Thursday, February 11, 2010

Sunsets in Ayutthaya…

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Lopburi is a town known for being over run by monkeys.  And it really is true.  The monkeys are everywhere, even when you are crossing the street – they are just running wild.  We had the chance to visit a monkey temple where you are allowed to feed them sunflower seeds.  They are just so adorable!

 

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This is one of the newborn baby monkeys.  The mom had it’s hand around his little tail the whole time just to make sure he didn’t run away.

 

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This shot is taken at Watt Chai Wattanaram which is in Ayutthaya.  This has been my favourite place to watch the sunset so far. The traditional Thai way to enjoy a Buddhist statue is to place it outside where it can be seen from every angle.  This makes for some beautiful views and great photo opps!

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After a while, Katie and I got “watted out” and we needed a break from the temples.  So we rented a motorbike, and cruised out to a local hot spot and chilled by the lake.  they have all these bamboo huts  where they will also serve you amazing food for really cheap! It takes a while to get used to, as the Thais are conservative in their beach wear.  I have not seen on Thai person wear a bikini and it is not uncommon for them to swim in a t-shirt and even jeans.  Katie and I decided not to rock the boat by keeping our tank tops on!

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Right now we are in Chiang Mai.  I have been trying to get into a 10 day Vipassana meditation and it hasn’t been very easy.  The course in Kachaniburi was full, as was the course in Phitsanulok.  Today I went to a temple at Doi Suthep which sounded really cool on paper, but it just didn’t feel like the right energy for me.  It was really busy with tourist traffic, the dates didn’t match my plan and it was more of a one on one meditation which I wasn’t prepared for.

Anyway, I haven’t given up yet.  Wish me luck!