Happy Saturnalia

Welcome Back Thailand

Grand Palace, Bangkok

UPDATE: our 33-day trip is nearly over and we had a great time. Driving in TH was quite an experience.  Bangkok has changed the most.  Traffic is a nightmare!

Actually, it is we who are going back to Thailand many years after our three year Round-The-World (RTW) trip.



Three Chedis, Ayutthaya

We are off to see the chedis of Chiang Mai, the birds of Northern Thailand, the wats of Ayutthaya and the palaces of Bangkok. 

National Palace Laquerware, Bangkok



These photos from our RTW trip were used in our Appreciating Asia^TM course at the University of Alberta.



Hill Tribe Girl, Fang Area

The Turkey blog will resume after January 10th with the two best highlights of our Turkey trip, Cappadocia and Safranbolu. 

Nativity Scene, Santa Maria d'Aracoeli, Rome

So we want to wish you all a Happy New Years as well as Merry Christmas -- or should that be Happy Saturnalia as we explained in our Patara and Saturnalia and the Mithraism and Christianity posts. 

As you think about Christmas remember that there was a real Saint Nicolas born in Patara (see post).  Bishop Nicolas was influential in the Synod of Nicaea that finalized the New Testament.  So yes there was a real Santa Claus and he was from Turkey (though he was Greek)!!

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