Bangkok, Thailand

We left Vietnam in the late afternoon, after we had stuffed ourselves silly on our Hanoi Food Tour and flew to Bangkok next. The night we arrived we visited one of the night markets then got some rest so that we could be up early for exploring.  

Our first stop was the Golden Buddha, it wasn’t open on Mondays so we knew we had to make it there on Sunday. It was very beautiful (sadly you can’t take photos inside) but not as impressive as some of the other buddhas we had waiting for us at the other temples...

Next stop was the Chatachauk Market, also only open on the weekends. You could easily get lost in this market for an entire day with sections devoted to home goods, clothing, fabrics, lighting...for someone who loves shopping as much as me this was a dream come true. We took a break in between stalls to get some pad thai and Changs, two things we made sure to have a ton of in Thailand.

The great thing about the Chatachuak Market was that it also had up and coming designers and brands. I had expected mostly junky clothing but was pleasantly surprised to see all the stylish and unique items for sale. I loved these ruffled looks and the floral heads on top were the icing on the cake (amazing). If any of you readers are familiar with my Cornell senior design collection, you can understand why I was so drawn to these outfits and the floral accents!

We stocked up on gifts, cool accessories (see my sunglasses in the rest of this post!) and even got a set of rice bowls, tea cups and authentic chopsticks to bring home.

After our exhausting day of shopping (no complaints here), we checked out Khaosan Road which is fondly known as a “Backpacker Ghetto” which basically just means its full of hostels and bars. We posted up at a street-side bar and watched as all sorts of people walked by - men selling scorpion snacks, women selling foot massages and a few drunk backpackers who we aren’t quite sure made it home. 

The next day we visited The Grand Palace to see the Emerald Buddha and the Reclining Buddha. The grounds, buildings, sculptures were all full of detailed and intricate patterns, colors and lots of gold! I was blown away by how beautiful and ornate everything was and it was all in pristine condition.

To enter the temples you must cover your arms and legs and remove your hat and shoes. In this photo on the left I was dropping coins into these metal pots, I like to think they were for making wishes but I don’t think that was actually the case...my recently purchased elephant pants came in handy to pull over my shorts, unfortunately my shawl was not enough to cover my upper body so I had to buy this shirt. Looks less haphazard in photos than it did in person!

This is the actual Grand Palace behind me, which is used for hosting foreign officials, royal events and all kinds of fancy gatherings. 

Buddhas on buddhas on buddhas.

We stayed at the Millennium Hilton, which was a beautiful hotel right along the river that runs through the center of Bangkok. We didn’t have a chance to take a dip in the pool but we did make use of the water deck and lounge chairs a few times for relaxing with some cold beers and taking in the views of the city.

Our last night we went to the Sky Bar at Sirocco, which proudly proclaims itself as the World’s Highest Alfresco Dining Experience, being on the 63rd floor that’s no joke. It is also known for a scene in the Hangover 2. The views were well worth the exorbitantly priced drinks, a pretty unbelievable view from that many stories up.

I also couldn’t wait to wear my kitty/puppy flats I purchased in China a week or so earlier :)

My first and Jeff’s second visit to Bangkok was a great success, but we were not too sad to leave as our next and final destination was the beaches of Thailand...up next, Krabi and Railay Beach!