The Ancient City (Muang Boran)

This weekend found Ryan and I off to the Ancient City, or Muang Boran. It is a giant outdoor museum featuring replicas of Thailand’s most popular monuments and structures. The Ancient City is just South of Bangkok in Samut Praken. While we had full intentions to experience Thailand’s cheap buses, we wound up hopping in a cab to save time – we got to a later start than we had hoped. The internet had informed us that we should expect to pay 300-400 baht for the trip, instead of the 30 baht for the bus, but after an hour in the taxi and 180 baht with tip (less than $6 Cdn), we were in the Ancient City.
Our research on this place was a little vague, telling us it would take ½-2hours to get there, and an hour to 5 hours to take the tour through the city, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but after paying 300baht each for tickets, we ‘rented’ (for free) bicycles, picked up our complimentary maps and were on our way.
Judging by our map, we had a long way to go. The city was built in the shape of Thailand, and every structure had a plaque explaining what we were looking at. There are currently 116 monuments, with more to come, and with Ryan and I stopping to read and explore each one we knew we were in for the long haul.
Without going into too much detail of our day (my blog entries tend to be long enough!) here are some pics from the day.

This is one of the Pallava Group of Images - can't really tell in this photo, but it is inserted at the base of a huge tree.

Me, about to enter The Stupa of Phra Maha That. Wasn't much to see in there - just a lot of cobwebs.

This wood carving is one of the multiple 'extras' not pictured in our map or accompanied by a plaque, so you can feel free to interpret it yourself. You may not be able to tell in this picture, but there are monkeys hanging on the right, and multiple Buddha images as well as people and other objects carved throughout this sculpture.

Here is Ryan at the top of the Stupa of Phra Maha That (as found in Rachaburi). The steps up were really steep, and you could walk in a good 20 feet, again not much to see inside.
You will notice that there are a few of Ryan and I on the monuments – this of course is before we read the rules of the park found enclosed with our map: Rule number 4. Please do not climb on sculptures or monuments. Oops! I guess I probably shouldn’t have sat in that century old chair either . . .

Me waiting for service inside the Audience Hall of Thon Buri. We are pretty sure the furniture in these structures was original - our map explains that the "city" is decorated with several antiques - I guess this is why we are not supposed to touch them. In our defence there really should have been signs. Who reads the map?

Here we are in The Palace Garden.

This is a Buddha Image from the Dvaravati Period.

This is the Great Battle of Yuthahathi. Also a scene from the trilogy that we are watching in theatres, King Narasean. It is a Thai movie with English subtitles, we have seen Part One, but Part Two just came out (the movie we intended to watch last Friday when we got distracted by the Dragon dance at Siam Square!). Ryan is kicking the elephant b/c he is trying to help out - they are attacking the King!

Can you see me? This is inside the Phra Kaew Pavilion. We are beside a number of Buddha images found in various locations throughout Thailand. I didn't feel like taking my shoes off again (FYI, you have to take off your shoes before going in any shrine or any Thai house) so I let Ryan go in and take pictures while I peeked through.

Next we come to the Pavilion of the Enlightened. This series of Pavilions housed a number of Bronze Monk statues. This one was our favourite:

One of the other pavilions housed a Buddha image and people were giving flowers and lighting incense for offerings. We checked it out and caught a small boy steal a branch of purple orchids off the alter and run away with his Nanny chasing after!

This statue is the Mondop of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Kuan-Yin) or the Chinese Female Godess of Mercy.

This is Sumeru Mountain, which in Thai cosmology is considered the pillar of the world or the centre of the universe. It is home to a range of spirits, dieties and devils, and is supported by the Anondha Fish which stays above the surface of the water. Hmm, I guess I should have read that earlier, it is much more impressive now; we just thought it was a giant fish guarding a pavilion.

This is the Grand Hall of Wat Maha That. While we were exploring this structure a couple in traditional Thai dress were getting their wedding photos taken.

Here is Ryan and a cow in the Folk Museum. There were a number of really interesting animals. When we first biked up we saw what we thought was a statue of a really big and strange looking ox. Then the statue moved! This guy was behind a fence so I moved in closer for a picture, but he was pretty gross and foamy at the mouth so I didn't have the nerve to touch him. We biked further in and found some odd looking cows with humps on their backs tied up in the grass. This time there were no fences, so after a few test runs of picture taking, Ryan went in for a close up. I stayed behind with the camera - there is no way I was getting close to those things!

