Warren's Thailand Trip

	Well, the fun just keeps on rolling here. Started today off at 6:30
	a.m. Yesterday was 7, so this even feels bad. I still have a cold
	working its way through my system, so the mornings definitely do not
	feel great. Anyway, we went to the town of Ayutthaya, pronounced eye-
	yoot-thay-ah, the old capital of Thailand. They have actually had four
	capitals, they keep moving them depending on who is currently
	attacking them.

	And boy, do these guys love their King. Everything is King this or
	King this. Actually the designations for them is Rama, which in itself
	is a short form of some horrendously long name. Us English speaking
	people can't fathom the names they have here, most of our words are
	less than 8 letters long if you think about it. Quick what's a 9
	letter or greater word? Good, now think of one more. Then keep on
	reading.

	So, today was filled with temples (called a Wat) some elephants, and
	the Summer Palace, which only last week was used to house the Spanish
	... what do Spaniards have in control right now, is there a King? No
	Internet connection so I can't check on it. President maybe? Hopefully
	Tim will get back to me on this one.

	You will see a lot of pointy temple type things. These are actually
	stuups, or stoops, or however you want to pronounce it. Basically it
	is a sepulchre, if I am using the correct word. Buddhists burn the
	dead. This is holding the ashes of the various kings and their
	families.

	It is amazing how many of the kings died 'of an accident' is what the
	story always goes as. Clumsy? You figure it out, I couldn't.

	Oh, one of the first pictures you will see is what I designate as an
	ordination site marker. If there were two markers, then it is an
	ordination site made by a king. As this site has only one such marker,
	it was made by the people, for the monks to do their ordination. Think
	about what you know about monks and the ordination process. Certain
	anatomical parts get, um, removed.

	A lot of the pictures appear to show destroyed building. Back about
	400 years ago those Burmese Devils came in and took the town, hence
	the move to Bangkok as the new capital, and destroyed the place. What
	you are seeing is good reconstruction.

	Interestingly enough, there were two buildings in the Summer Palace,
	which is very beautiful by way in its 48 acres of manicured lushness,
	that we were not allowed to take pictures in. One was this royal
	pavilion that was done totally in a Chinese style and had a throne for
	the King when he was in residence. Very plain. Actually looked like a
	bad wicker chair with gold plate spray painted on it.

	There was this other house which was apparently the actual residence
	of the king and family, and no pictures there. It also had a
	functional throne (and one for the queen as well), and this was even
	worse. It looked like a decked up chair with chrome tubular sidearms
	that were also spray painted gold. Can't figure that one out. But you
	don't mess with royalty in Thailand, they get better reverence than in
	England by a long, long shot.

	So, not a whole lot more to actually report, the pictures pretty much
	sum it all up. Enjoy!