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.

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

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.