Bangkok

I ran out of time to really finish Bangkok properly - an amazing city! So diverse, and such a mix of culture and modernity. Not to mention amazing food. On Saturday I really got a good overview. I hired a tour guide and we hit up all the major spots. We started by taking a boat to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is really amazing, definitely one of the most beautiful temples/palaces I have ever seen, the colors are so brilliant, its pretty indescribable. Its a bunch of different temples/buildings that create almost a little village. Its known for the 'emerald buddha' which is actually quite small but very holy. (I will not mention the pig's head that was on display as an offering to the buddha).

Since I really got to make my own tour, the next stop was to take a boat to a floating market. I was debating doing this part because it was an extra 1,200 bhat (about $33 dollars), I debated about 30 seconds before deciding Yes, of course I am going to do this, I'm in Thailand, and I'm so glad I did, it was such a highlight. We cruised through the backwater canals (which used to be all of Bangkok and that was how they got around). People still live right on the water, and the houses ranged from very nice to very poor. Since its rainy season the water was extremely high and we kept having to stop in between these gates that were down to keep water out. We stopped at the floating market, full of women in boats preparing food, different stalls, which eventually turned into a street market. This is where I returned my eel to its rightful home, ensuring myself a long and smooth life. I also had the most amazing lunch of spring rolls and some other street food, that cost about $1.

From here we took the boat to Wat Arun, a tall temple that is a little different style than the Grand Palace. I got to climb up it and got amazing views of bangkok. I also got blessed by a monk here.



Then we went on to Wat Pwo, very famous in Bangkok and home to the second largest Buddha in Thailand, called the Golden Buddha. Here is where I bought some good karma with the coins.

Finally we saw Jim Thompson's House. Jim Thompson was an American who lived in Bangkok for many years before "mysteriously disappearing" in the 60s never to be heard from again. There are rumors he worked for the CIA. While in Bangkok he really invested in their silk industry and made it world famous. Jim Thompson silk products (scarves, ties, pillows, bags, etc) are now very popular. Anyway, his house is now a museum because its a bunch of different Thai houses (really rooms) put together, all on stilts and in a beautiful lush area. I've also included a picture of a "spirit house" found all over Bangkok and meant to protect houses from evil spirits (Thais are very superstitious). The houses also have high steps in between doorways



I completed my day with another Thai foot massage, apparently this is more like the "real" thai massages, meaning: painful, but good for you. I have signed up for a full Thai massage when I return to Bangkok that I am now very much rethinking...

There are still a few things I want to do so I'm I glad to have a few days at the end of the trip there.