The King and Thai...

Ok, this is a bit out of order as I have to write about the days in Hong Kong and Phuket, but it has been really cool being in Bangkok the past couple of days.

The King is celebrating 60 years of reign in the country and is the longest reigning monarch in the world. That said he is here in Bangkok for the celebrations. Yesterday most of the city was shut down and Beth could not understand why things were so quiet. Well, it appears that they close roads so that the motorcades can go through.

They also had a traditional Royal Barge procession which saw 2000 paddlers make their way up the river in the traditional boats.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/13Jun2006_news02.php

That said, I am not sure that I have got a full feel for Bangkok as everything seems to be closed ~ including the travel agent who sold me the ticket to Athens. I am off tonight to Athens via Bahrain. Yes, via Bahrain with a 12 hr stop over. Marc assures me that there is a hotel, but I don't see hotel information so this is going to be interesting to say the least.

Once I get to Athens, I will post entries for Hong Kong and Phuket ~ both were very cool and not what I expected. Anyway, off to shop and see what I can spend my remaining Baht on!