wat phra kaew (the emerald buddha), the grand place, and wat pho (the reclining buddha)

day seven in bangkok was busy from start to finish. it began with a 5 mile run in the rain before breakfast. the our last day of class was held in the morning (while the budget and finance portion of the conference concluded, our students have the project management classes next week). after lunch, salil and i joined most of our students on a group tour of some of the major sites: wat phra kaew, the grand palace, and wat pho. the day ended at the kinaree thai restaurant, where jose, jamshed and i had a late dinner (and then an post-meal mini-adventure).

i didn't get to visit any of these sites during my first trip to bangkok, so i was happy for the group tour. the emerald buddha (made of jade, actually) was overshadowed by the ornate temple that housed him! we had a fantastic guide who walked us (literally) through the incredibly detailed complex. after the emerald buddha and the grand palace, we continued our tour with a visit to the nearby wat pho temple to see the reclining buddha. this was another wonderful complex to explore (beyond the main attraction).

after the tour, i had dinner with jose and jamshed. the kinaree restaurant is a 10 minute walk from our hotel. i've eaten at this thai restaurant on my previous trip to bangkok. this time around we were driven for a little loop - literally - after the meal. the restaurant's credit card machine was down, and we didn't have enough bhat among the three of us to cover the tab. no problem at all - they drove us, via their own tuk-tuk (that classic 3-wheeled chariot), to the nearest atm! the tuk tuk ride was a first for me!


the reclining buddha

here are the rest of my sightseeing photos, via facebook.

bangkok: day six

i had chuvit garden pretty much to myself this morning. not too much company in the rain - not even the cats. i waited until 6:45 to see if it would let up, but no such luck. yesterday it rained during the last 2 miles of the run. today it rained from the minute i left the hotel until i walked back in the door. there was one die hard walker, w/an umbrella, when i got to the park - but she left after my second loop. except for the gardener, it was deserted for the rest of my 16 loops.

i had planned on 22 loops, just over 4 miles, but i called it quits after just 3 miles. still, i was more than happy to have dragged myself outside. the streets were pretty empty - surprising because even at that early hour they can be relatively busy. it's still raining right now, at 8:30, which seems like the longest stretch of bad weather we've had this week. normally the rain doesn't last more than an hour.

yesterday was the last full day of classes. today is a half day, followed by a group tour to the grand palace in the afternoon. hopefully, we'll get some sun for the touristy half of the day :D

bangkok: day five

yesterday, the fourth day of class, was our group picture day. while the course continues for a second week, my teaching duties on budget and finance wrap up saturday. the second week is focused on project management issues.

this morning, following my new routine, i ran at chuvit garden. as usual, the humidity was incredibly high - and it began to drizzle during my second to last mile. altogether i managed a soggy 6.1 miles (4 in the park, and the mile out and back to and from the park).

bangkok: day four

this morning i made my way back to chuvit garden (pictured above) for the 3rd time in 4 days. the one morning i skipped it (and running, for that matter) was weather-related (rain and thunderstorms). i'm at the point where i recognize a handful of regulars - mainly walkers, and 2-4 stray cats. the cats have a pretty nice gig - waiting around for the gardener to bring them some food - roaming the manicured grounds of the garden.

not only do i share the 300 meter loop with walkers and cats, but ethereal new age sounds (i'm hesitant to call it music) is pumped in via speakers! the only downside to this morning running routine is the humidity. today the ground was still wet from the overnight rain, the sky was overcast, and the humidity was stultifying high! but it's still better to be outside :D

yesterday was another full day of classes. i normally lecture in the morning, along with my co-instructors. the afternoon sessions are devoted to group exercises, which the students then present to the full class to wrap up the day. we have a great bunch of students, and the sessions tend to go by quickly! today is fourth day of the five and a half day program that concludes saturday afternoon.

bangkok: day three

i got back to running outside this morning and did just over 6 miles (4 of which were at chuvit garden). i never made it to the treadmill yesterday, not that i tried too hard to find the time for it - just zero desire to battle it again. i thought about dealing with the crowded streets after classes last night, but the weather took care of that decision. a new round of thunderstorms arrived at the end of the day and that weather pattern lasted, on and off, through most of the night.

when i ran this morning, the sky was still overcast and it was pretty humid. as i write this now, about 8:30, the sun has just come out. my classes start in a half hour, so this post will be short.

stay tuned :D

bangkok: day two

yesterday, my second day in bangkok, was my first day of the budget and finance course. aside from the morning run, i spent the rest of the day inside. the course runs from 9 until 5:30 (with a pair of breaks for tea, and lunch in the hotel restaurant). at the end of the day my fellow instructors and i met briefly anx planned out how we would present the material and group exercises for the remainder of the week.

this morning i woke up to the sound of rain outside the window. i passed up the morning run - and will probably squeeze in some miles on the ancient hotel treadmill tonight. after my dismal experience with that machine, it's a prospect i'm not looking forward to :(

but for now, day two of classes awaits :D

bangkok: day one

still hard getting used to the 11 hour time difference. it's monday morning here in bangkok, sunday night back home! i spent a good chunk of yesterday catching up on my sleep - including a mid-afternoon nap. but i did get out on the streets for a walk around sukhumvit neighborhood in the morning. that was on the heels of getting in some tough miles on an ancient treadmill (easily the same one i used 3 years ago when i last stayed at this hotel). i'm going to avoid, at all costs, a return trip to that machine.

last night jose and i took the sky train to siam paragon (pictured above) for dinner. it's hard to believe a shopping mall is a serious tourist destination - even if it includes an aquarium (which we checked out my last time here). after an international dinner (we both started with thai soup, jose went indian and i went japanese, and we had some cuban mojitos to round out the flavors) in a spacious restuarant, we checked out an incredible bookstore, before riding the sky train back to the hotel.

this morning i took my running outside - and got in a decent 5 miles before breakfast. the highlight of that run was finding a small park that had a 300 meter loop track. it's going to be my new morning run destination. right now, however, time to head to class.

greetings from bangkok :D

greetings from bangkok - it's sunday morning here, saturday night back home! that's the view outside my hotel window. after all the airline miles, i arrived here early this morning, well after 1 a.m. local time. except for some quick internet access at the hong kong airport last night while waiting for my connecting flight - was out of touch since 2:55 friday afternoon, when i flew out of jfk. it's good to be settled in, albeit on the other side of the world :D

tomorrow kicks off a week of teaching here, a budget and management course. i'm not sure if i'll get in any outdoor running miles this week, but i will (as in the past) use the hotel tread mill for some pre-breakfast miles. in the it's a small world category - as we drove to the hotel last night traffic in downtown bangkok was pretty backed up because the roads were shut down to make way for the midnight run race! what a welcome to the city :D

stay tuned!