Wats and Whatnots – Bangkok

The flight from Seoul to Bangkok is 5 1/2 hours.

By the time we landed at 11:30pm, we were more than ready for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.

We found an incredible deal on Jetsetter for the .

We were in one of the river view suites on the 58th floor with an amazing view and an over-sized king bed.

Prior to going on this trip, we organized several day-trips through Tour With Tong.

On the first day, our guide met us in the lobby of our hotel and we walked to the Chao Phraya River to catch a river taxi.

We went to The Grand Palace:

And The Royal Temple of The Emerald Buddha:

Thailand is a Buddhist country and the lotus flower is a well-known symbol in Buddhism.

They were growing just about any place water was present.

Food carts were everywhere, too.

Our Guide told us that Thai people are very passionate about food and love to eat.

What a coincidence . . . me too!

We jumped on a smaller boat and went through the canals that branch off the Chao Phraya River.

Before lunch we went to Wat Arun, “Temple of the Dawn”:

Those steps are steeper than they look. After we climbed up we agreed that it was not “to code”.

Our guide walked us to a popular local lunch spot. John ordered Tom Yum Goong:

I ordered Shrimp Fried Rice with Coconut and Pineapple:

Our next stop was Wat Pho, one of the largest and oldest wats (temples) in Bangkok.

There are more than a thousand Buddha images there but the one that gets the most attention is the Reclining Buddha.

The Reclining Buddha is 151 feet long and 49 feet high.

People drop one coin in each of these 108 bronze bowls lined up next to the Reclining Buddha.

The number 108 is considered sacred in Buddhism and other Eastern Religions.

Our guide took us to a market and we were immediately mesmerized by the intense smells of curry:

Fresh fruit:

And flowers:

On the river taxi back to our hotel our guide referred me to a place to get a Thai massage.

I went to Health Land Spa and got an intense 2 hour Traditional Thai Massage for 450 bhat.

That comes to $15.00.

For 2-hours of Heaven.

If I go missing one day you can be sure that I escaped to Thailand.

For dinner we took a short boat ride across the Chao Phraya River to the Sala Rim Naam at the Mandarin Oriental:

Dinner was a set 7-course menu with a classical Thai dance show during our meal.

Do you have any idea how many times I tried to get my hand to bend like this during dinner?

Only one day in Bangkok and already I am in love with the people, culture, and food.