Bangkok

The past four days have been such a whirlwind but at the same time it seems like it has been ages since we left Chicago. Jenna and I explored Bangkok for two days and during our downtime we discovered that to go to all of the places we wanted and planned on visiting, we needed a game plan. Three months, though a decent amount of time, is not enough time to wander aimlessly around Southeast Asia and get to see and experience multiple places. Hopefully I will be able to go on such a trip where I will have enough time to able to be like a leaf in the wind.

Jenna and I arrived in Bangkok on Thursday morning, 6am, incredibly jet lagged but ready to get off to a good start. We got to Bella Bella House, ate breakfast and then headed to the Grand Palace. 

There were a lot of people at the Grand Palace and within the dazzling Wat Phra Kaeo, home to the Emerald Buddha and the holiest site in Thailand. Photography was not permitted within Wat Phra Kaeo, so you will just have to take my word for it that it is magnificent or you may just have to travel to Bangkok to check it out for yourself ;)

Jenna and I walked around a beautiful park, ate dinner and then crashed after a grueling 30 hours of travel plus a full day of activities.

After planning out most of the coming weeks, Jenna and I hit the Chao Phraya River (dad, the above bridge made me think of you) and headed to over to Wat Pho, Bangkok's oldest temple which houses the largest golden, reclining Buddha in the world.

You can see the Grand Palace in the background behind this classic Thai motorboat.

Wat Pho is an extensive temple complex complete with water falls, many depictions of Buddha, colorful, ornate spires and cute statues.

I saw this little kitty snoozing in Wat Pho and just could not resist snapping a photo.

Here is the famous 45 meter long depiction of the reclining Buddha.

This is a market by the pier near Wat Pho, the photo is not the best but it gives a good feel for open air shopping areas in Bangkok.

The juxtaposition of these two photos is quite astounding. The above homes sit right next to a Starbucks.