This is Buddha's footprint. Those are coins thrown onto the print so you can see how large it is. This foot is not as large as the feet we saw on the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, but still impressive, nonetheless.

This is a fountain in front of Sanphet Prasat Palace - this was a really neat building with a gorgeous blue-grey roof. Unfortunately, by the time we made it over here it was starting to cloud over, so the pic doesn't display the true beauty of this place, it looks more gray and dull than blue and beautiful - hopefully when we see the real thing in Ayutthaya we will get better shots of it.

This is the Grand Hall inside the Palace. Not too shabby if you ask me! There were really neat paintings on the walls that told mythical stories. We will have to look them up one day so that we know what we are looking at.
Believe it or not, that was the short version of our trip, and only a fraction of the photos! After the palace we were pretty tired and hungry, so we ditched the rest of the tour and booked it for the exit. We had been hoping to find enough time to see the Ancient City as well as the Crocodile Farm down the road, but we had only made it through 3/4 (hopefully) of the "City" and it was closing time.
We walked over to the line of taxis near the exit and walked away just as quickly after they tried to charge us 500 baht for the trip home! Once they realized we weren't your typical tourist they agreed to run the meter and we paid about the same as our trip there (saving ourselves 320 baht).
Oh, I should mention our taxi driver literally had a death wish! Although perhaps it was his way of getting back at the knowledgable farang for not letting him overcharge us.
Now I have commented a number of times about the taxis over here (sorry not on the blog, you have to call if you want the real stories!!) but this guy was INSANE! We made it back to the skytrain after a harrowing 45 mins weaving in and out between the cars on traffic filled Sukhumvit Road. The driver had to slam on his brakes so many times I swear he must have had to get his pads redone after that ride! At one point in time a motorcycle taxi dodged out in front of us and was going a little slower than our driver wanted so he followed as close behind this guy as he possibly could. We must have been an inch away from this guy - I am positive if he had turned around I could have told you the colour of his eyes! Our driver slammed on the brakes once again before we rammed right into the back of him and then found a spot to veer away from the slowpoke. At every red light Ryan and I braced ourselves for the accident we were sure we were about to be in. I have heard of people kissing the ground after a rough flight or something, but I could have done it after this taxi ride. Oh well, just another day in Bangkok!

Our Other Pet

Well, Squeakers is gone. We hadn't seen him in a while and then he appeared the other day while we were working out in the apartment. Ryan saw him scurry across the floor and run under the fridge. Our fridge is right next to the front door which has an opening at the bottom about the perfect size for a tiny little lizard. We didn't see him leave, but we haven't seen him since.
On the plus side, this is probably a good thing as we are currently cat sitting. Our friends Clem and Steph are foster parents to cats and kittens here in Bangkok. It is a program similar to what you can find in Ottawa, Toronto, and probably all over the place. Here, the program is to socialize the cats and give them a place to stay until they get adopted.
A few weeks ago they had an adorable little guy named Sou Sou. He was the tiniest kitten I have ever seen! They let people take them home a lot earlier over here - mostly because they just don't have room - if you could see all the stray dogs and cats running around this place you would understand. Anyway, he's gone already, so they got a new little one named Jigsaw. She is older than Sou Sou, but she is super cute too! So Clem and Steph are away for the weekend and we get to cat-sit!
We had to smuggle her down from their apartment (we aren't allowed pets in the building) but we have had lots of fun with her. She loves to cuddle, but can be a bit skitzo when she plays. I don't think she likes the toys Steph left for her, b/c she is much more entertained with the empty water bottle we gave her!
So, for all you cat lovers out there, here are some pics of little Jigsaw:

Happy Year of the Pig

This week the city is ringing in the Chinese New Year and man am I in trouble! According to the Bangkok Post, being born in the year of the Monkey I am in for a difficult year. I am in conflict with the God of the Year and may encounter obstacles. However, I can appease the god by displaying a pair of 'Pi Yao' in the northwest . . . now if I only knew what that was . . .
Ryan (born in the year of the Horse) is set for a year of opportunities and it is suggested that he should embrace promotions and new responsibilities without worry (so even with my struggles I get to benefit through him . . . not bad!). According to the Post, good luck is on the way and 'eight three-legged toad figurines' will bring luck to our home.
Now that you are up to date on our Chinese fortunes, I will get to the story you have all been waiting for, yes, and more pictures too!

