More pics from Ayutthaya Part II

More photos from Ayutthaya

Huge Buddha in one of the temples.

One remaining Buddha statue, where all of the others were decapitated or destroyed.

Legend has it that one of the statues was decapitated and the head rolled to the base of this tree, where over years, the roots surrounded it.

Three amigos!

Amid the ruins.

X had never been here before.  Hard to believe because few people love their country as much as X does.  It was a meaningful trip for him.

More pics from Ayutthaya Part I

More photos taken by Sert on our trip to Ayutthaya.  This is the old capitol city, which was destroyed in a war with Burma.  The city has been rebuilt, but many ruins remain... reminders of the devastation brought by war.

Nan.

Fish in a feeding frenzy at one of the temples.

Stopping for lunch.

Most ate kanom chin, a Thai rice noodle dish.

I had mama, a glorified version of Raman noodles.

Wanda Tyner and Dave McCormick, DST officers.

Wand and Dave Say Goodbye with Ice Cream!

As a final thank you gesture to the BOC staff, Wanda and Dave provided coconut ice cream to everyone.  They even served all of the associates! You can be sure it was a big deal to see our officers taking the time to do this.

Typical ice cream toppings here in Thailand.  Not so typical in the U.S.  Corn, beans, etc.

DST Songkran Festival

Last night, DST has a Songkran Festival with food and games and fun.  A good time had by all!

Our technical trainer, Sumet, spent the evening in the dunking tank.

My buddy, Sert, and his team set up the booth for the 18th floor, serving fried chicken and playing Bingo.  Well, done, Supersert!

All I need is N49 !

Our Bingo caller was a little hyperactive.

Nui brought is girlfriend Eve, so I finally got to meet her.

What a great young lady.  Eve is in law school.  She and Nui make a wonderful couple and I suspect both of them are going to be VERY successful.

Sert takes a moment to relax.

Breakfast with Dave and Wanda

Wanda and Dave enjoyed eating authentic Thai food any chance they had, so for their last morning in Thailand, the team joined them for a bowl of joke, a sort of rice porridge with pork added you buy from street vendors near the office.  The joke is served piping hot, so you can have them add a raw egg, which will then cook in the joke.

Breakfast of Champions.  I love this stuff!

A big early mroning turnout!

Sert, Pum, Tak, and Chut prepare their breakfast.

Our newest new grad, Ton, just joined us last Friday.  Here, he visits with a coporate vice president.  How cool is that?

Smile!

Wanda and Dave to Ayutthaya Part III

Last photos

Big Buddha at a Chinese Temple

Typically ornate Chinese Temple building.

Riding in style!

Wanda and Dave on the train ride back to Bangkok.  Tickets cost 20 bahts (about 65 cents).

The familiy that rides the rails together, stays together!

Relaxing ride back after a long, hot day.

Stopping in Chinatown for a dim sum dinner before heading home.

Chang got full.

Wanda and Dave to Ayutthaya Part II

The adventure continues...

Nui and Jib stick bahts to the base of the reclining Buddha statue.  If they stick, your wish is supposed to come true.

Dave and our tour guide, Kong.

Sert...  he was our group photographer, so he didn't get topose for photos often.

Long row of Buddhas.

Stopping for lunch.

Tour guide Kong listens intently.  One of my favorite people in all Thailand.

The X-Man.  He went up there to help escort Wanda and Dave, even though he knew he would have to leave early and take a bus all the way back by himself to make it to a wedding.  How cool is that?  That is X-Man cool!

Wanda and Dave to Ayutthaya Part I

Wanda Tyner and Dave McCormick, officers from the KC office have been in town the past week.  They both wanted to get more epxosure to Thai culture, so some of the TRAC gang joined me in taking them to visit the old capitol city, Ayutthaya, on Saturday.  We had a great time!

Above left to right :  Nan, Jib, Chang, Pum, Eam (front), Nui (rear), Kong (front), Wanda (rear) Dave, me.

Above:  On the bus to Ayutthaya - we started with almost the whole bus to ourselves!

Nui acting silly... in other words, same as always!  Nui is so cool...  and don't let the hat fool you, he may be my boss, someday.

Oversized tuk tuks took us around all day.

Tuk tuking around!

Jib and Eam watching for the other group.  The team social director and team mom - or I better say 'older sister' or Eam will shoot me!

Ever Wonder Why I Love Living Here So Much?

Wonder no more.  These are photos from Young Leaders Group tonight.