Bridge Over the River Kwai

Remember the movie?
Cue up tension, the river is low, the Japanese sentry is shouting at the Colonel; he is about to get shot.

I figure this is about where Alec Guinness as the English Colonel finally comes to his senses the morning that THE Bridge over the River Kwai is supposed to blow up and indeed falls onto the plunger himself and saves the day and the Japanese troop train plunges into the river as the bridge blows.  Wow, what an ending,.  I bet Stephen Spielberg has seen it a bunch of times.

What a movie, won a boat load of awards in 1958 — looked it up. Number one money maker too.  Re-released in 64.  Probably saw it both times being 10 and the first time with Mom and Dad.

and what a catchy title song tune too.

Oh, Fact Check — sorry about this — above is the actual bridge the Japanese rebuilt after the American Army Air Corps bombed the first one.  I looked that up too.  The original one was also steel and concrete too.  The movie took some liberties.  I know, please do not tell GWB.

On a very hot and sunny day Patt and I took a tour west of Bangkok to Kanchanaburi where one of the more infamous Japanese Prisoner of War Camps was located.  The site of and the actual famous Bridge Over the River Kwai

It was an all day trip, took a boat ride on one of those fan tail, long motor boats, like the one below.

We boated up river past a housing development and a guy who I would bet is in the cable redistribution business.

Looking up river into the mountains toward Burma, now known as Myanmar. 

and coming back toward the bridge. 

Later we took a train ride west toward another rather famous bridge and prison location where the POWs built a trestle along a cliff face beside the river almost at the border with Burma near a town called Takilien.

The train was an old hard seat style, open windows, open doors between cars.  Not so fancy and just for us tourists.

Through farming country and along the river.

 and close to the mountain side— real close to the mountain side.

and supported by trestles for quite a distance.  It was a major engineering feat.

There was also a museum and a very large cemetery with over 7,000 relocated graves of Dutch, English, Indian,  Australian and other Commonwealth soldiers who died as POWs constructing the railroad and bridges.

Water Park in the Second Largest Building in the World

On the last full day we spent with Laura, Matt and the kids, we did it up right at a water park playing hard.  We had spent the previous night at the hotel in the same building so after breakfast we were one of the first into the park!  

All sorts of pools and features. And I think we were in them - or some of us - in almost all of them.

There were waterfall pools for little kids that were great fun complete with warm water too (but not that warm).

John Paul and I had a great time going and coming under this particular water fall with him saying "squeeze you like a bug".  I loved it and would only stop when he would.

The lazy river was a big hit.  Patt and I heard them coming round the bend from within the tunnel.

And this was one of the "little kid?" entertainment pools too.  Yes indeedee.  Took some doings to get the littler ones to go through here and they were never quite sold on it.  Julianna and Lydia, however, loved it.  They actually told me they thought it was a little tame as we went down some of the slides and regretted that the tallest was not open.

Pools were of all temperatures and it was good to have warm pools to go back too.  Luke and Isaac especially liked to go back to warm pools.

Julianna, Lydia and I went into the ultra large wave pool, and Julianna took us out so far that the life guards waved us back.  There was just so much to do and so many pools, slides, and fun things to do Even a big boy slide or two that Matt and I did.

We had a great day and it was a fun way to end a wonder full time with our grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law.

AKA- the World's Second Largest Building

now we are in day three of Bangkok 

Being with Laura, Matt and family was beyond wonderful. Have had a great time!! We will miss the family and being there so very much.

Next time you are feeling like showing someone from Asia a shopping center in the USA thinking they may be impressed, stop, they will not be impressed.  They will feel sorry for you having such a small little strip mall.  

For our last weekend here visiting with Matt, Laura and the grandkids we went to a nearby hotel, entertainment shopping center complex, for some reason assumed to be THE SECOND LARGEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD. How that is computed, calculated, claimed, I have no idea. Seems logical enough to me. Other shopping centers are also large, fancy, well appointed and full of high end shops.  This place does large well.  

This is the view off our hotel deck.  The right hand view was longer but partially blocked by stadium seating and water park features. Below is hotel pool complex and a partial selection of "outdoor" eating options. 

One of the lobbies in the shopping complex just off the atrium.  Just one of many similar yet different.

Part of water park area, with wave pool and part of a Dallas Cowboy size screen that, starting at noon, had running video and music — occasionally LOUD.

Another lobby or atrium, I forget 

Note sky bridge of plexiglass crossing the lobby area — yeah it is very cool 

Luke explaining something to Grandmama, as he often did.  And with volume and enthusiasm.

Lydia, Patt, and Isaac, enjoyed walking on air or the sky bridge in the lobby while Julianna and I were tight rope walking.

 and the view below from the sky bridge in the lobby 

We played in the hotel complex of six pools on the first day and with a late 5 PM check out on the second day, we went to the water park.

We also had early check in and beat the crowds by a lot the first day but by late afternoon, we are talking crowded. VERY Crowded. We had friends and neighbors.

The gang of us  — We had a grand time. 

There is more than one copy of this photo, as we were getting someone to take this photo, as is won't to happen several other people took the opportunity to photograph us.  We do look good, I think.

