We arrived in Bangkok in the afternoon and grabbed a taxi. The international airport is new and very nice. Here is a sign we saw:
Our hotel is called Roof View Place and is just a short walk from old Bangkok and Khao San Rd.
Khao San by night is the most dizzying array of sights, sounds, and smells we had ever experienced. A cornucopia of tourist markets, tattoo shops, massage parlors, food carts, fried scorpions being offered up on trays, and of course, the drunk tourists reveling in it all. A visceral experience. We headed one street over to grab a bite to eat: some pad Thai and spicy basil chicken with rice. Also, some local beer for dirt cheap. The hanging lanterns gave us a sweet ambience.
We crashed early and woke up early, deciding to head over to the Royal Palace and temples. Glistening with sweat in the 85• weather at 8 in the morning, we approached the temples and the government buildings where there were mass protests only days before.
Wat Pho is a breathtakingly elaborate temple consisting of several buildings. One of which housed the famous reclining Buddha.
Enormous and ornately inlaid mother of pearl at his feet.
Also, the walls were hand-painted in exquisite detail.
Some more pictures of the temple area including monks chanting during prayer.
We headed to the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew but decided to come back when it is less crowded. These little fish tanks are for cleaning debris off your feet. Have a seat with your feet in the tank and the sucker fish will nom your feet.
On the way back to the hotel, Nicole was kicked in the shin by a local woman. I bought some little donuts from a food cart and as we ate them wondered, "what was that about?". We're now preparing for our flight to Phnom Penh. We'll see you again shortly, Bangkok!
No comments:
Post a Comment