Chinese New Year was a spectacle of shows, sights, and more Chinatown craziness. We didn’t get lost this time, but the amount of people we had to walk (push) through was amazing. We tried to find a good souvenir, but couldn’t find anything worthwhile.

All the good stuff was marked up for tourists and all the rest seemed to be novelty items for tourists . . . hmmm a think I note a trend!
On Friday we actually stumbled across a show in Siam Square. We were trying to have a relaxing evening since we knew there was a big weekend ahead of us, so we were headed to the movies. Yet, when we stepped off the skytrain we could hear the banging of Chinese drums and saw the dragon dance going on in front of the Paragon.

So instead of the movies we watched the Dragon dance, the dance of the Phoenix (which only comes once a year to grant good luck to a Kingdom that has proven its worth!) and the grand finale. We missed the Lion dance, which is unfortunate, but got to see them again at the end of the show.

After the dragon dance, the performers put on a vertical show – climbing up a pole with the dragon. Another guy went up in the air on his own pole and they “fought” to the sound of Chinese drums and fireworks.

The fireworks were lit off a nearby building and we found ourselves being bombarded by little pieces of rock and ash. Only singed a bit, we were still able to enjoy the show. We have a video, but I need to figure out how to put it up so it may take a while. In the meantime here are some more shots of the show:


Saturday we were off for a Rugby adventure. Ryan has discovered a couple of teams that he would want to play for here, and one of them was playing in a 7s tourney nearby. After getting lost in an obscure area of town, we finally found the field and enjoyed a good 2 hours of rugby. A team from U of Calgary was on tour – they didn’t do so well though. There was also teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Tokyo, Singapore, etc. Pretty decent rugby too. Finally the Southerners played – they are a Bangkok team with players from all over the world. They played another team that was all Thai, and the size difference alone made us think they would get destroyed.; but those little guys are fast! It was a really good match, and the Southerners came out on top. It will be really good rugby if he plays for them, and I think they would definitely give the Harliquins from back home a good run.
Sunday we were off to Chinatown. In the morning I had my chiro appointment – he is trying some intensive therapy which makes me pretty sore for the next few days – which explains the sling for those of you who are wondering.
Chinatown was great. There were people everywhere. It was a little nicer than our first visit b/c we weren’t all crammed into an alleyway, and eventually they closed some streets down so we didn’t have to fight for space with cars.

Our first stop was Wat Traimit, aka Temple of the Golden Buddha, as it holds the world’s largest solid gold Buddha.


It is 4m high, 5 tons, and was made in the 13th century of 18-carat gold. The strings around it are supposed to fend off evil spirits.
We also made a small donation to receive a blessing from a monk. There was two monks that sat at the front of the temple, one with a bucket of water and a reed, the other sat in front of the donation box handing out stone guardian carvings. So we entered the line and were blessed – a lot. Ryan thinks the monk thought we were pretty funny and kept spraying us on purpose. By the time we got out of the temple we were soaked! (Although I don't think you can tell from this pic . . .)

The water did feel nice though, 'cause man is it getting hot out there!
This is another Buddha image (not solid gold though) and Li Thi Miew - a temple in a courtyard that pays tribute to Buddhist and Taoist deities.


After our blessing, we began wandering through some alleys, where we randomly got blessed by monks situated throughout, until we made it to Yaowarat Road.
This is one of the main streets in Chinatown, and this is where we spent most of our time today. We got caught up in the traffic jam of people and took in all the sights as we walked up the km or so before taking a break. We stopped at a hotel for a quick beer and a rest. During our stop here we got to experience the copious amounts of people stopping to pay tribute to the two “golden” guardians at the entrance to the patio we were sitting at. People would stop and pet the statues – and get VERY excited about it.

We aren’t sure what the draw was, but watched as people rubbed and pet the statue so much is almost fell over. Of course, wanting to experience everything about Chinese New Year, we were sure to give the guardians a pat for good luck on our way out.
We came to a gathering of people and bleachers and decided to stop again, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before a show started. Finally, after a number of speeches by some apparently important people (perhaps the organizers of the event?) the show started.


