Entries tagged with “bangkok grand palace ko kret boats” from LINDY-LOO'S LIFE

Sawatika!

Hello from the wonderful world of warm weather!

This entry will be a quick one and the pics are limited since 1. my camera broke (?) maybe...more on that later and 2. I have 40 minutes on this computer plus it is 6am and I am on one hour of sleep.

My whirlwind 3 day tour of Bangkok was a blast. Thailand has a philosophy of 'sunuk' which essentially means fun. It is a culture of great variety and history. I especially like all the Buddhist influence (of course) and 95% of Thais are practicing Buddhists. In fact, almost all Thai boys spend one year as a monk prior to their teens and again in their early twenties.

I arrived in Bangkok at 4am (the price you pay when you travel on a budget) and so plunked myself at a Mcdonalds waiting for my couch surfing host (Roka) to get out of bed and save me. As I sat there dressed in my tank top with my feet up, I feverishly studied my Lonely Planet guide and very quickly realized I had already committed several faux-pas.  Sorry Thai people!

While I was there, I found myself constantly comparing everything to China. At first glance, Bangkok is far superior, although I will admit, that depends on how you are looking at it. Lets just say, I was instantly relaxed by the general populous' ability to speak English, and the fact that they are much more 'civilized' by Western standards. This means I only saw one guy peeing into the river; only saw one guy spitting and at least he didn't make that disgusting noise the Chinese are so talented at; and to my relief, there was very little staring.

This is an ad in most of the cabs: "Yes! I can speak English."

On the first day we took the subway to the weekend market. Basically the main thing to do in Bangkok is shop. The market was great with tones of stuff to see and bargain basement prices; but nothing really startles, surprises, or amazes me anymore after having lived in China. On that note, this magic guy was wearing fake tattoo sleeves. Don't you think my dad would look cool in these...NOT!

Here is the definition of a food court at the weekend market:

We also went shopping in an area where all the students shop...during the school day. Thais don't seem to take school very seriously....but does anyone compared to the Chinese? Here is a good pic for the Function boys.

Once my whirlwind tour of the shopping scene was over, I braved the public transit system alone for the afternoon and got myself to China town to explore that area on the water taxis. I still had not had a shower or any sleep at this point....but I only had three days in Bangkok...hygiene and survival requirements could wait.

On my second day in Bangkok, I got to check off a lot of the touristy stuff.
I took myself on a cool walking tour to the Grand Palace, and explored what I would call 'old downtown'. This area has a lot more Indian influence, and the architecture is stunning.

My Grand Palace pics are meant to be overwhelming. There was so much to see no picture could capture it. Along with the unbelievable architectural detail, there are also so many people to see! Side note: Chinese people will be 'chinese' all over the world. I was already not looking forward to going back to Suzhou at this point - just by hearing and seeing the Chinese tourists at the Grand Palace....and the ones that travel are the educated, well mannered Chinese!

"For just about 150 years, Bangkok's Grand Palace was not only the home of the King and his court, but also the entire administrative seat of government. Within the crenelated walls were the country's war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Thai Kings stopped living in the palace full time around the turn of the twentieth century, but the complex remains the seat of power and spiritual heart of the Thai kingdom." http://thailandforvisitors.com

That night we went to a bar on Khao San Rd., and drank Thai style (where you buy a huge bottle of booze for your table and then everyone mixes their own drinks all night) and smoked hooka. Oh yeah.... I danced the night away and Roka had to drag me away at 4 am...very unlike me;)
 

Day three was a great water day. I went for a run in Lumpini park (my secret hangover cure) and then Roka and I took a long tailed boat to a far off Island up the river called Ko Kret. This is where my camera got drenched and it is currently not working.

This last pic was taken about 3 minutes before we went over a huge wave and my camera got drenched. He was going so fast I should have known!

On my last day in Bangkok, I unfortunately spent 4 hours looking for a place to fix my camera, and then 3 hours in a cab trying to get to the right (uh, apparently there is more than one) airport. But the good news is I did a one hour power shop and got all the necessary stuff you buy in Thailand like Roxy knock off shorts and fisherman pants, etc. I will send out all your packages today!!!!!!