story and photos by Jamie Rector
Bangkok, whose full name translates as City of Angeles, Abode of the Emerald Buddah, is the home of approximately 28,000 temples, called wats in Thai. Exploring the wats is a great way to spend some time if you’re on your own. You can wander for hours, or even days exploring and meditating in these fascinating, spiritual places.
The structures tend to be quite ornate with intricate and delicate artistry covering every millimeter. They are decorated inside and out with symbols and characters that all tell stories of the history of the land, culture and religion.
Inside, Buddhas in many sizes welcome you. Every wat has a shrine 
adorned with candles and incense. Many invite you to participate. Some ask for a donation.
Most temples are still active, with monks living and practicing within them. Keep in mind that women are not allowed to touch a monk. They will speak with you, and I certainly recommend this, but you are not to touch them.
The Grand Palace complex is one of the most extravagant wats in Bangkok. You can take a tour of the gardens as well as inside the palace. There are many rooms and parts of the palace grounds that will share the history of the royal and religious adventures of Bangkok and Thailand.
Wat Phra Kaeo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is another exceptional wat within the Grand Palace compound. Constructed in 1782, it was the first permanent structure built in Bangkok. It’s golden chedis, are a familiar icon of Bangkok. The temple houses a 30 
inch high, 18 inch wide Buddha carved of green jasper, the most revered Buddha image in Thailand. It was apparently found in Chiang Rai in the early 1400’s. It was moved several times in its lifetime before landing in Bangkok in 1778. The King himself changes the Buddha’s gilded garments three times a year to mark the change in the seasons: summer, rainy and winter.
There are endless large and small wats around every corner in Bangkok. Feel free to visit the smaller, more localized wats as well as the grander examples. If they are not open to you, someone will let you know. The smaller ones can give you a better idea of local life as tourists are less likely to wander in there.
Keep in mind, you must dress 
appropriately; wats are religious places and respect for their traditions is expected. No shorts or short skirts. Women should have their shoulders covered when inside temples or holy places. Bring a light shawl that will fit easily in a bag and allow you to be appropriate instantly. In most temples you are required to take your shoes off, so watch out for your holey socks.
Alone or with family or friends, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit several of these amazing shrines, large or small. You’ll be glad you did.
Wat Phra Kaeo
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Na Phralan Road , Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, THAILAND
Phone: 222-8181
You could hang out for a while at the Cyber Java internet cafe on Hollywood and LaBrea. You could take in a movie at one of the grand movie palaces on Hollywood Boulevard or at the Cinerama Dome on Sunset. My favorite way to kill time if I’m alone in Hollywood on a rainy day is to spend a couple hours browsing the old, new and off-beat music selection at Amoeba Music on Sunset and Ivar. It’s a favorite hang-out for local music lovers and a regular stop for many travelers who make frequent trips to L.A.
The Hollywood branch of this Berkeley-based record store opened in 2001. They are known for their collection of rare, hard to find recordings, but also have all the latest CDs from mainstream and independent labels. Amoeba also has something relatively unique in this neighborhood that adds to their attraction on a rainy day – a free underground parking garage that you enter from Cahuenga. The stairway or elevator brings you right up into the store.
Clearance Rock CDs greet you by the entrance. New Rock CDs fill up many rows of the next aisle with Rock LPs at the back. Used Rock CDs fill another big chunk of the main floor. 78s and 45s, old and new, are up front behind the information desk next to the collection of vintage reproduction movie and concert posters and music related books. They have a vast collection of used CDs, most adjacent to their relevant music genre. World Music is on the far right. Jazz and Classical have their own room through an archway at the back left corner of the store. In the center of the back wall a small stage is used for in-store concerts.
A mezzanine level runs along the front of the store with new and used DVDs, videos and laser disks. There are also several listening stations upstairs. Many, but not all of the 10,000 albums in the store have been recorded into a database. You can scan the bar code of a CD that you want to hear and if it is in the database it will come up on the screen so you can choose the tracks you want to listen to. You can also choose to browse the data base by artist or song to listen to the music before you go looking for the recording.
/If all the listening stations on the second level are in use, or not in working order, there are several more in the jazz and classical music room. They tend to get much less use.
I am not much of a shopper. The exceptions are books and music, which I can browse all day. It’s hard for me to walk out of Amoeba Music with just the one thing I came looking for. What begins as a limited search usually becomes a scavenger hunt as one “find” sparks an idea for some other recording I’d like to own. Is there really another Ottmar Liebert CD that I don’t own? How can I pass up a CD by French rocker Jean Jaque Goldman? I might never find it again without going to France. And of course I have to browse the used CDs to see if something has come in that inspires a spontaneous need
parking structure. You get one hour free with Amoeba validation, but if you’re doing serious shopping and you ask nicely, they may be able to validate you for more than an hour. Most metered street parking in the area has a one hour limit. Check the Amoeba web site at
The only spa of its kind in the Guadalajara area, Piedra Viva’s non-prepossessing grey exterior shelters an oasis of tranquility. Zen inspired treatment rooms on two levels open onto a glass-enclosed greenery-filled atrium sheltering an aqua blue pool with several gentle waterfalls. You can enjoy this tropical outdoor garden pool even in the pouring rain. In a separate, open courtyard is the Temazcal or traditional adobe sweat lodge.
Piedra Viva offers an extensive menu of massage techniques from around the world, hydrotherapies, aromatherapies, vinotherapy (wine based treatments), body wraps of mud, algae or chocolate (to name just a few), exfoliations, facials, manicures and pedicures. The Jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath and pool are also available to clients before and after treatments. An on site restaurant offers a light menu to keep you going between treatments. Salads, sandwiches and omelets are the featured fare.
The Spa manager, Alejandra Padilla, speaks fluent English. The receptionist also speaks enough English to schedule your appointment, but if you need to discuss all your options and get recommendations, ask for Alejandra. The concierge at Quinta Real (or most other hotels) will be happy to make the call for you. If the hotel does arrange the treatment for you, they can also arrange for the Spa to cover your taxi.