Oops.. almost an entire week has gone by since my last post. I've been busy! Last week I was in Penang for work most of the week. I flew back in on Thursday night, unpacked, and then repacked before going to bed. I had a really busy day at work on Friday, and then Friday night, I headed off to Bangkok for the weekend!
One of the best things about living abroad is how awesome the ex-pat community is. I know I've mentioned it before, but it is just so great how open and friendly everyone is. I made plans to go to Bangkok with a new friend, Janelle, after only meeting her once!
We were joined by two more friends for the weekend, and we also met up with some locals in Bangkok that Janelle had met on a previous trip. We did tons of sightseeing.. ate tons of delicious food.. and of course did some shopping!
We all wanted to go to the Grand Palace, so on Saturday morning, we headed over to take the water taxi. It was a bit confusing, but we managed to figure it out! I definitely have gotten much better at managing to navigate unfamiliar public transportation.
Aside from the gorgeous temples, I loved Bangkok for all of its random stuff along the streets. I didn't have any street food this time, but there was tons to choose from!!
We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the home, but it was gorgeous and full of various art and antiques from all over the region. The tour was actually really informative, but, as always, it really makes you realize how little we know about other cultures and their history. Like, was Siam just Bangkok? Or all of Thailand? What happened to it? Was this part of French Indochina? Stuff like that - it's a bit embarrassing at times!
In the gift shop, they had some zodiac cards. (Jim Thompson moved into his home on an auspicious day, and he disappeared at an age that was unlucky for him.) I'm the year of the boar. Check out the descriptions below. Do you guys think they are pretty accurate??
One of the best things about living abroad is how awesome the ex-pat community is. I know I've mentioned it before, but it is just so great how open and friendly everyone is. I made plans to go to Bangkok with a new friend, Janelle, after only meeting her once!
We were joined by two more friends for the weekend, and we also met up with some locals in Bangkok that Janelle had met on a previous trip. We did tons of sightseeing.. ate tons of delicious food.. and of course did some shopping!
Our hotel was really cute - near Khao San Road (the main backpacker area), but kind of hard to find.. even for taxi drivers with a map!
Lovely breakfast
We all wanted to go to the Grand Palace, so on Saturday morning, we headed over to take the water taxi. It was a bit confusing, but we managed to figure it out! I definitely have gotten much better at managing to navigate unfamiliar public transportation.
Bags of bread for sale at the pier
Feeding the pigeons and the fish
These fish were enormous
Water taxi was more like a bus
Honestly, words cannot describe how awesome the Grand Palace was. It's more like an entire compound that includes the palace, a ton of really elaborate temples, and a miniature replica of Angkor Wat (in Cambodia). Looking back, I guess I haven't gone to any of the major temples in Southeast Asia yet, so this was definitely an amazing experience for me. The intricacies of everything in the temples was so beautiful, and I loved all of the colors.
We also went to Wat Pho, which houses a giant Reclining Buddha statue and is right next to the Grand Palace.
Reclining Buddha! This guy was huge...
Bottoms of his feet
Later on, after some Thai massages, we headed out to dinner with two women that Janelle met while travelling. They both are locals, so they ordered a really great spread of Thai food for us! Unfortunately, it was too dark for pictures, but it was a great setting to see Wat Arun lit up at night across the river.
Aside from the gorgeous temples, I loved Bangkok for all of its random stuff along the streets. I didn't have any street food this time, but there was tons to choose from!!
My favorite!
Mangosteens
Juice!
Random wares for sale...
Food in a bag.. bags are all the rage in SE Asia
Sunday, we also went to the Jim Thompson house and museum. I had never heard of Jim Thompson before I came to Singapore, but he's quite famous in this area of the world. He was an American soldier who got stationed in Thailand, fell in love with it, and decided to move here. He popularized Thai silk and is the founder of the industry. He disappeared while vacationing in Malaysia, and no one has ever figured out what happened to him. His former home is now a museum in Bangkok, and he's got restaurants and shops all over Southeast Asia.
In the entry way to the home, they show you how silk is spooled together.
His home is built in traditional Thai architecture
We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the home, but it was gorgeous and full of various art and antiques from all over the region. The tour was actually really informative, but, as always, it really makes you realize how little we know about other cultures and their history. Like, was Siam just Bangkok? Or all of Thailand? What happened to it? Was this part of French Indochina? Stuff like that - it's a bit embarrassing at times!
In the gift shop, they had some zodiac cards. (Jim Thompson moved into his home on an auspicious day, and he disappeared at an age that was unlucky for him.) I'm the year of the boar. Check out the descriptions below. Do you guys think they are pretty accurate??
