More from Bangkok

I took the 4 photos above at Bangkok's Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple that contains Thailand's largest collection of Buddha images.





It took me a few tries to get this shot right.


Photo taken at Bangkok's National Museum, supposedly the largest museum in Southeast Asia

This is Bangkok's Khao San Road area, where most travelers -- hippies, backpackers, flashpackers, package tourists, global nomads -- inevitably pass through when exploring Southeast Asia.

Bangkok

Bangkok has a great water-taxi system for traveling to sites along the Mae Nam Chao (River).


Statue at the entrance to the magnificent Grand Palace. I also shot the 3 photos below at the Grand Palace during my first morning in Bangkok.









The photo above and the two below were taken at Bangkok's main train station, Hua Lamphong. This is where Dawn and I will depart from the day after tomorrow when we head to northern Thailand ...






Tuk-tuks (3-wheeled vehicles) are a cheap and enjoyable way to get around in downtown Bangkok.


I took this photo and the 2 below at Wat Pho, a large and beautiful Buddhist temple near the Grand Palace.

These towering "Chinese stone dolls" at Wat Pho (above and below) are scattered throughout the grounds and come in various forms, including Marco Polo. Originally they were stored in hulls as ballast to help stabilize ships during trade with China.

Papal Fever

The calm before the storm. Traffic is diverted from Roxas Boulevard in Manila in preparation for the Pope's 18 January visit.


It's estimated that about 6 million people came to see Pope Francis today here in Manila (about 12 times more people than at Woodstock). As far as protecting the Pope, during the past couple of days Manila has been under a security lockdown, with Internet and phone services frequently cut, a no-fly zone in effect, land and sea travel restrictions, and about 50,000 police and troops deployed (several thousand of these security personnel were even asked to wear adult diapers so they wouldn't have to leave their post).


Over 86% of the Filipino population is Roman Catholic.

It rained throughout the day in Manila.

New Years at Sydney Harbor

Due to the inflated prices of rooms on New Years Eve in Sydney (upwards of $2000 per night at many downtown hotels) we opted to stay out in the suburbs of Parramatta. We packed up food and took a train to downtown Sydney at around 10 am on New Years Eve.



As you can see, Dawn could barely contain her excitement as we waited with bated breath at Sydney Harbor for the evening's magnificent fireworks to begin.




New Years Eve revelers, with the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge in the background


Another iconic Sydney structure -- the Sydney Opera House


I wish I could say that this photo (taken off the Internet) represents what we saw on New Years Eve. Those who camped out on the night of 30 January likely saw this sort of fireworks display. From where Dawn and I were, however, we had only a partial view of the the bridge (to our left), and a full view of the Opera House (to our right). Nevertheless, it was a memorable New Years Eve for us, and a great 3 weeks of travels in Australia.