"Beautiful Thailand!!" a Thailand Travel Page by herzog63

I first went to Thailand in 1984. It mesmorized me from the first hot humid air that I felt when the flight attendants opened the doors at Don Muang! I remember going out past the taxi drivers and hopping onto bus #59 heading to Khao San Road which I had read about in LP's South-East Asia on a Shoestring. There is a Temple a short distance from the airport and when I saw it I was thinking I've got to get off the bus and go check that out! Then after I decided not to get off the bus I thought to myself that I'll have to rememer where it was and come back to it! I did'nt realize that there are hundreds of beautiful Temples like that in Bangkok! I was still a young traveller with only limited travel experience and was kind of paranoid of Asia and all that it had to offer! Like Don't drink the water and watch what you eat! I wondered if the food was safe!! Gosh when I think back to that I laugh at myself!! But I got over all of the paranoid stuff and got addicted to Thailand and Asia! I actually took a while for me to adjust to the food too! But now put me in front of a plate of Thai Food and it will disappear! I have a soft spot for Ayuthaya as I made some very good friends there in 1984 and lost touch with them in 1987 and now have been back to visit them in 2001, 2002, 2003! I still remeber how I felt the first time I laid my eyes on the Grand Palace! I thought I'd fallen asleep and was in some sort of Fairy Tale! I know the picture is low quality but I wanted to post a picture of my First day in Thailand.

This is my first Glimpse of the Grand Palace. I was really in Awe of what I was seeing! I thought it was so cool to see a Huge Palace hidden behind these very tall walls.

I quickly discovered Sanam Luang! (Sanam Luang is a big Park area near the Grand Palace) Which at the time had lot's of people hanging out, walking around, and picnicing in the evenings. And on the weekends had lot's of kite fliers and families enjoying a picnic lunch. It has seemed to have changed because I have been back in 2001, 2002 & 2003 and have gone there in the evening to find it almost deserted. If any local knows why or maybe it is only certain days of the week that people go there. But I know for sure that it used to have hundreds of people there every night. As I would walk there and walk around until a group of people would invite me to sit down with them. We would enjoy small snacks and soft drinks! It was a great way to meet people! And the people seemed so friendly that it never took very long for me to be invited to sit down! I wanted to share that experience with my son but....The people have gone! Maybe they are hanging out at a different park now???? Please let me know. As I hope to be back in March 2003!