espadrilles

espadrilles, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The black one is mine.(Now) And I feel rather taller wearing them about the house. On a worrying note, my ankles and feet are swollen from the flight back this afternoon. Never happen before and it's still swollen many hours later ie now. Varicose veins? Deep venous thrombosis....what IS the real cause? It feels heavy and the sensation is a little less and I feel like I'm wearing tight socks the whole time. ( except it's the skin that's tight) Uncomfortable!

Espadrilles from Barcelona. We found this shop in the Gotihc Quarter ( which is the center of the old Barcelona) which sold many different types. I initially chose a much higher heel but decided at the very last minute to be sensible and choose the slightly lower heel version.

what to wear in church

what to wear in church, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I saw this in Bangkok. Just beside the entrance to Assumption Cathedral. Very sensible. This is basic courtesy I wish we adhered to this more in Malaysia. I've seen some sloppy dressing ....

Bangkok Eye ( By night)

the bangkok eye taken with the s4, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

See! What did I tell you....the eye looks 10 times more impressive by nightfall. There was a rather long line for this so we decided to give it a miss. PLus we were hungry and tired and dying to head back

colorful shoes...anyone????

colorful shoes...anyone????, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

They're shoes for kids. I love the bright colours although I suspect they may not be the most comfortable attire for sweaty feet. Still....decorative and I'm sure babies don't have very sweaty feet.

gelato....it tasted divine!!!

gelato....it tasted divine!!!, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Bang!!! Goes the diet! I gave into temptation and had a huge spoonful of this which tasted exactly like it should. I should have taken THREE scoops:)

The Bangkok eye

seen from the boat, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

This was more impressive during the night. But I'm glad I got this shot from the boat.

Boat ride

boatride to asiatique....bangkok, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

This was the crowd we met on the boat en route to Asiatique market. I loved the experience. And if you look outside, it cures your queasiness immediately. What impressed me was the proper way everyone queued for the ride. No pushing, no jumping the queue. As a result, we didn't feel like it was such a long wait after all.

The gorgeous pool

the gorgeous pool, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I don't like swimming...but this pool was tempting. It faces the Chao Praya which doesn't show up in this view. This was taken before breakfast. I took a quick stroll out from the main building and deviated to the right. As you can see, there wasn't a crowd in the pool. No I didn't take a dip.

Peninsular Bear

Untitled, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I saw this teddy en route to dinner on Day 1 in Bangkok. It's a whopping big Teddy bear. The chair is life size so you can judge for yourself. The following morning, Teddy moved to the other chair. ( Not by himself I hope) I wonder, is the mascot for Peninsular Hotel a teddy bear? Perhaps.

Assumption Cathedral Bangkok

assumption cathedral Bangkok, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I took a boat to Sunday Mass. Now how MANY people can boast of doing this?? The boat ride from Peninsular Hotel to the jetty across took less than 5 minutes. I then walked through a rather dingy jetty onto the road and pass the rather posh Oriental hotel and a sweeper who kindly showed me the right gate to go through. It is surrounded by other buildings and I'd say well hidden from the main road. And there it was in all its glory. Assumption Cathedral Bangkok....which is the principal Roman Catholic Cathedral in Bangkok.

Assumption Cathedral is the work of a French architect and was the brainchild of a french missionary Father Pascal. and it was completed in 1821.( In the reign of King Rama II)  The material used was imported from France and Italy. It was rebuilt in the romanesque style in 1909. The church suffered some damage during World War II and was partly refurbished since.  It is meant to be near the French Embassy( 100 metres)  but I didn't see it while walking to church. ( I must have walked pass it without realising what the building was ) From the outside, it looks like a rectangular structure.  And it has a neat red brick exterior which has stood the test of time. 

It is surrounded by a convent ( The Assumption Convent), The catholic Mission of Bangkok, The assumption Printing Press, the rectory and Assumption college. The schools associated with the cathedral are considered some of the best in Thailand. The cathedral is located in the Bang Rak district of Bangkok.

Just a note on the mass times. When I was there, the first mass of the day on Sunday was at 7:00am and not 6:00am. I had a WHOLE hour to spare before mass at 7:00am.  So I said a whole Rosary and still had time to walk around and take some pictures. 

Assumption Cathedral.

23 Charoen Krung Soi 4

Bangkok

Transport by water

Pretty stable, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We stayed at the Peninsular Bangkok. An absolutely lovely hotel by the Chao Praya. This is the jetty they have which brings you across the river to the other side of town and it cuts travelling time. It's also a great experience travelling by boat. Warning, the jetty is a little bumpy so I got queasy initially but once I was one the boat and we were bumbling along....no more nausea.

From the sky

Untitled, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We flew to Bangkok over the weekend. The infamous jam lived up to its reputation. Payday we were told. That added another 30 minutes to the traffic jam and so in total we took a whopping 2.5 hours from airport to hotel. I nearly finished my storybook en route. This is us in the sky just above Bangkok. It drizzled when we arrive but otherwise the weather was gloriously sunny.