Jurassic park

The unexpected cooler weather, (of around 19C) during the height of Bangkok's summer seems to be drawing to a close. But it did beg to be experienced by a walk in the park, encountering as we always do, one of its many resident water lizards, which are as long as a metre and a half.

The blossom on the trees provides a riotous canopy for those jogging.

The shorter frangipani trees send an enticing scent as you drift past them, or stop on one of the boulders to drink it in more deeply. 

As it's my birthday today, I thought I had better check out the Elderly Centre, above, so that I can become more familiar with my Jurassic neighbours.

Other residents were showing me that I could be agile, in this display of extreme yoga, which is more ambitious than the sessions I have every week at our gym in the condo.

The verdant lawns and the connection to nature seemed to me to be an enjoyable way to spend this annual milestone. Happily the clock seems to have stopped at 12.15, (it was about 4.30 pm). Maybe time will stand still from now on, and I shall become ageless.

Quite possibly not. Which is probably just as well, as the dusk now, is reminding me of the bottle of Veuve Clicquot I put in the fridge earlier today, and that something really needs to be done about it.

A walk in the park

The cooler winter weather in Bangkok allows for a more pleasant usage of the green lung that is Lumpinee Park, a fifteen minute stroll from our condominium. The 142 acre space was created in the 1920s by by King Rama VI on royal property. A statue of the king stands at the southwestern entrance to the park. It was named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal, and at the time of its creation stood on the outskirts of the city.

The park is a mixture of open spaces, lakes and pavilions, such as this Chinese one in white marble.

Clusters of skyscrapers, such as these, which include our residence, overlook a welcome area of greenery, in an otherwise concrete jungle. The spring blossom has left a pretty trail amongst the dark bark of an avenue of trees.

Wat perspective

Wat Suwannaram in Bangkok is in the style of the Ayuttayah period (1361-1767), but has been restored twice, during the reign of Rama I (1782-1809), and again during the reign of Rama v (1853-1910).

On the inside walls is one of the finest remaining collections of Thai classic style murals. When looking at these murals one should understand the following about Thai Mural Style and Characteristics.

Thai murals have the following characteristics. They contain many small, almost tiny individual scenes, landscapes and figures in contrast to the large wall space on which they are painted. The objects are stylized throughout Thailand and are two dimensional in form, that is there is no perspective of dimension as in European painting. There are also continuous and flowing sets of panoramas of places, palaces, towns, events and country landscapes with real and mythical people or creatures.

However all panoramas whether painted above the head of the viewer, at the same level or nearer the floor, all are painted from a perspective that the viewer is high above, as if in the sky looking down or from a distance.

The episodes of religious and every day life are reflections from different times but are depicted simultaneously separated by landscape or architecture like a zig zag design. The characters are stylized such that the celestial and or noble beings are always portrayed serene whilst those from the common folk are portrayed in ungainly or realistic or comic postures or movements.
After the mid C19th Western influences introduced the concept of the use of perspective and shading to give the illusion of depth.

Wat Suwannaram translates as Golden Monastery, but strangely in a land where the use of gold is rarely spared, there does not appear to be much over use of it here.

From Thailand's World.

Puang Malai

These garlands are sold in many places on the streets of Bangkok, and are usually placed on images of the Buddha. This particular group of vendors sells much more elaborate puang malai, opposite the Sri Mariamman Temple (Indian, Hindu temple), below, which was built in the 1860s by Tamil immigrants.

It is an unusual site to come across this very colourful edifice, after seeing so many wats - Buddhist temples - but underlines the tolerance for all religions in this predominantly Buddhist country.

Seeing red

Ch'ou - the Year of the Ox. Kung Hei Fat Choy! Here's to health and prosperity, the latter somewhat in doubt given the world's economic woes. But we can hope!

A cat contemplates the fate of the rat

All over the world in Chinese communities, including here in Bangkok, preparations are under way for the upcoming new year. These images are from Chinatown in Bangkok - the Yaowarat district.

A river runs through it

Well, a klong (canal), and it no longer runs as mentioned here. This is Bangkok traffic at a good time. Really. The top picture is towards the Chao Phyra River, the lower looking west, towards the "lung", Lumpini Park, both on Sathorn Road. These are some images I took on my traverse today, which will form part of the opinions I am seeking on a major renovation of the condominium we call home. Well, some call it the "palace". I've hardly any idea why.

The other Venice

Bangkok used to be referred to as "the Venice of the East" because of its canals, or "klongs", most of which are now sealed. The first three images are of the Royal Barge Procession which marked the 60th Anniversary of the Accession of the King of Thailand in 2006, and which on this and other occasions, takes place on the appropriately named "River of Kings", the Chao Phyra river, upon which the city was founded in 1782 by the first monarch of the existing Chakri dynasty, when the capital of Siam moved from neighbouring Thonburi, and prior to that from Ayutthaya.

With my recent references to Venice, I thought it might be interesting to share a comparison, which is more easily discernable in the Canaletto "A regatta on the Grand Canal" c.1733-4, from the Royal Collection (of Queen Elizabeth II), which includes 50 paintings and 150 drawings by Canaletto, purchased by George III in 1762, from the British merchant banker and later consul, Joseph Smith.

Columns

The Tuscan, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, plus the Composite, (immediately above) are neatly and consisely laid out in this architectural drawing.

In Thailand there is a Thai neo-classical column, which is used in a number of the Grand Palace buildings, and the Grand Hyatt hotel (top), as depicted in the photographs; next door to the Grand Hyatt is a shopping mall on the left (third picture), which uses Ionic columns in its design, so there's an interesting contrast of the two, for any aficionado of this architectural design element. It's interesting to note that the Thai neo-classical has unopened lotus flowers, which is an entirely appropriate twist.