King Rama IV's Summer Palace

Yes , there are Dunkin Donuts in Singapore!  We were all very happy board our Thai Air flight and get underway!   After arriving in Bangkok (Thailand) late morning, we freshened up at our hotel and then headed straight out for AYUTTHAYA , which was the Summer Palce of King Rama IV.  I was surprised with the eclectic (...my middle school kids reading this blog....look up this word...its a good one!) architecture .  It was a mix of Thai, European and Chinese. I also was surprised at the heat and humidity, which I honestly didn't mind all that much after the arctic-like winter we are experiencing back in Massachusetts.

We took a 40 minute "long boat"  on a wide river to get to the Summer Palace which is situated on an island.  It caught my eye that a few saffron robed monks were crossing the river in a metal contraption that ran over cables across the river.  It looked like it would be fun to ride.

The three interesting things I learned about the Summer Palace:

1.  At one point there were tigers and elephants that roamed throughout the palace gardens (and now they have trees that are groomed into the shapes of animals.

2.  During World War II the Royal Family lived at the Summer Palace in a building that had a Red Cross on the top so that during Allied bombings it would not be targeted since it would seem like a hospital building.

3.  There were "Monitor Lizzards" that were swimming in the ponds and crawling along the grassy banks at the palace.  They were about three feet long and looked like mini alligators.

PHRASE of THE DAY:

mai pen rai  - a phrase that expresses the Thai go-with-the-flow attitude.

Ayutthaya - The Summer Palace 

Monitor Lizard 

Elephant shaped trees (topiary) 

Dunkies has gone global...to the Far East!

Last leg of the journey from Singapore to Thailand!