Chinese New Years in Bangkok

Bangkok has a rather large Chinese community so the Lunar New Year is celebrated in many parts of the city. Here are displays at Paragon Shopping Complex welcoming in the Year Of The Horse.

Chinatown is bustling with activity with people making their way to the various shrines and temples to beckon in a healthy and prosperous new year.

A major Wat on the outskirts of Chinatown is Wat Traimit which houses an incredible gold buddha, the largest solid gold buddha in the world.
The 13th century statue is slightly under 10 feet tall weighing five and a half tons. A must see if you ever find yourself venturing near Bangkok's Chinatown.

Food is always a part of any Chinese celebration and here we have ducks and geese hanging out to cool and dry in the late morning sun.

Back in Bangkok and into the fire.

Back in Bangkok after 10 months and right into the middle of anti government protests.
We're staying at our current usual hotel and the streets in front are closed to traffic.
Arriving into Bangkok late at night, our taxi driver dropped us off about a block from the hotel and pointed down a street blocked by barricades, in the general direction of our hotel, and said "danger".
We made our way down the narrow crowded street towards our hotel snaking through what was usually the night market area. Loudspeakers and video screens were set up on the streets with noise blaring from speeches made during the day.

We arrived at our hotel and checked-in unceremoniously.
After the long trip over, we were ready for a good night's rest. Unfortunately the loudspeakers blared into the night. It was probably 2 am when things finally wound down, only to begin all over again at 6 am.
We requested to be relocated on the other side of the building where we would be less effected by the street noise.

We've probably been to Thailand 10 times over the last 15 years and the political situation has had many flare-ups during the last 8 years. Other than the time the international airport was closed, this is the closest we've been to being effected by the protests.
When we arrived, there were 7 encampments of protestors scattered in key locations around the capital city. Unfortunately for us, one of the main camps was just outside our hotel in the Silom/Lumpini Park area.

Thousands of tents are set up at the Lumpini Park encampment. The PDRC's (People's Democratic Reform Committee) planned protests across the capital is meant to pressure the current democratically elected government to step down, which will probably not happen.

So far the military has shown no signs that they want to step in and police forces, as directed by the leaders of the government, have not moved in to clear out the protest camps.

So the ruling party has called for snap elections which the protestors are vowing to boycott and disrupt.
We'll see what happens next.

We begin our Cruise

After five days in Paris, we're over our jet lag and ready to begin our cruise down the Rhone.
Unfortunately, with all the rains, our original itinerary needed to be altered, and not necessarily for the best.
Dijon is out and they've decided to TGV us straight to Lyon where we board our river boat.

Vantage has built a brand new ship, the Vantage Discovery II (the largest cruising the Rhone).

Cabins are nicely decorated and surprisingly roomy.

So we embark on nine days down the river with our group of eight.
Also in our broader group are six Malaysian friends, traveling loosely with us.

Patisseries, a good reason to visit France

We don't usually eat a lot of desserts but with a culture of baking like France has, how can one resist.

All lovely to look at. We need a pastry chef like him in Palm Springs.

And of course there's bread. and really really great bread at that.

Around Paris

Place De Vogues

Lunch with great friends at Ma Bourgogne.

Yummy poached leeks with a light mustard herb sauce and grilled goat cheese.

Steak Tartare is a specialty at Ma Bourgogne. Served with fries, it was perfect.

Loud shirts seem to be the current fashion.

Scents never seem to have gone out of fashion.

Chilling out at our B&B in the Marais. Small but beautifully decorated, and spotless.

A night out with "bad boys".

A day in the Louvre

The Louvre hasn't changed much over the years. Yes a pyramid was added years ago and the old palace has been cleaned and restored over the years but pretty much the same inside.
However, the crowds are massive. Best to go early or late. Mid-day swells to unpleasant proportions.

So we trek through on an abbreviated five hour visit.

Alan's favorite Vermeers.

Your guess is a good as mine.

All in all, a pleasant visit to the Louvre. Especially since it was damp and cold outside most of the day.