One of the interesting places we visited last weekend is the  Royal Barge National Museum. The barges, not that type used to transport cargo up and down the river, are intricately designed boats made of teakwood used in state and royal functions. The barges are housed in a shed along the river shore and on processions is a spectacular sight to behold. On our visit last Sunday, workers were busy doing repair work on the barges.  

The personal barge of the king.

Barge with a figure of a white monkey.

This barge features the figure of the sacred Garuda

Three barges in a row used in state and royal functions.

A view of the river of kings from the shed of the Royal Barge National Museum.

We took JM yesterday to the National Museum to have a look at the country’s history, arts, artifacts, architecture and archaelogical treasures. All three of us  can definitely remember things we saw during the visit, but Thai names of people, places and events are so difficult to keep in ones memory. The history of the country dates back to several thousands of years before Christ, it’s like going back in time but for my entire family, the visit was truly educational.

JM at the Museum Shop

These globes are gifts of Queen Victoria to King Rama V

JM and dad admiring the ancient swords.

A Chinese junk on exhibit.

Look mom ! It’s the Titanic ! It’s actually the barge of the King of Siam.

Reading and listening to history.

Playing with canons.

Relaxing at the rest house.

After our visit to the National Museum yesterday, we decided to drop by the Museum Shop to buy some souvenirs. There are books, jewelries, accessories, post cards, home decorations and lots of interesting items.  I collect post cards and these definitely caught my attention :

I bought two sets of these beautiful post cards, one set for my personal collection and the second one, to be sent back home.

During our trip to the Nature Preservation Park today, I took the opportunity to search for some wildflowers  on the way to  the woods and the deep forested area of the park. Have a look at some of the photos below :

Ball Wildflower

Blue Wildlfower

Butterfly and Yellow Wildflower

Orange Heliconia

Pink Acacia Blossoms

Pink and White Blossoms

Yellow Heliconia

Yellow Mini Daisy

Violets

Pink Foliages

Buttercup

Today, we had a trip to the Nature Preservation Park to explore the deep forest and the see some wildlife. The day was  cloudy and cool enough for the long walk to the woods and way deep to the forested area of the park.

Here is the view which leads to the entrance of the park.

JM and Dad headed to the woods.

Following the trek of the reptiles.

The bridge leading to the lake.

Panoramic view of the lake.

Today, we had a  family educational trip to the second largest in the world Snake Farm.  The itinerary of the trip included :

1. a tour of the farm where we saw the phytons, cobras and other kinds of deadly snakes. 

2.  a slideshow which gave information on the varieties of snakes that can be found in the country and in the region , characteristics  of each kind of snake found in the country, technique of venom extraction and  administration of first aid in case a person is bitten by a snake.

3.  a presentation  hosted by one of the Red Cross staff and his assistant  showed us live cobras, phytons and less poisonous snakes being handled bare hands by the two guys. We also watched the actual venom extraction from a phyton. The venom will be used to manufacture drugs that will serve as vaccine for snake bite victims.

4. Finally, the highlight of the presentation  is the picture taking of  visitors with a giant phyton wrapped around them. Take a look at the photos below :

View of Snake Farm with one of the cages visible from a distance.

Entrance to the Snake Farm.

Phytons bred in captivity.

Green Snake

JM waiting at the mini-arena.

Cobras during the presentation at the mini-arena.

Visitors pictorial with the phyton.

Today, we went to the Capuchine Sisters Convent to offer prayers for the second death anniversary of my aunt. The convent was closed and is not open to the public any day of the week. I needed to talk to one of the sisters regarding the prayer offering  and I found a door at the left side of the chapel that lead to revolving wooden window. There was an instruction for visitors to ring the bell in case they need to talk to one of the sisters. The day to day schedule of the sisters is also posted near the window. I rang the bell once and the revolving window moved. I heard the sister greet me , but I did not see her face. She informed me , that members of her congregation are  not allowed to show their faces to people who comes daily to the convent. I thought  the way they live is similar to a hermit monk, with very limited contact with the outside world. She politely accepted my prayer offering  and I took the opportunity to ask her if we can go and visit the chapel which was locked at the time. The daily mass is at 6:00 a.m. . She told me to wait outside the  chapel and one of the sisters will open the door  for us. We stood at the front door and we heard it being unlocked. The moment we entered, we were greeted by peace, the kind of peace one would never experience in the outside world. The chapel is small , with nine pews, a very simple altar devoid of flowers and decorations and there are two statues, one on each side of the altar. Everything inside the chapel including the floor is made of wood. We noticed a part of the wall where the altar is located is iron grills, partially covered with lace curtains. The reason for the existence of these iron grills is , during the celebration of the mass,  the sisters can be one with the parishioners . Even if there is a wall between them, both sides can hear what is going on during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The sisters attend behind the wall of the altar and the parishioners stay in the chapel itself. As we knelt in prayer , we heard the sisters sang and prayed,  their voices echoed  from the other side of the wall that separated us from them.

