Bangkok

[khiemtran]

Back at last, after an exhausting week in The City of Angels, or, to use its full Thai name, Krung thep mahanakhon amorn ratanakosin mahintharayutthaya mahadilok popnoparat ratchathani burirom udomratchanivetmahasathan amornpiman avatarnsathit sakkathattiyavisnukarmprasit. (Krung thep will do for short...)


Normally, this is where I'd declare my undying love for Thailand, but, in truth, Thailand doesn't mean all that much to me. It's Thais that I love. The enjoyment I had on this trip was as much about the friends I made in Wollongong and Sydney before I left as it was about the things I did while I was there. Everything else - the temples, the ruins, the food, the sights - wonderful as they were, were just the icing on the cake.

















I'll post more on some of the sights I saw later, but first I have to go on holiday! I'm driving down to the Surf Coast tomorrow morning with Liem, and I need to get an early night...

Comments

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Krung thep mahanakhon amorn ratanakosin mahintharayutthaya mahadilok popnoparat ratchathani burirom udomratchanivetmahasathan amornpiman avatarnsathit sakkathattiyavisnukarmprasi

I had no idea. What does all of that mean?

Very cool photos. :D

I particularly like the stickers in the (car?) window.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

According to wikitravel, it's "The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of Ayutthaya of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn".

The first stickers were in the window of the taxi I took back to the airport. The second one was in a BTS Skytrain carriage. I'm disappointed I didn't get a clear one of the "Please offer this seat to monks" one. Maybe next time...

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I was going to google it, but I didn't want to miss out on a possible Thai lesson. :P

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

The normal Thai spelling of "Krung Thep" actually has a silent character at the end, meaning something like "etc". The story goes that "Bangkok" was the name of a small settlement on the river before the capital was moved there and the foreigners somehow never caught up with the change.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Krung thep mahanakhon amorn ratanakosin mahintharayutthaya mahadilok popnoparat ratchathani burirom udomratchanivetmahasathan amornpiman avatarnsathit sakkathattiyavisnukarmprasit

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch haz a sad :-(

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

You beat me to it! :)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you could send a postcard from one place to another, just as as long as you wrote small enough.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Back at last, after an exhausting week in The City of Angels

For a moment I thought you were in Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, or as it's generally known, LA.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Having been to both, I much prefer the one in Thailand...

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Why am I not surprised?

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I am intrigued by the taxi sticker. It appears to say: No dogs, no having sex, no firearms and no yaks or Highland cattle.

I'm sure the truth is less exciting. :)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm pretty sure that's what it does mean. Except that the first picture is clearly a water buffalo (or possibly code for BS).