I will try to get some of the water park photos on a later blog this one has been late enough getting to press as finding an internet connection for my computer once again was a challenge.  I think fixed now though.

We had one wonderful time at the Worlds Second Largest Building.  Such fun.  The kids and the parents and grandparents played and played.  It was awesome.

and we sure do miss those kids to the north of us.

A Star is born — The Pre - School Play or the whole enchilada

The crowd has assembled. The curtains are drawn — or rather —the play area of Isaac, John Paul, and Luke's school yard is about as crowded  as it is going to get. It was a full house, more than a full house, it was SRO. Laura and I were in the later group but given that the seats were of the pre-school size, I prefer to stand, even for protracted periods of time. This was one of those.

It was Isaac's play and the plays for about 16 to 18 other classes at his school. You will have to pretend that Isaac is one of those kids on stage as I do not have a photo of Isaac on stage, I was videoing his moments on stage so this will have to do. BTW, Luke's classroom is on the left, John Paul's behind the stage and Isaac's upstairs to the right.

Find Isaac? Try front and center but not very front. Hint he has blond hair and is looking at the camera. Still can't find him, try to the left of the girl in pink — the one standing with her back turned to the camera.

At least his outfit was not the unfortunate duck hat yellow spring something. Isaac's class play was about butterflies, flowers and rain. Isaac and 8 other  boys fortunately got to play rain. Did rather well too considering it was a supporting role, being rain and all. At least it wasn't a flower or yellow duck.

Lining up preparing to rotate towards stage prep. Isaac got a pep talk from Mom. I got the line up routine down pretty well from watching the show and being somewhat type A personality and wondering how all this was going to happen. Three minutes 40 seconds was a short time on stage — up to five!  Count em —

Actually I had a good time, I enjoy people and culture watching and being with Laura and the grandchildren and seeing what their life is like.  

Got home and the video I took on Laura's iPhone was quickly studied by veterans of school plays, dances, themed shows and such. Loved the intensity of the review. Older sisters are well schooled veterans of these shindigs and know the routine well having participated in a large number of them.   Isaac is studying his pencil box prize for staying the entire time at the event.

And the next morning the little boys (who missed the first video review due to early bedtime) and Isaac enjoyed a another review of the pictures of the event on my iPhone, this time with commentary from Isaac. Patt was supposed to be the beneficiary of the commentary- next time.

Patt and I and a few friends and neighbors

Back in the day, in traffic jams on the Belt-line or Glenwood or anywhere else in town, the kids would often remark well we have a few friends and neighbors out with us today. Well, Patt and I went into downtown today via the subway and yes a few of our nearest and dearest were along too.

got our subway ticket and heading toward line 1 and a place I could not pronounce but Patt had memorized.

boarding (allotted time measured in seconds)

seven stops and on board is fancy - electronic progress board, and even had announcements in English too

Went to a touristy part of town that was reconstructed old timey village replete with a few original old houses and old stuff and some very fancy stuff for sale - like high six figures in USDs. We are looking for the high roller tourist not the bargain basement type world traveler here.

This guy was selling tobacco, pipes and trying to look cool for the older lady set which were a high percentage of the tourist base. With a retirement age for some careers at 55 here there are a lot of what some would call the mature set who are out and about.

There are also a lot of the younger set too, who are much enamored with themselves and seemingly take an endless stream of selfies. This particular young woman we saw several times, each time she took a photo it was with the same pose, a head bent, and leg lifted, and them she moved on.  In her defense, she had no visible companion. We did however see a young woman taking a photo of herself while her companion was taking a photo of her.  Double selfie?  I tried to document that but missed.

This woman spent an incredible amount of time getting her selfie just right. Selfie watching became my joy for the day.  

Later we went to the originally named "People's Park".  Unique, think I will suggest it at a City Council Meeting.  Bet the Tea Party Councils members and supporters would be apoplectic upon hearing that suggestion. Anyway it was huge, replete with large tower commenting on industry or transportation best we could tell from base carvings.  

Lots of gardens, walks, ponds, benches, paths, little restaurants, tea houses, and so on.

There were also a type of recreational area with some ping pong tables, dance space and oh-my-goodness-gracious, karaoke!  There were probably 10-12 karaoke stations spread around not nearly far enough apart yet way too far apart if you get my drift.

Some of these would-be, want to-be, think they-are, lost-a-bet, had-too-much-to-drink-for-this-time-of-day, or just plain show offs who should know better singers/performers were actually really real bad.  I mean put them out of their misery bad. One or two would not cause you to hurry past.

We did not have a lot of friends of neighbors listening to any - repeat any - of the karaoke singers. In fact, a brief spat broke out between a boy friend / girl friend on the dance floor behind the guy karaoking in the photo above. Way more spectators for the spat - obviously regardless of language limitations.

There was also an opportunity to get really neat souvenirs, keepsakes, or wedding gifts.  If you have a wedding you are scheduled to be going to soon, let me know what's on their registery and I am sure I can get something here that will suffice.  And save you a bundle too.