After the show we found we were trapped by another sea of people, so we found a spot to stop and wait for the crowds to dissipate. After about 20 mins or so, the Princess made an appearance and gave a blessing for the New Year. During her speech Ryan and I found our escape route and made a quick split before the streets got cut off again when the princess left. We later discovered this was a brilliant idea because while we were ducked in an alleyway eating an icecream, we saw the Princess go by and then what appeared to be half the population of Bangkok go racing after her to catch another glimpse. They really love their Royalty over here!
Shortly after finding a quick bite, we headed for home. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see another Lion and Dragon dance – it didn’t start until later in the evening and neither of us wanted to wait around for another 2.5 hours. We were both exhausted and I was in the desperate need of advil and ice – an afternoon of ducking around people and trying to protect my arm from being smashed into as people shoved by was finally taking its toll.

Our New Pet

I think that for Ryan, the best part about me working is he has someone to talk to first thing in the morning. He doesn't have to tip-toe around the apartment anymore because I have to leave at the same time as him.
So the other day, I hear the water turn off in the shower, and the next thing I know, Ryan comes running into the room shouting "we have a new pet!" Now, I have just woken up and we are doing pets at school, so I am not really sure if I am awake or dreaming at this point. But sure enough, I follow him into the bathroom, and we have a new pet.

This is Squeaker, or Squeaks, or Squeaky - depending on my mood.

He is really quite tiny, and super cute - as long as I know he is there and he doesn't decide to make a home in my towel or something! We are not really sure how he got in, perhaps he climbed up the drain or something - the gardens in this building are home to a number of little guys, and one lives in the gym too.
Squeaker is a bit of a fraidy cat and hides most of the time. He disappeared for a few days, but then I saw him again just yesterday. We thought he escaped into the office, but saw him in the bathroom again this morning. Who knows how long he will stay, I am sure he will find his way back out soon enough, but in the meantime he can keep us on our toes whenever we step into the bathroom.

Chinese New Year at School

We celebrated Chinese New Year on Friday with the kids at school. Everyone was asked to wear their Chinese costumes (which can be picked up fairly cheap on the street) or red shirts. In the morning a troupe was coming in to perform a Lion Dance and acrobat show. The kids looked so cute when they arrived in the morning - their little outfits are just adorable. With all the excitement however, the kids got overstimulated and there were a lot of tears.

We prepped our class for the oncoming show, explaining that there was going to be a Lion and Dragon dance, but that it was just men in costumes, so there was nothing to be afraid of. Unfortunately, I don't think any kind of preparation would have worked for some of these kids. We sat all the kids on mats in the yard and waited for the show to start. From the first bang of the Chinese drum (which, by the way, was loud enough to make me and the other teacher's jump)the first screams started. This one poor little girl, Nan, was so terrified I swear she jumped straight up and somehow moved horizontally through the air into my arms! The little ones who enjoyed the show stayed in the yard, but we took the screamers into the gym where they could watch if they wanted through the screen doors. They were so cute - they didn't want to let any other kids into the gym because they were afraid if we opened the door the dragon would come in and eat them!
The show was pretty neat, but I didn't get to take any pictures because I had children hanging on for dear life. Nan, the little one from the beginning wouldn't let me put her down until at least 1/2 an hour after the show finished! After the dance, the troupe did some neat tricks and flips. There were three adults and two children in the troupe - the youngest one looked about 5 or 6. They did this one stunt where they all stook up on each others shoulders, making a straight line up in the air. It was pretty impressive, but I was terrified for the little girl at the top - especially when whe stood on top of the guys head!
After the scary people left the kids paraded around the yard with the masks we had made earlier in the week, banging drums and shaking bells.


The older class (5-6 year olds) had made their own dragon costume and danced around the yard - yes some of the kids were afraid of that one too! All in all it was a great day, but exhausting taking care of all those children.

