Bangkok Day II

Day II in Bangkok, my sister and I were up and ready to go early. We hired a car to take us to the Dumnoen Saduak floating markets outside of Bangkok. We knew ahead of time that these markets cater to tourists but we also heard that it was a must see. I definitely wanted to check it out since I remember my mother telling me about bartering on the river by boat for goods when she lived there some 34 years ago. I wanted to see it firsthand even if tourism had made its changes to its authenticity. When we arrived we hired a boat to take us to the center of all the action. The market consists of numerous channels that dump into each other. On the way to the center you can see wooden walkways on each side of the river and people’s huts that they live in. The terrain in this area is lush and green. When you enter the center you have shop fronts on each side of the river selling souvenirs while the people in the boats are selling mostly food and drink items. Soon we were surrounded by boats offering numerous things for sale. I started with a fresh coconut to drink. I eventually bought spring rolls, peeled grapefruit, candied bananas, and I even landed myself a beer. Each boat that passed you by offered something different to try. I enjoyed trying everything that looked interesting which was made possible by the small portions. After finishing the markets my sister and I headed back to Bangkok and walked around the city until we were easily persuaded to experience Thai massage. Believe me that it didn’t take much persuasion to get us to agree to have a go at it. I love massages and you can’t beat it with an hour and a half massage costing somewhere between 12-15 dollars. From that point on we were hooked and pretty much had a Thai massage every chance we could. We finished our day by having an early evening to get ready to catch our flight to the north the next morning. Experiencing the floating market earlier that day was a lot of fun and if given the chance I would definitely do it again.   

On the way to the market center

Dumnoen Saduak floating market

Spring Rolls

My sister and I

Trying the local grapefruit

Thai woman selling coconuts and onions

Mangosteen…I wish I could find these in the states

How excited am I to have fried rice again?

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com

 

Brisbane, Australia

I would have to say that my favorite part of visiting Australia would be my stop in Brisbane. I am a huge animal lover and from a young age I spent my time surrounded by them. When I was a kid I grew up with 30 rabbits, 7 chickens, 2 ducks, 2 turtles, 2 dogs, guinea pigs, a cat, a cockatiel, and sometimes I would catch a wild dove that I would spend time taming. I also spent time on my grandparents farm in Missouri in which we had cows, chickens, goats, and dogs. I enjoyed having numerous animals as pets but I also was fascinated with wild ones too. I could get lost in a zoo a million times and still not tire of it. I have never experienced a hands-on zoo before like they had in Brisbane though. I was so excited to visit the Koala sanctuary in Brisbane and if you get a chance I recommend it to everyone. At the sanctuary, they have a huge enclosed area a little smaller than a football field full of kangaroos and wallabies. They give you a bag of food and let you loose to walk around and feed them. The wallabies were more on the shy side and would hop away when you approached them but I was surprised at how docile and friendly the kangaroos were. While at the sanctuary I also got to hold a koala and pet a dingo. It was my coolest zoo experience to date and if I ever return I am sure to visit again. I know that an animal sanctuary does not make a city and it is not all that Brisbane has to offer but it had such a affect on me that this is what stands out in my experience of traveling there. I wish they had more places like these for I would be sure to be first in line to visit. 

Holding a Koala

Interesting eyes

I was still nervous here…

…but I came around

…and thought it was the coolest thing ever!

Shy wallabies

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com

 

Chateau de Versailles

I had a day off while in Paris last month and I was excited to finally make my way to see the Chateau de Versailles. The chateau is actually a palace located 30 minutes outside Paris city center that King Louis XIV moved the court to in May of 1682. He made Versailles his home and what a lovely home it is. I love to read period based books and quite a few have revolved around Versailles so it was interesting for me to see the palace firsthand. It was decadent. I have seen numerous palaces around the world but most of them have lost a lot of what made them so grand in the first place. A good imagination is usually needed to see what a palace once was. Versailles definitely was shinier and grander in its heyday but all the pieces to the puzzle still stand and leave you in awe. I was blown away by the paintings on the ceilings. Not only were they in excellent condition, but they were also almost in every room you walked into. I spent more time looking at the ceilings than anything else. Couple this with marble pillars, intricate crown moldings, numerous statues, wall sized paintings, extensive gold leaf, carved doors, rich tapestries and brocades, magnificent chandeliers, etc…Versailles was just beautiful. It was all that I thought it would be and much more. The gardens too are extensive and magnificent. From the back of the palace they extend as far as the eye can see with lakes, forests, and ornamental gardens. I only had six hours to tour Versailles  which definitely was not enough time. You could easily spend a couple of days taking in the palace and all the grounds. I would like to go back one day with a partner and rent a boat to row in the lakes. It would be a perfect day with a packed lunch and a bottle of wine. 

Inside the Chapel

Up-close of painting in chapel’s dome

Up-close of chapel’s ceiling painting

Ceiling Painting

“The Hall of Mirrors”- The right side is a row of windows facing the gardens and the left side is a row of mirrors in which you see the reflection of the garden

The King’s bed chamber

The Queen’s bed chamber

View of the grounds at Versailles

Chateau de Versailles

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com

 

 

 

 

New Delhi

I arrived in New Delhi in March of 2007. India was not necessarily a place I had always wanted to go to. I wanted to go somewhere and the opportunity came along to join a friend on a trip to India and I took it. After a very long flight I arrived and soon wondered where I was. At the time, India was unlike any place that I had traveled to. The stimulation was immediate from the brightness of color in the women’s garments, the difference in the architecture, the sound of prayer, the constant honking of horns in the streets, the common sight of wandering cows and monkeys, the smell of new foods, incense, and cow dung, and the experience of really tasting Indian food for the first time for every meal. It has been the most different place I have been to so far and I believe the one trip I was the most unprepared for. I am not sure how I could of prepared myself really for half the experience was the shock of a whole new world. I believe you can look at photos of a place and think you understand the differences but one of the greatest things about travel in my opinion is that you realize you could of never understood these differences until you have experienced them firsthand. I had a great tour guide named Anil who took us on a tour of New Delhi. I went to the Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, and the Jama Masjid Mosque. My favorite would be the mosque. It was nice to go in and watch the people praying. There is something about people in prayer that is comforting. The religion does not matter because it is always interesting for me to watch. 

The Red Fort

At the Red Fort

I love this type of architecture

Walking in the streets of New Delhi

People praying at the Jama Masjid Mosque

In front of Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com