The King of Thailand's Big Day . . .

[Smiles]

The other night I dropped into my favourite Thai restaurant here in town (1 of only 2), the Amarin.
Owned by Thai immigrants, food cooked by Thai lady, waiting tables and managed by the handsome & friendly Dom, this place brings back Thailand to me like no other place (certainly not in this small town, let me tell you). I was in dire need of a heaping plate of the best khao pad gai east of Krakatoa (IMHO) ... though at 3 ~ maybe 4 ~ times the price I can wolf it down on a side soi off Pradiphat Rd. But it's VERY good, and washed down with a Singha is my idea of a dreamy way to spend an evening.

Anyway . . . Dom had just recently returned from a month long trip to Thailand and brought back with him an album full of photos which he invited me to linger over during my meal: Dom on Khao Sorn Rd; Dom in a beer bar in Pattaya, Lady-on-lap; Dom on the beach at Samui; Dom getting hugs from his Grandma in Hua Hin; Dom posing in front of a blow-up Beer Singh balloon at the food court in Lumphini etc etc etc etc ("A Thai Tourist in Thailand")

Then he hauled out a large and glossy souvenir book (official) celebrating the King's Birthday this last month. Not having seen this, I asked whether I could borrow it for a few days and scan some of the best photos. Being a terrific guy, he let me . . . . and here are some of the photos from that book.

I'l post them in a jumber of different posts so the loading is quicker for you. The quality is not wonderful as my scanner is not working, so I had to photograph them with my digital camera. Actually they came out fairly well for such a convoluted method . . . and I hope you can enjoy.

Cheers ....

THIS IS THE FRONTSPIECE OF THE MAGAZINE. THE KING & QUEEN PRETTY WELL AS THEY LOOK TODAY





THERE IS NO CAPTION FOR THIS LARGE PHOTO. BUT OBVIOUSLY IT IS VERY OLD. I ASSUME IT IS EITHER THE CORONATION OF THE NEW KING BHUMIBOL OR SOME OTHER VERY IMPORTANT STATE OCCASION ("BHUMIBOL" is the way his name is spelled in the book. I've seen it spelled in a few other ways as well)













THIS IS THE FAMILY MANY YEARS AGO. THE TALLER GUY IS THE KING'S OLDER BROTHER PRINCE ANANDA, WHO WAS KING FOR A SHORT TIME, BUT DIED IN 1946. PRINCE BHUMIBOL WAS CROWNED KING SHORTLY AFTER.

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[Smiles]

KING BHUMIBOL WAS MARRIED TO SIRIKIT KITIYAKARA IN 1950. SHE WAS QUITE BEAUTIFUL THEN. STRANGELY, SHE RESEMBLES VERY MUCH MY MOTHER IN SOME OF HER WEDDING PHOTOS . . . PROBABLY THE HAIRSTYLE, WHICH IS MORE WESTERN THAN THAI








"HOW TO WAI A KING". I KNOW WHAT BECAME OF THE KING, BUT I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS LITTLE THAI BOY

[Smiles]

THIS IS THE KING'S OLDEST DAUGHTER . . . THE 'POPULAR' ONE WHOM MANY WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOLLOW HER FATHER ONTO THE THRONE





THIS IS THE KING'S OLDEST SON . . . WHOM MANY THAIS ARE NOT OVERLY IMPRESSED WITH ('PERSONAL' STUFF YOU KNOW), AND WOULD RATHER NOT SEE FOLLOW HIS FATHER ONTO THE THRONE

[Smiles]

BANGKOK STREETS DURING THE CELERATIONS WERE DECORATED ALL OVER. THE LIGHT ON THIS PARTICULAR EVENING FEELS QUITE SENSUOUS. WISH I WERE THERE, RIGHT ON THAT VERY SPOT.





BY THE WAY, ALL THE BOATS IN THESE PHOTOS CAN BE VIEWED UP CLOSE BY VISITING THE ROYAL BARGE ENCLOSURE & DOCKS WHICH ARE ON A MAIN KLONG (forget the name, but everyone knows it, just ask) JUST OFF THE CHAO PHRAYA ON THE THONBURI SIDE OF THE RIVER, BUT CLOSE TO THE GRAND PALACE. WELL WORTH A VISIT.

LOVE THE STATELY POSES THAI MEN CAN PUT ON WHEN THEY WANT TO. ALL SLIMNESS, MUSCULAR, LITHENESS AND ~ ABOVE ALL ~ GRACEFUL BODIES . . . A JOY TO LOOK AT.

[Smiles]

[Smiles]

PRINCE ANDREW OF ENGLAND PUTTING ON THE POUNDS!!! HE WAS THE ROYAL REPRESENTING QUEEN ELIZABETH . . . BUT THE BOY'S BLOATING UP. WHAT'S HAPPENING?

Thanks for that Smiles. They are great pictures.

I particularly liked the pictures of the boats.
I was in BKK for the boat procession but couldn't get close enough to take photos as good as these.

Nevertheless it was fascinating to be able to mix with the locals on their home turf and share the experience. They were very welcoming, friendly and helpful towards this falang. Great people.

[elephantspike]

Thank you so much, Smiles. Awesome pics. I wanted to be there for this occasion myself, but could not be, and was disappointed at the lack of coverage in the Western press.

I like the way the scans look, and they load so much faster than large digital files would.

Long Live the King!

[haikudude]

Thanks Smiles, Great pics. I particularly like the one with the Kings Daughter, just behind with a camera and a great smile. I would have loved to be in Bangkok for this.

So is this a book or a magazine? If a book, will I fine an official souvenir volume here in Chiang Mai?

Thanks Again

[Smiles]

Thanks Smiles, Great pics. I particularly like the one with the Kings Daughter, just behind with a camera and a great smile. I would have loved to be in Bangkok for this. So is this a book or a magazine? If a book, will I fine an official souvenir volume here in Chiang Mai?
Thanks Again

The very first photo is the actual front cover of the magazine, so at least you can know what to look for if you go searching the bookstores. You might also want to try the Thailand Cultural Centre. There is one in Chiang Mai, and I believe many middle size Thai towns have them as well.

Cheers ...