After a direct flight (12hrs) from London Heathrow, yesterday, we wanted to do little more than wander out, have something to eat, and crash out for the night. We are staying in the Lebua State Tower hotel, with a great view from our room…

This morning, after a sensational and most satisfying breakfast, we headed out in eager anticipation of the day ahead.

Our first stop, just 5 minutes walk from our hotel was the Assumption Cathedral. We (my wife and I) were both brought up in the Roman Catholic faith and maintain an affinity with its teachings, even if not regular church goers. We both agreed that the Assumption Cathedral is an impressive place in terms of magnificence and proportion, but even more so by the messages conveyed within and without the building.

By the front door stand two statues that drew our attention

We both remember Pope John Paul II as a most personable man who attracted the attention of young and old, Catholic and non-Catholic, alike. In the summer of 1982 his holiness visited the Knavesmire Racecourse, York, where he was welcomed by 190,000 people.

The statue of Saint Peter and the inscriptions on the plinth resonated with us, too.

I have prayed for you, Simon,

that your faith may not fail,

and once you have recovered,

you in your turn must strengthen your brothers.

(Luke 22:32-33)

And then, outside, we were struck by the fact that this is a proactive church community, one that is motivated by the work of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

The Spirit of the Vincentians

Vincentians are ready to help those in distress,

not judging who is good and

who is bad, but ready to serve,

taking into account the teachings of the Gospel

“what have you done to one of the least

of these brothers of mine, you did that to us.”

We then journeyed up the Chao Phraya river by ferry, embarking at the Saphan Taksin pier, disembarking at Tha Chang pier.

Our destination was the Grand Palace, and very grand it was too!

In 1782 the new King decided to move the capital city to the left bank of the Chao Phraya River for strategic purposes and used the canals to the west as defences for the new city. A palace was constructed whose grounds currently cover an area of 218,000 square metres that are enclosed by crenelated walls measuring 19,000 metres.

This slideshow only gives a hint of the reality…

I particularly liked the way the gardens are planted, the trees in particular.

Our day ended with a trip to Chinatown and a very generous helping of roast duck, deep fried tofu, noodles, and Chang beer! The rain came down but that did not spoil what had been a most enjoyable first day in Bangkok.

One final note, as always, the most interesting things are quite often to be found off the beaten track. This one close by Assumption Cathedral…