Sights of Thailand: Nutshell Edition

"And this is Selma dropping off our vacation film to be developed.
Thus concludes our Mexican Odyssey."

So, to keep this from turning into an, endless, Patty-and-Selma like slideshow of vacation photos, I've done the seemingly impossible and picked a handful of my favorite sightseeing pictures from the trip. These are what summed up our time in Thailand, and they may not always be what you expect.

1. Temple Time

We saw three of Bangkok's most famous temples in one whirlwind day: Wat Arun, Wat Phra Kaew in the Grand Palace, and Wat Po, home of the Reclining Buddha.

Wat Arun, as seen from a longboat on the Chao Praya River.

The Reclining Buddha, resting his 145ft-long self.

The temples of the Grand Palace.

The Emerald Buddha in his summer regalia. The King
changes the Buddha's attire to match the seasons: summer, rainy, and cool.

2. Culture Clash

Western culture done Eastern style. Amusing at times, disconcerting at others.

Cap makes his presence known in the Kingdom.

A McDonald's stand in the Skytrain Station.
No, I didn't try the McChicken Porridge.

Ronald giving us the wai. That clown gets around.

My nightly poison: Cuban rum with Scweppes Manao soda.

3. We're not in Kansas anymore...

Just when I thought I had a grip on Thailand, a baby elephant would walk down the street. 

A 2-year old elephant makes the rounds
at the night market at Hua Hin.

Spirit houses were more commonplace than tagging,
though the latter is on the rise.

I made an ass of myself by not realizing the leftmost
icon meant "monks," not "mummies."

Airport employees include "touching up the statues of
demon guardians" to their job descriptions.

Next up in the series: The Tastes of Thailand.