Back to Bangkok and on to Melbourne

In Ayutthaya we visited the Bang Pa In Royal Palace, also know as, The Summer Palace.  This palace is open to the public with the exception of a few buildings reserved for state functions.  The grounds are quite extensive and well manicured.  What makes this site unusual is that most of the buildings date back to the mid-19th Century.  Older structures dating back as far as 1632 were allowed to decay as the palace fell out of favor with subsequent kings.  A canal leads from the Summer Palace all the way to Bangkok and the royal family and courtiers could travel by water to the palace in its early days when it was surrounded by jungle.  Another unexpected structure was a lookout tower which resembled a light house.  Unique to Thailand was a Buddhist temple built in the style of a 19th Century Christian church with steeple and bell tower.  The king at the time had it built to provide an opportunity for those who had never traveled outside of Asia to see Western church architecture.

Aisawan Dhiphya-Asana Pavilion - Summer Palace Grounds

Observation Tower - Summer Palace

Our last stop before arriving at our hotel in Bangkok was a stop to observe how gems are turned into jewelry and other precious objects.  Thailand is known as the gem capital of the world as it is a center of trade in precious stones.  Thailand produces the finest rubies and sapphires.  We watched a short video on gem mining in Thailand and the processing of these stones and turning them into jewelry.  After the video, we observed craftsmen working in the various stages of cutting and polishing gems, as well as, working with precious metals to produce the finished products some of which are for sale in the adjacent showroom.  Thousands of square feet of floor space with millions of dollars worth of jewelry were so overwhelming that resisting making a purchase was beyond what we could endure (particularly at the very attractive prices - wholesale with a discount and tax rebate).  Carla was able to find a ring with her birthstone which she received as a birthday present.  Then there was another ring that caught her eye while the salesman was processing the first purchase.  The topaz ring became her souvenir from Thailand.  She also found a nice set of earrings in black sapphire.  We will be visiting the VAT refund window at the airport to recover the taxes paid with these purchases.

Women Cutting and Polishing Gems

Working With Precious Metals and Gems

We arrived at our hotel in time to store our bags and head off to the Siam Restaurant for a late lunch.  We had a wonderful meal for about 400 Baht ($13 total, not per person).  It was hot and humid.  So, we spent some time in the hotel pool after lunch.  Then, it was nap time before checking out at 7:30 p.m. to catch our 11:30 flight to Melbourne.  The 45 minute cab ride cost us 800 Baht which we rounded up to 1,000 Baht leaving the extra 200 Baht as a tip.  The cab drive was stunned and very grateful for this significant to him gratuity.  Checking our baggage, collecting our tax refund, clearing security took quite a bit of time.  We were more than happy to get to the airport lounge for drinks and snacks.  Dwayne was particularly pleased as they had Jim Beam on the shelf.  It was the first American whisky he had since the start of the trip.  The cream of chicken soup was also notable.  We knew Thai Air would be serving rice or noodles on the plane.  It was good to get some Western food prior to our flight.