Friday, February 10, 2006

**I Walked...**

...where legendary kings and queens of Thailand walked hundreds of years ago! The grounds where the war against the Burmese invaders was fought...I was there!

My class organized a field trip to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, The National Museum, and the Ancient City of Ayutthaya.

Truly magnificent: The gleaming golden walls ornamented with statuettes of animal-like demons and shiny glass cuttings; the high red or plum ceilings, from which small and sparkly glass chandeliers hang, hand-painted with gold flower motifs; the faded murals telling the story of the life of Buddha; the sea-green pools with bright fuscia lotus flowers; the detailed golden swirly, vine-and-leaf-like patterns painted on tall, black wooden doors: the high-rise stupas with steep stairs rising up to the middle; the eroded stone statues of Buddha in the lotus position; the golden bell-like dome glimmering in the sunlight...

(I could go on, but it'll take too much time and too much space. Besides, my descriptions aren't even close to the real thing.)

The experience, I felt, was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Just stepping foot on the palace grounds makes you feel good. The ruins in Ayutthaya made me wish I could travel back through time and witness the war.

I'll never forget this experience. I hope.

Too bad I have no camera :(

send comments to lyndellen@hotmail.com

?dael had a question at 2:18 PM