Easter

Today is Easter, so we sang Bible songs at breakfast and told Declan the Easter story. We liked that we're in another country for Easter, as it gives us an opportunity to worship with other believers from around the world. I found Christ Church--an Anglican church here in Bangkok--where we could go to an Easter service. It is a church from the 1800s, and seems to be Spirit-filled. It seems like much of the Anglican church outside of the UK is Spirit-filled. We were happy to see so many children in attendance. And not just caucasian children, but children from what seemed like all nationalities. There were Indian, and Africans, and Australians, and Thai, and Japanese, and Persian--you name it, they were there. And it was packed--which is typical for Easter Sunday, no matter what country you live in. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what heaven is going to be like--when what we call the "Church universal" (meaning all believers regardless of denomination) is joined together in worship before God. It made me cry. I kept being moved to pray for everyone in attendance there today, that love would envelope their life, that Jesus would break the chains of whatever sin they struggle with. God is faithful, and someone there needed that prayer today.

After the service we stumbled upon a Thai restaurant in an old colonial building not far from the church. We ate a delicious meal, and then headed over to Chinatown so we could find a gold shop. Years ago when David travelled here with his father, they visited a gold shop and bought a gold Baht necklace. It's a necklace made of even, large links that can be cut off and sold individually, if need be. Dave wanted to go check out what they might carry now days. But I won't tell you what we bought. Let's just say it's really fun. And gold. On our way back we took our first Tuk Tuk ride. The Tuk Tuks are open air three wheeled vehicles that are typically Thai, and will take you just about anywhere in Bangkok. And they are really fun. The only thing is that you have to be persistent with the drivers to take you where you want to go, because they want to talk you into going to a shop or something like it, where they have some deal with the owner to get a kick-back if they bring tourists in to buy things. They tell you "you go, just a few minutes, maybe buy something if you like, then go to hotel". We had to tell the driver 5 times to JUST TAKE US TO THE HOTEL! But I can totally understand why they'd want to take us to their "friend's" shop. I mean, after all, they can't make much money, and if they can get money from stores just for bringing tourists there, why not try and make some extra money. I was sympathetic, but we still had a grumpy toddler on our hands who really needed a nap!


So after Declan's nap, we took a boat ride over to the Mandarin Oriental, a hotel also on the riverbank. Most hotels on the river have shuttle boats that take people too and fro on the river. I really wanted to take tea while in Thailand, and I had heard that the Mandarin Oriental had this amazing High Tea set in the old "Author's Wing" of their original building from the colonial era. It ended up being the most perfect tea I've ever had. We sat in the enclosed verandah of the old wing, filled with views through shuttered windows of the setting sun. We snacked on all sorts of fun things, and decided this would be our dinner for the evening. After all, it was about 5:30. I just love teas. I always have. And High Tea is the best because it is like having a full meal. You really don't even need to eat again after High Tea. Anyway, Declan had fun stirring his herbal tea and eating the sweet cakes and scones (my favorite!) with real clotted cream from England. It was really just the perfect end to the perfect day in Bangkok, and probably one of the best Easters I've ever had. There was just no better way to spend the day.