-109 
their attendants ma le them bow their thanks to us. 
We drove out to Phya T s house, and met his wife. Then we all went 
down town to the Chinese restaurmt How Thin Lao, where we had shark f s 
fin soup, some delicious fish, and a dish of Siamese curry prepared by 
Madame S. in her own house. She also brought a big bowl of peeled 
rambutans. This fruit has a pleasant, slightly acidic flavor, but is 
so difficult to eat that I had never cared much fir it. When it is 
peeled and seeded - a difficult process and one requiring a special 
kind of knife, sharp and narrow - one can really get enough to taste 
the juicy, delicate meat, and it is very good indeed. 
Mr. Minnigerode had invited us to dinner, and we found ourselves 
again that same evening at How Thin Lao ! s . We had a Chinese dinner, 
with duck skin, pounded prawns, mushrooms, and other delicacies. After 
dinner we went upstairs an 1 danced until twelve-thirty, Bill getting 
a great kick out of dancing with the little Siamese and Chinese girls 
again. 
July 24 - 
It rained steadily all raon ing, and we were glad of an excuse 
to sleep lai te, and rest up after all our activities. Just before lunch 
we walked down to the nearby market, admiring the great variety of 
fruit and green things that Siam raises and eats. Near the market 
was a Chinese medicine shop, and among the remedies on display were 
dried sea horses, and tiny seed pearls. 
After lunch we went with Phya S. to see Wat Po, one of the 
oldest and most beautiful temples here. Peace and serenity seemed 
to hang in the golden haze of late afternoon. Golden-robed bonzes 
wandered about, presumably meditating . A couple of men were spreading 
corn on the stone walks to dry, and sweeping it up again with bamboo 
brooms, ixttim Groups of small statues stood in a veritable rock 
garden, which was sheltered by a green tree. Once inside the temple 
gate we found ourselves in a corridor where there were many statues of 
Buddha, gilded, all alike, making a row long enough to have real per- 
spective, grading the statues from the highest one near us to the one 
that seemed small because it was so far away. The big temple here 
contains the famous reclining Buddha, 150 feet long, rather shapeless, 
with most of the gilt worn off, impressive only for its size. One 
golden curl which had fallen off stood on a nearby table, and it alone 
was as big as a man 1 s head. In another temple was a rather lovely 
gilded bronze statue of Buddha, high on a carved altar, and faced by 
eight of his disciples. Jjfarfffraxhtm At the foot of the altar were 
two big beeswax spheres, elaborately molded and colored a rather giddy 
pink - a gift from the King to the temple of wax to be used in the 
temple candles throughout the forthcoming year. The outside of the 
temple has curbed and pointed gables which are covered with bronze 
colored glass, shimmering in the sunlight like gold and most effective. 
The temple gates are guarded by many of the same figures we have seen 
in the other Wats, and also by a curious tall stone figure of a 
Chinese admiral, in top hat, buttoned coat, flowing tie, floppy 
trousers and high boots. 
This is the beginning of the Buddhist Lent, and the temples are 
all full of worshippers, who bring with them flowers and gifts of 
candles and spheres of wax. The air is heavy with the odor of the 
flowers and of the fragrant beeswax. 
