The drive to the West end of Bangkok was slow, as cars, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and huge buses clogged the streets around the Grand Palace and other well known attractions. Just beyond, we stepped out into the marketplace at Tha Chang (a ferry pier) and made our way to a smaller pier which handles private boat rentals. We would be the masters of our own schedule, as we headed up Khlong Bangkok Noi, one of the primary canals heading West into Thonburi. Whether due to heavy boat traffic or other reasons, the waterways were quite choppy today, but we all got into the extra-long longtail boat without injury.<\/p>\n Longtails are named for their propeller shafts, which can reach lengths of several feet. The drivers maneuvers the noisy diesel engine to position the propeller and maneuver the boat around (or through) obstacles in the waterway. We crossed busy Chao Phraya river and motored over to the Royal Barge Museum. I had visited the museum in February 2006, when several barges were being freshened up. Since that time, they have been used in two or three ceremonial processions and \u2014 with the exception of the part of the hull near the waterline \u2014 are in peak condition. We snapped many photos.<\/p>\n After departing the museum, we continued through a “residential” area where the canal was lined with houses built on stilts or behind a concrete seawall. We disembarked at Ban Bu, site of the last workshop making bronze bowls in the traditional manner by hand. The hot fires used to soften the metal for working, and the incessant hammering and grinding make for a challenging workplace. We visited each station and retreated to the adjacent shop to consider whether there was room in our lives (and suitcases) for any of these unique items. I chose a small bowl (or large teacup) with saucer, and a spoon that I need for eating coconuts and other practical applications. On our way back to our boat, we passed the playground of the next generation, World of Warcraft, where perhaps they will make virtual bronze products.<\/p>\n We continued Northeast to Wat Chalor, which is building an unusual new temple to replace its dilapidated historic structure. The design is similar to the royal barges, made of cast cement and raucously decorated. We were free to view and photograph the exterior, but entrance would have required that we make merit by paying for admission, so we simply took in the exterior. A few dogs were alarmed by our presence, but the pig simply dozed right through our visit.<\/p>\n Heading back toward Bangkok, we stopped for lunch at Yok Yor, a restaurant on the banks of the canal. Upon our return, we mingled with the swarm of tourists and locals at the pier. I drank a young coconut to cool down, and wandered aimlessly among the t-shirts and trinkets until it was time to pile back in our vans for the slow ride back to our hotel. We had time before dinner to squeeze in a massage, read, work on photos, or take a nap. Zzzzzzzz.<\/p>\n If it’s Saturday, we must be dining at My Choice, across busy Sukhumvit Avenue. This place was great as usual.<\/p>\n After an early session of email, I worked on some photos from Friday and prepared to meet the day. The group got together in the lobby at 7:15 to stroll the local market and gather treats for breakfast at the noodle shop. These included khanom krok, a pancake-like confection made with coconut milk and ground […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-northern-trip-2008","tag-bangkok","category-4-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":468,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions\/468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Bananas](\"\/ttw\/jfs\/n08\/img\/Bangkok-SukhumvitStreetVendors-BananaSkewers-1545_md.jpg\")
Bananas on skewers, Sukhumvit morning street market<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nRoasted bananas, Sukhumvit morning street market<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nChive cakes, Sukhumvit morning street market<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nFish cake noodes, dry style, on Sukhumvit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div><\/p>\nHouses along the canal, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nDogs on the porch, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nFishing from the porch, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nThe other white house, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nHat vendor pulling alongside to pitch her wares, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nHeating brass to hand-make bowls, Ban Bu, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nHammering brass into shape, Ban Bu, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nGranding brass bowls, Ban Bu, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nFinished hand-made brass cup, Ban Bu, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nNext generation not hand-making brass, Ban Bu, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nWat Chalor boat temple, West of Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\nStuffed squid, Yok Yor, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nShrimp with snow peas, Yok Yor, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nBitter melon curry, Yok Yor, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nCrab, Yok Yor, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nFish, Yok Yor, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\nMassaman curry and roti, My Choice restaurant, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nWinged bean salad, My Choice restaurant, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nSpicy crab dip, My Choice restaurant, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nGrilled eggplant salad, My Choice restaurant, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nSquid, My Choice restaurant, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nDry style Southern curry chicken, My Choice restaurant, Bangkok<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"