Turning Japanese

Everyone has been asking how Ryan is enjoying his new job over here, so this entry is dedicated to the wonderful people over at Pasco Thailand. Ryan is enjoying his new position. He is currently working on his second training group after successfully graduating the first group onto the production floor. For all of you who were wondering, yes, all the trainees do speak English, although some with varying abilities. Still, Ryan is working hard and enjoying it for the most part (it is work). He gets to taste the local cuisine on a daily basis at a nearby market they eat lunch at. There are a number of food stalls, although he keeps to the same select few (his ladies give him extra rice!) For the Cdn equivalent of about $1.50 he gets a healthy serving of rice, chicken or pork, veggies, and usually another sampling - they have about 10 different choices every day - plus a bottle of water. I have met him for lunch a few times and can attest that the food is quite good.
Ryan’s Japanese colleagues have all done their best to make us feel welcome. They are your typical Japanese businessmen, each with their own unique characteristics, and always make sure you have a good time when out on the company dime.
Most recently, some Head Honchos from the Denver and Jakarta office were here visiting, so Pasco took us all out for an amazing meal. Mr. Sanui, the President of Pasco Thailand is an excellent host and provided us with an evening we will never forget.
We arrived at Nippon Tei, one of Bangkok’s finest Japanese restaurants after work last week, not really sure what to expect. There had been rumour of a previous dinner that involved eating lobster while it was still moving (thankfully I was not present for that one!)
We were ushered into a private room by our hostess, who was dressed in the traditional Japanese Kimono. We took off our shoes and walked into the room. The floor was covered with tatami mats and in the middle was a large table with cushions on the floor. Underneath the table the floor was lowered so that you could sit as though in a chair if you didn’t want to sit cross legged. Everything was pre-ordered so we just got to sit and enjoy ourselves. After brief introductions and a welcome for our visitors the first course came out. Some had sashimi (raw fish) but the vegetarians and I were given a tasty salad to begin. As for drinks, after the first beer, Asahi – my new favourite Japanese beer, it is very light and doesn’t have that gross beer aftertaste – Mr. Sanui asked if I would like to try some Cold Saki. (I was sitting to his right, so I received full explanations and proper instructions throughout the entire meal; I have learned that this is the best place to sit when we go out with Pasco!) Our last Saki experience did not go over too well, but hey, when in Rome . . .
The server brought out a bowl with a wooden box filled with liquid and set it down before me. In another dish was some raw salt. I looked questioningly at Mr. Sanui and he explained I was to pinch the salt and place some at the corner of the box and then drink. Was it ever good! The salt actually made it sweet! It was definitely the best Saki I have ever tasted. The funny part about the Saki was that not only were the boxes filled, but the bowls as well. Ryan had assumed it was cold water in the bowls – to keep the Saki cold. However, we were told this was “overflow” and if Saki were served without the “overflow” any Japanese would complain to the server! So after our boxes were emptied, we filled them back up with the “overflow” and had some more!
Back to the food: after the salad came the Snow Fish. Now as you all know I am not much of a fish eater, but I am not afraid to try new things, so I ate it. It was cooked with a tasty sauce and was quite good. It was the first fish that I actually enjoyed! Next up came the Kobe Beef. This delicacy was brought out raw with some veggies. We were each given our own Japanese-style hot plate and cooked up the beef and veggies. We also had a sesame-type sauce for dipping. It honestly melted in your mouth! I have never tasted beef so good before, it was like nothing I had ever had, and is completely indescribable. The next course was Puffer Fish (or Blow Fish). As we all know courtesy of the Simpson’s, Puffer Fish is extremely poisonous, except for in a very small area. No worries here though, the reason we went to Nippon Tei that night was because the head chef was leaving for Tokyo the next day, and Mr. Sanui wanted to make sure we had him cooking for us! We were each given three pieces; each one had a bone in the middle and meat on either end. This fish had the texture of chicken, not flaky like most fish, and was incredible. We squeezed some lime on the fish and that was all it needed. The last course was rice and bbq eel. I have never been a fan of eel, but everything else was so exquisite I had to give it a try. Following Mr. Sanui’s lead, I took the Japanese black pepper to add some flavour and had a bite. It was really not that bad, but I only ate one piece. To finish off the meal was a plate of mixed fruit including pomelo, mango, papaya, and pineapple. All in all quite the experience; we were raving about that meal for days!
So I guess lesson learned: if you want me to like fish, make sure it is super fresh, super-exotic, cooked by the best, and warm me up with some Japanese Saki first!

