Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Bangkok

As I mentioned, we had a great time in Bangkok. We did not run into any issues with riots, but they may have been the reason our resort was so empty. At the Hong Kong airport, we ran into my friend M who was on our same flight to Bangkok. She informed us our return flight was canceled. This caused a bit of angst and aggravation, but it turned out fine. Once we settled into the hotel, we checked out the night market and had some dinner.

Sunday, was a full day of sight seeing. We visited the famous Reclining Buddha and surrounding temple. Pictures of the Buddha fail to grasp its enormity. It was beautiful. The temple was gorgeous too--very sparkly since most surfaces were mirrored or metallic mosaics--stunning. Then we went to The Grand Palace, the former royal residence. It was so big and completely breathtaking. We saw the Emerald Buddha, but he is not allowed to be photographed. Next, we grabbed lunch at a small cafe near the Palace and headed to the weekend market. Due to the horrendous Bangkok traffic, it took almost and hour by cab. I can not describe how huge the market was. It was a never ending maze of cool and junky stuff jammed with countless shoppers. The heat was almost unbearable, and the crowds took a toll on our patience. I was thrilled to buy two cool display stands for my jewelry, as well as some other trinkets. By the time we got back to the hotel, we were completely spent. We opted for the hotel buffet dinner which was very nice and was accompanied by a traditional Thai dance performance. On Monday, Erik and I went for a traditional Thai massage; two hours for less than US$15 each. After we had lunch, we visited one more temple made of broken plates turned into mosaics. A thunderstorm cut our visit short. The in-laws opted to spend the day visiting the historic Jim Thompson House and having high tea at the Oriental Hotel. Once again, we were too exhausted to leave the resort and ate in their Italian restaurant for dinner. We left the hotel around noon on Tuesday which allowed just enough time to hang out at the pool in the morning. It was a fabulous trip.

1 comment:

The Fab Miss B said...

What great photos! Looks like a wonderful time.