Capuchine Sisters Chapel

Wooden revolving window where visitors can talk to the sisters.

Altar

Statue of Saint Claire of Asisi  at the right side of the altar.

One of the things that I’m greatly interested in is the early Irish monasteries. Some of these monasteries are located in dangerous and secluded  locations which was sought after by monks dedicated to the lives of hermitage.  More commonly, these monasteries are located in populated areas with good land and important routeways. The more developed ones grew into a community of monastic tenants, servants and craft workers. In the absence of centralized authority , these large monasteries developed into centers of religion, education, trade and craftsmanship. Early Irish monasteries were also responsible in preserving Ireland’s culture and history because the monks recorded events, laws and literature  as they happen. Below are some features of early monasteries in Ireland :

Church Buildings

The first monastic churches in Ireland may have been small wattle and daub structures, but in the eastern portion of the island, single-chambered wooden oratories soon appeared. The limited availability of trees for use as lumber prompted the first monks in western Ireland to build churches made of stone. Monastic churches have common features : they have a length, width ratio of 1:5:1  and have very few windows. The lintelled doorway provides most of the light. These early churches would have been covered by thatched roof, although some in the west have stone slabs forming the roof. The churches are aligned east-west with the altar facing Jerusalem in the east and the doorway located in the western end of the building.

A unique type of church in large numbers can be found in the west of Ireland, particularly in the peninsula of west Kerry. Is is built on unmortared stone and resembles an overturned boat. The sidewalls slant gradually inward from the base of the structure and begin to do so more evenly about three meters from the ground.

Round Towers

Round towers were primarily constructed in Ireland in the tenth through the twelfth centuries and these structures were never found independent of monastic enclosures. These Irish structures are tall, circular, tapering towers, often with a conical roof. that were built  of mortared stone. Sixty five stone towers still stand in Ireland today. And thirteen of these retain their conical caps.

High Crosses

Ireland’s High Crosses could have developed independently beginning the eight through the ninth century. A circle connects the extended arms of the cross with a shaft and has a stepped pyramid or conical base. Many crosses are highly decorated and later on, biblical scenes were carved in the crosses with Celtic artwork along the edges. There are also evidence suggesting that high crosses could have been brightly painted at one point. Monks most likely used the biblical crosses as teaching or preaching instruments. This function, along with the positioning of Irish High Crosses in monasteries, suggests that they were public monuments rather than grave markers. They may also have served as boundary markers for monastic sites, as many of them are evenly situated around the outer edges of monastic enclosure.

Shrines and Graves

The grave or shrine of the founding saint is an important feature of most Irish monasteries. Irish shrines take on many forms as well, ranging from cross decorated pillar, upright cross slabs and A-roofed tombs to the later box shrines of decorated stones ands small rectangular buildings that house the graves of the founder saints. The graves almost, always stand in the open and are marked by pillars. Small tomb-shrines, however, stand separate from , but close to the principal church.This is probably because of their importance as a principal station in the pilgrimage rounds that were characteristically performed at Irish monasteries.

JM and Dad feeding catfish at the park over the weekend.

Colorful fish food that looks like marbles.

After the early morning , Holy Trinity Sunday mass, we decided to take a trip to a Herbal Park located in the  compound of a state owned university. It rained really heavy the night before, so the weather was cool and we had a pleasant time walking around the park in search of herbs that we might find useful for medicinal  and cooking purposes . The trip turned out not just to have a look at herbal plants , but also to enjoy the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere at the park. The air was cool and the smell of leaves and grass was all around us. The park during these rainy months looks and smells so fresh. We discovered  lots of herbal plants with their fruits, leaves and even flowers that can be used to treat common ailments like cough and cold, for the disinfection of wounds , treatment of certain skin diseases and many other uses. And the great news about these herbs is that they have no side effects  and are inexpensive. You can grow these right in your own garden. Many of the herbs grown in the park can also be used to spice up our cooking as well. Take a look at the photos I took during the trip:

Entrance to the Herbal Park

View of the lake and landscape

Fire Tree

Asian style sculpture surrounded by herbal plants

    Yellow Medicinal Fruit

    Green Medicinal Fruit

Medicinal Berries

Herbal plants with flowers