Lost in Chinatown

Ryan and I were searching for a new adventure in our travel books and found a Walking Tour through Chinatown. Our book provided a map and highlights of the tour, so we figured, why not? Plus, we figured we could orient ourselves with Chinatown before the Chinese New Year when it would be insanely packed with people! We jotted down a quick version of the map with a few extensions as we were picking up the tour from the subway and intended on departing from the river via riverboat taxi, instead of following the tour as shown in the book (insert foreboding music). Confidently we headed off into Chinatown.
When we first arrived, both of us were pretty disappointed. Chinatown looked like any other street in Bangkok, only with Chinese writing on the stores. But we were already here, so we kept on going. Our walking tour took us down Trok Itsaranuphap, a main thoroughfare where we were supposed to see rows of vendors selling various foods, a number of gold shops, etc. But it didn't seem as incredible as we were led to believe. Where were the masses of people? Only a few of the vendors were out, and their "delicacies" didn't look too impressive.
Finally, we found Sampeng Lane. This is the Chinatown we were waiting for. Basically, this is an alley crammed to the brim with venders, food, and people . . . so many people.
In 1782, Sampeng was a trading centre - it was built near the river for easy access for goods bound for the international markets. I am positive that if you simply changed the clothing on everyone, it would have been exactly the same!
This market was INSANE! It was also the reason Ryan and I dubbed this place Crazy Town. It is a good thing neither of us was claustrophobic, but this place stretches you to your limits. Picture a narrow lane with vendors on either side. Now place about 4 feet in between the stalls and then picture everyone playing "how many people can we fit in this phone booth" but replace the phone booth with the lane. Now imagine some people trying to stop and bargain with the vendors, vendors trying to grab your attention through various catcalls, music, megaphones, etc, people trying to shove their way through - even though there is no where to go, and then there is you smack in the middle of this just trying to have a look . . . oh yes, and don't forget that amidst this insanity you have to be conscious of your valuables at all times as Chinatown is famous for its pickpockets (this is why there are no pictures). While initially Sampeng Lane was entertaining - it is definitely an experience worthy of Chinatown - it very quickly become quite irritating. At the beginning Ryan and I would look at the stalls and saw a variety of foods that I had never seen before, various clothes and shoes, stationary and a multitude of Hello Kitty everything. But as the vendors all seemed to carry variations of the same things, and we weren't there for the shopping, Sampeng lane became old very quickly. The problem of course is that you are trapped. As soon as you get caught up in the line of slow-moving people there is no escape. The only way out is to keep going. You can see the light up ahead, but you are only advancing inch by inch.
Sampeng Lane went along about three blocks with cross streets that separate the market. So, when we got to the end of the first block we rejoiced thinking we were finally out. This quickly turned to a somewhat shocked disbelief when we realized that we were not done yet. Our brief glimpse at freedom was quickly taken away as we entered back into the Lane.
After what seemed like hours we finally emerged and vowed never again to venture in to Sampeng Lane. Once was definitely enough. We consulted our map and headed towards the river for our trip home and perhaps a stop at one of the famed restaurants along the way. We very quickly realized that we were lost. Our "map" wasn't making sense and when we consulted our real map (which we thankfully had brought) we realized we had gone too far! We had gotten so disoriented in Sampeng Lane we had gone too far! We had to go back in! I almost wanted to cry, but Ryan and I turned to brave the Lane one last time. We shoved our way through and emerged victoriously onto the next block. We were positive that now we were on the right street.
We headed toward the river happy to leave Chinatown behind us. We passed a Wat and decided to check it out so that we could take some pictures and have something to show for our Chinatown adventure.


This is Wat Sam Pluem. It looked pretty straightforward until we walked a little further in. We saw a man standing on a ledge trying to look over a wall, so we went to take a look - and couldn't believe what we saw!

There is also a stuffed alligator encased in glass a little to the left. Apparently that was the first alligator to live at this temple, and they really loved him!
Apart form the alligators, there were also several other little characters ripping around . . .

We consulted our real map once again after we left the Wat. This is a tourist map and it shows where the most popular Wats are located. Tragically we realized there was no Wat where we thought we were. We were still lost! Luckily we did not have to venture back into Sampeng Lane, and I think at that point in time we would have done everything humanly possible not to! We simply detoured a little to find our way back, and FINALLY made it to the pier to pick up the river taxi. Exhausted and starving we rested as the boat took us back to the skytrain where we found dinner and headed for home.