

I
went to Asia for my vacation in 2003. My first stop was Bangkok,
Thailand. I flew from Los Angeles to Bangkok on Thai Airways
International. They are known for their "Royal Orchid Service."
On board, we were served excellent meals, expensive liquors, and
fine wines. Since the flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok takes
over 19 hours, we had one stop in Narita (Tokyo), Japan so the Boeing
747-400 could refuel. I stayed at the Bangkok
Palace Hotel near the downtown area. I only had a 1 day stopover
in
Thailand so I hired a car from the hotel to take me around Bangkok.
I went past the King's Palace and saw this marble temple above,
where the King prays. The Thai people are proud of their heritage
and their monarchy. The driver kept telling me about "his King."
Bangkok is pretty nice for the third world. There are
Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW dealerships, and the city is pretty clean
over all.