Chatted for first time

“Alley Kitchens” of Thailand

Written by Ning

In Thailand, it’s easy for you to find food to eat. From early in the morning till midnight. Whenever you feel hungry, just walk out from your hotel or house you will find everything that you want. Like fast food, but better. Everything is fresh. You will fill full for just less than one dollar. Just look to see how clean the back alley kitchen is. Watch them in operation for awhile, if all looks good, you will have some of the best Thai food ever.

When my husband and I go to Thailand, we always have our meals from alley kitchens or street food better than eat in the restaurant because It’s cheaper and yummy!! 

 

 

 

My husband loves to have noodles with chicken feet. He told me that he never had eaten chicken feet before. He wanted to try and  he loves it! Yes, for someone new to Thailand, you will find food that you have never seen before. Do not let that stop you from at least trying some. You just might be missing out on some thing very good.

 

 

Grilled Prawn on our way to Kanjanaburi….

When we go to travel  to the countryside, both sides on the way , lots of  food and fruits. Cheap and Fresh. If you have opportunity to go to Thailand, you should try street food…

Just remember to drink only bottled water, and check the seal before opening it to be sure it is fresh. Don’t use any ice either, unless it is the kind with the hole in the middle. this is bought from a government inspected ice house and should be good.

 

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Bangkok Chinatown

Phahurat Market

During our last trip to Thailand, we had our Thai wedding.  We went to Bangkok Chinatown Phahurat Market to purchse favors for the wedding.  This part of Chinatown is know for fabric and wedding stalls. There was a great selection.

 

 

This photo shows some of the many stalls that were setup for everyone to shop at.  There was row after row of these.  Visit different parts of Chinatown to find many different things.  Shopping is only part of it. Sightseeing is prime as there are many historical buildings peppered throughout Chinatown.  14 % of the buildings are designated as historic buildings.     

 

 

This photo gives you an idea of the size of the crowd that was there.  It was late December and everyone was out getting New Years gifts.  To say the crowd was large is really an understatement.  It was just jam-packed. Thai police were on bull horns warning everyone to watch out for pick pockets. We did not have any problems there at all. Really all one really needs to do is use some good common sense and you should be alright.

 

 

The crowd at one of the cross roads wasn’t too bad.  It was the smaller streets that were packed with people.  It would get so packed that you had to really watch were you wanted to go.  If you did not watch you would get rushed past the place you wanted to stop at. It is only a very small part of Chinatown.  

In the early 1780’s the Chinese merchants were originally moved to this area when Bangkok was settled. Chinatown is best seen on foot.  It really is the only way to see it because the street size is very small.  Sampaeng Lane used to be Chinatown’s main street.  It is not big enough for even a car to drive on.  When the vendors bring in their products by car or small van, everyone must get off of the road to let them pass.

While in Chinatown, you can visit Wat Traimit.  It is a small temple at one end of Chinatown.  The temple houses the worlds largest solid gold  Buddha image.  Weighing in at 5½ tons, the 15-foot tall seated image is worth,  in the neighborhood of,  US$14 Million.  The Golden Buddha is an excellent example of the gracious Sukhothai style that is still very much in favor to this day.  It was cast sometime in the 13th century. Chinatown is also one of the best places to go gold shopping.  Tang To Gung gold shop on Sampaeng Lane is also one of the many historic buildings in Chinatown.  Yaowarat Road is lined with many gold shops.

You can find just about anything you would like in Bangkok Chinatown.

 

Bangkok Royal Grand Palace

Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha

During my first 2 week stay in Thailand, Ning and I went into Bangkok so I could see the Royal Grand Palace. This is the home of  Wat Phra Kaeo.  Wat Phra Kaeo houses the Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha image in Thailand.

The photo shown is of that Buddha in winter dress.  The Emerald Buddha is dressed for the 3 seasons: Winter, Summer and Rainy Season.  The costume is solid gold.  His Majesty, the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9 presides over the ceremony to change the costume.  The Emerald Buddha is carved from a solid block of green jade.  It was first discovered in 1434 and was covered in plaster to make it look like a regular Buddha image. This was done to protect it from being stolen by other countries.

The king of Thailand,  King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9 is revered by his people in the country.  He is the longest serving monarch in the world. King Bhumibol started his rain at the age of 18 after the death of his brother the King at that time.  Large pictures of the King and the Queen can be seen all over Thailand.  Every home and shop in Thailand contain pictures of the King and Queen along with Buddha and different Monks from different times in the history of Thailand.  Needless to say, the people of  Thailand are very passionate about Buddha and their King and his family.

This photo shows the entrance to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  Like all the Temples in Thailand, shoes and hats must be removed before entering the temple building.  Your dress should be of good taste when visiting any of the temples and government building.  Once in the building no photos are allowed to be taken.  The photo of the Emerald Buddha above was taken just outside of the entrance.

Gardens, like the one shown here, are spread though out the Royal Grand Palace.  As you can see, there is a touch of the Chinese culture with Thailand.

Today King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9 lives in the residence off of the Grand Palace, Chitraladarahotarn Palace in Bangkok. The Grand Palace is used for royal guests and ceremonies.

Cherry Blossoms Dating Website

I joined Cherry Blossoms in 2003.  Cherry Blossoms is an online dating service and the world’s first international picture personals business.  Cherry Blossoms got their start back in 1974.  They would advertise in different news papers around the USA.  Back then,  if you joined, they would send you catalogs containing ads from different women.  Cherry Blossoms have profiles for women from all corners of the world.

Cherry Blossoms is well established and provide help to obtain a Visa or Visa information for your fiancé or spouse when the time comes to bring you new found love back to the USA.  Their webite contains chat rooms and a full service membership gives you unlimited instant messaging and up to 100 emails per day in your profile on Cherry Blossoms site.

Currently, Cherry Blossoms has around 75,000 members looking for that special someone.  Since 1974, Cherry Blossoms has had well over 200,000 men and women who meet and, eventually, get married!

I found the Cherry Blossoms website very easy to use and navigate. Definitely user-friendly.  The process to get entry visa was very straight forward as long as you follow all directions and answer all questions honestly.  It took about six months to get Nings fiancée visa.  I had to start the paperwork here in the USA and then Ning had to go to the US Embassy in Bangkok to get it finished. That is were the US put her visa in her Passport.  When bringing her into the US, she was able to go up to the custom agents post with me.  She had a sealed package that was given to her by the US Embassy when she was granted her entry visa.  It was to be opened by the US customs in the US.

Once she entered the US, we had to be married within 90 days or Ning would have to go back to Thailand.  After we were married,  Ning had to get her Green Card.  This meant many more forms to complete and several interviews.  The first Green Card is only valid for two years.  When that is up she will have to apply for the next Green Card.  The second Green Card is valid for an additional ten years.  At the end of ten years, she will apply for US citizenship and have to take the test that will make her a citizen.

Cherry Blossoms is an excellent information resource to obtain entry Visa for your bride-to-be or bride if you’ve already married her in her country.  The wait time is different, at different times,  for bringing a fiancé or a bride into the states.  It’s a good ideal to check the current processing times.  This will help you decide if it would be more beneficial to marry her in her country or wait and get married in the USA.   When Ning came to the USA, the process was faster for a fiancé than it was for a bride.

Ning and I were mairried in Bangkok at the hospital for the monks. The monks do different services for payment to help with the cost of medical care.

After our Thailand marriage, Ning’s family really opened up to me. I have never felt out of place with Ning’s family, but when we made them part of our marriage that really made me one of them, too.

I would recomend Cherry Blossoms to anyone interested in meeting women from different lands.