Reb's Travels: Thailand...

10/6/11 Thailand, Bangkok, to be specific. Just great, I love it here and, of course, the food is the best. Except for Islamic countries, the best food I've had while traveling. Rick and I got here after 30+ hours of traveling. Still having a lot of dizzy moments, don't know why jet lag effects me like that.

I can't believe how lucky I am to be in another totally different country. We got in and drove for about 40 minutes in an overhead highway the entire way across the city until we got close to our hotel and then went down. Since we got in around midnight, we slept and then went out walking. The hotel is on the Chao Phraya River, the river of the kings.

Car part alley, Bangkok

Tugboats pulling barges up the Chao Phraya River

K, K, and E, look at one of the ads!

We took a river express boat up a ways and got off at the flower market. Just rows and rows of flower sellers, all different flowers, many offerings to the Buddha that people buy on a daily basis for their homes, offices, boats, cars, etc. A big no no is foreigners who pick up and smell flowers before considering buying. This ruins it for the Thai buyer. Happily, Rick and I were pretty much staggering as we wandered and that would have taken too much coordination.

Flower market, Bangkok

Flower ornaments for offerings, saw them being sewn, amazing

We then headed toward Chinatown and again found ourselves wandering in what seemed like an endless series of markets, long blocks of alleys that were covered by awnings so that we were protected from the sun.

Since it was 90 degrees, seemed to make sense to stay in rather than emerge onto a street. Just went on and on and on. Kaziah would have been in heaven looking at everything. Tons of fabrics, hair trinkets, wigs, costume jewelry, food which actually looked pretty appetizing. I snapped pictures as I could, but you had to be a bit careful so didn't get a ton.

We then thought we'd better try to find our way out, wandered some streets and then found ourselves in car parts street market. Piles and piles of different pieces of car engines. Don't ask me what, but every vendor seemed to have piles of things that were just a bit different from the next guy. We finally found our way back to the river. Took an express boat back down to the hotel and had lunch. In the air conditioning. Thai food, vegetarian month, that means no issues with gluten-free vegan meals. Ready made for us.

In the afternoon, we took a tour of the Grand Palace where the Emerald Buddha resides. We did everything else, leaving the Emerald Buddha for last and then found out that the Queen was coming so we couldn't go in. However, we saw it at a distance. Since we were both wilting, literally and figuratively, we couldn't care that much. Two hours of walking in the 90+ high humidity had taken a toll. The place is spectacular, though, truly worth a visit.

Rick holding his own against these guys, Grand Palace

Grand Palace

Grand Palace, so many buildings, all different styles

Demons holding the monument, Grand Palace

One of 6 or 7 buildings at Grand Palace with shaped tamarind tree

Today, we took a boat taxi, these long thin boats that zoom up and down the river, must be 45 feet long, Rick was guessing, but very thin and zip in and out of these canals and waterways. We went up the river and then turned into the canal system. Since they've figured out a lock pattern and move water along so less smell and pollution, it's become more popular with wealthier people. Thus beautifully crafted homes right next to barely tottering on stilts with people bathing on the porch in a tin tub. Really interesting and the canals were extensive.

Housing on the canal

Street sign on the canals

Eli! Monitor lizards were on the canal!

Then another incredible Buddhist temple across the river from the Grand Palace. Climbed up and up, Rick was very proud of me and all I could think was this might be my max. Don't know about that Tiger's Nest in Bhutan.