniform right
Do your thing, guard well

Changing of the Palace Guards (CNB 2004)

We make a quick stop
At Bangkok Gems Gallery
Real gems being people

A, B & Gems Gallery salesgirls (CNB 2004)

The Bangkok sky train
Takes us places we want to
Seek Thai courtesy

M, A & B while we await our sky train. Smile, father! (CNB 2004)

The Tuk tuk we ride
Flys through the Bangkok traffic
The driver gleeful

While A, B & M enjoyed the ride, I was petrified! The driver
thought he was in F1, I think (CNB 2004)

Lo Ayutthaya
Steeped in history and beauty
The old capital

In Ayutthaya
Bang Pa In Summer Palace
Beckons visitors

At the Summer Palace's formal gardens , its like being
 in Europe (Our Guide 2004)

Elephant family
In nice green topiary
With B, A and M

In the gardens of the Summer Palace (CNB 2004)

Posing by the 'Sages Outlook' tower (Our Guide 2004)

Reclining Buddha
Swathed in yellow, oh so bright
Tourists pose around

A, B, M & Reclining Buddha at Ayutthaya (CNB 2004)

B, A & Bodhisattvas as far as the eye can see (CNB 2004)

The Buddha and M (CNB 2004)

You must never pose
Higher than the Buddha's head
Out of reverence

M poses with the most photographed Buddha head in Thailand
(CNB 2004)

On headless Buddha
You never superimpose
Your own head ever

A by the headless Buddhas. We saw a French tourist superimpose
her head on one body for a photo, & got strongly rebuked by both
guards and the locals. Silly tourist! (CNB 2004)

We then come across
The rare 'moon and star' hawker
So some fruits we buy

A poses with the 'moon & star' hawker (CNB 2004)

Damnoen Saduak
Floating Market here we come
Busy and bustling

Floating tourists! (CNB 2004)

We spot a vendor
She has durians on offer
Which M promptly buys!

The lone vendor & fruits galore (CNB 2004)

The floating market
So many photos to take
For rememberance

Anything and everything is available at the market that comes
 to you (CNB 2004)

No problem if you are higher up, a pole picks
up your money and delivers you your ware (CNB 2004)

B, A, buy pencils
From this boy oh so charming
He knows how to trade

B, A & a little trader in pencils (CNB 2004)

The Rose Garden has
Ceremonies rural, Thai
Elephants the stars

In the Rose Garden
The elephants show the way
To a joyful ride

A & B have ago atop an elephant (CNB 2004)

Baby, the star at the Rose Garden (CNB 2004)

August 2004