There will only be four more people joining our group, not eight, as scheduled. There have been many cancelations, which our guide attributes to news reports of the demonstrations here. We haven't seen anything, and our guide assures us that even if they escalate (as the opposition to the government is calling for tomorrow) they will still be isolated and easy for us to avoid. The news we've seen is all about the trouble in the Ukraine, not about anything here. So if people are canceling their trip because of this, they are missing out. Anyway, a group of 11 is better for us than a group of 15 or 16.
The four new group members are a couple from Madison, Wisc. (retired university professor and high school guidance counselor), and two women, one from Florida (retired teacher) and another from California (retired from something unspecified). All are somewhat older than the pre-trip group, perhaps with a little less vigor (or maybe it's just fresh jet lag), but all have traveled extensively.
After our orientation meeting we visited the 18th century Royal Palace. This large complex is ornate beyond belief, making the palace in Mandalay and Beijing's Forbidden City both pale in comparison. The "Emerald Buddha" (which is really green jade) is housed here. Although Thailand's royal family no longer resides here, it is still used for formal state functions, so half of it is off limits. Even so, what we saw was nearly overwhelming. I could have shot a thousand photos and not begun to capture it.
Lunch was traditional pad thai, very mild, but there were plenty of spices on the table to add as desired. It wasn't clear if it was served this way for us as tourists, or if that's the way it actually is here. We suspect the former, but it was still quite good.
We walked directly from the restaurant to a boat dock to take public transportation -- a very crowded river boat that moves pretty fast, alternating stops on opposite sides of the river. The driver comes into the dock fast, a guy jumps over to the dock and secures a line then blows a whistle, the boat driver guns reverse, causing the boat to slam into the dock. Then about a hundred people swarm off, while another hundred or so stream on in a mad scramble. In less than 30 seconds the line is cast off, the deck hand leaps back on board and gives a whistle, and the driver hits the throttle. God help you if you aren't hanging on! Then a girl with a coin can pushes through the crowd to collect fares. This is part of the official transit system, with docks coordinated with metro stations and bus stops.
At our stop we were met by two passenger vans from a "gem factory." They brought us back to their base where we were ushered into a room to watch a movie about Thai ruby and blue sapphire mining which, of course, produces "the highest quality gems in the world." After the short film we had a live person give us a sales pitch, then about a dozen hosts and hostesses met us at the door to show us the workshop -- no photos and "NO VDO" (vee-dee-oh, video) allowed, according to the posted signs! The host was happy to whisk us through the workshop quickly, and into the showroom, where there are no prices on anything. We figure the price quoted would depend on how prosperous they thought you might be. One fellow in our group asked about a men's ruby ring and was quoted a price of $17,500, but he dresses better than we do. Mary and I disappointed our hostess by limiting our "shopping" to laughing at some of the gaudier pieces. The up side is that there were free drinks in the lounge area after leaving the showroom, so I got a small glass of cheap beer for my time.
Our regular coach was waiting for us in the parking lot when we exited the gem store, and we were returned to the hotel for a bit of rest before our evening "welcome dinner." The dinner was held at a restaurant virtually across the street from the hotel, and it was good enough, but Americanized food. Two of the newcomers opted out due to jet lag, and one of the Seattle group was feeling ill, so we were a somewhat smaller group.
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