With Margareth and her husband who worked at the British Embassy, we had a pleasant lunch followed by a cigar and siesta till 14:30. Working hours here seem more appropriate for the tropics than in Bangkok, including lunch breaks from 11:30 till 14:30. After dropping off Margareth at KLM, I drove to the Palace where I spent the rest of the afternoon.

The Royal Palace lies on the banks of theMekhong river and is surrounded by high white walls. With the fantastic sky in the background it looked very photogenic. Closer up, however, it is disappointing. It seems overly fragile and looks as if it would melt in the very next rainstorm.

Most imposing is the New Year's temple, the floor of which is covered with 4000 massive silver tiles; this, nevertheless, make it look like the engine room of a ship. Numerous presents on exhibition give a good idea of the tastes of 19th century royalty. BLO fecit 20020302 next page

Everything is richly decorated, though often in the most absurd places. Numerous Buddha images of gold, silver and jade in all sizes are displayed tastelessly which destroys the effect each single one would have. contents autobiography comments, please?