While visiting our friends Jon and Jason in the U.S. during the winter break, they mentioned going to Bangkok in May. We were so excited about this that we booked a trip to meet them there. Last year they came to Singapore so it was great to see them in Asia again.
We all stayed at the Lebua State Tower Hotel (http://www.lebua.com/) which was the same place where "The Hangover 2" was filmed (http://hangoverpart2.warnerbros.com/dvd/). Unlike the movie our adventures were much more tame. We still had fun without losing each other and ending up with face tattoos.
Day one was temple day. Bangkok had many beautiful temples among the vibrant, seedy, and modern parts of the city. First we visited the Grand Palace (http://grandpalacebangkok.com/), which should also be called the "City of Gold" with all the gold temples throughout. To be respectful of local customs we had to dress properly before entering the Palace (no shorts and sleeveless shirts). There were even workers outside "policing" the attire. One person saw me walking in with my pashmina wrapped around my arms and I was stopped and told to "go to the line." The line lead to a room where there were other offenders renting shirts and pants for $5.00 U.S. At first I thought it was a racket operation, but later when I returned the garments they gave my $5.00 back.
The next temple was Wat Pho (http://www.watpho.com/th/home) which had the famous reclining Buddha. I've seen photos of the Buddha before, but was in awe of how huge it actually was. We were given coins that we were supposed to drop in buckets alongside the wall. It was for good luck, but we turned it into a competition on who would finish first. Last time Jon was here he used up all his coins before reaching the final bucket. For this visit he took his time with care and precision.
In the afternoon we took a boat across the river to our final temple, Wat Arun or Temple of the Dawn (http://www.watarun.net/). From a distance the temple was breathtaking, but up close it was mystical and somewhat eerie. We later found out that the tiny, steep steps leading to the top were even scarier. I climbed to the middle and stayed at the base, while the gutsy boys climbed to the summit. This was our favorite temple because of its beautiful and intricate details.
After temple-hopping we were exhausted. We grabbed a taxi and an hour later we were back at the hotel. The ride should've taken only 20 minutes because all we had to do was cross the river. However, Bangkok has notoriously bad traffic. Jon fell asleep in the front seat while the rest of us passed the time listening to this silly radio show. Back at the hotel, Tony and I headed to happy hour that was part of the our club room package, while Jon and Jason headed to their room to rest up before dinner.
For dinner we wanted cheap, local Thai food. Our hotel concierge recommended a place that not only fit the bill, but was within walking distance. The food was so delicious and the place felt comfortable like someone's home. We gobbled the food so quickly that we didn't take any photos. Oops! On our way back we walked through a night market and found very interesting creepy crawlies being sold for a late night snack. Good thing we were full!
When we got back to the hotel we checked out their famous Sky Bar (http://www.lebua.com/sky-bar). We toasted our cocktails while admiring the exciting city below.
The next day we enjoyed our spectacular free breakfast at the hotel (dim sum, a sausage & bacon guy grilling your choice of item, eggs made to order, grilled breads, and Thai delicacies). We planned to visit the new Asiatique mall (http://www.thaiasiatique.com/index.php/en), but it didn't open until 5 p.m. So instead we headed to Chatuchak Market. It's one of the largest outdoor markets in the world (http://www.chatuchak.org/) where they even sell live animals (lions, tigers, and snakes...oh my!).
We really enjoyed Chatuchak Market because of the uniquely designed and diverse items sold. The prices were so cheap too. Since the market was outdoors it was extremely hot. So we called it quits after a few hours. Next time we're in Bangkok we'll definitely make it back here for a shopping spree.
Yesterday we spent too much time in traffic so we decided to take the local mass transit instead. There were long lines to buy train tickets, but once you got on it was a pretty fast.
Thanks to our foodie friends Jon and Jason, our last night in Bangkok was spent eating a fantastic dinner at Nahm (http://www.comohotels.com/metropolitanbangkok/dining/nahm). It was voted one of the 50 best restaurants in the world (#3 in Asia). The food was Thai fusion served family style. There were so many good choices that we ended up ordering 8 dishes to share. The waiter gawked at us and said it was "too much food." We told him we were hungry Americans and it was just enough. We sure proved him wrong! We also missed taking photos cause we were too busy eating. Jason took some photos luckily. We left it to the professional. :)
Because we were in Bangkok, we had to check out the Patpong Area (Red Light District). The plan was to walk through the area just to see what the hype was about. Then leave before the noisy bar owners lead us to watch a "ping pong" show. It's not what you think it is. The area looked like any typical red light district with prostitutes on every block. The only thing that surprised me was a girl who had a price tag on her of "$100.00." I was really surprised of the low price, but who knows what you get for that cost.
After the excitement we headed back to our hotel. Jon and Jason called it a night, but Tony and I hit the Sky Bar one last time for a nightcap and to admire the view.
We all stayed at the Lebua State Tower Hotel (http://www.lebua.com/) which was the same place where "The Hangover 2" was filmed (http://hangoverpart2.warnerbros.com/dvd/). Unlike the movie our adventures were much more tame. We still had fun without losing each other and ending up with face tattoos.
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| View from our balcony |
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| Hello Bangkok |
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| The Terrace |
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| Like my shirt? |
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| Entrance of Grand Palace |
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| Statue guarding the entrance |
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| Different expressions |
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| Mini version of Angor Wat |
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| Jon striking a pose |
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| My turn |
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| Vogue |
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| In front of the main temple |
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| Jason admiring the Palace |
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| Jon & Tony admiring the mural |
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| Gold Rush |
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| The devil's in the details |
The next temple was Wat Pho (http://www.watpho.com/th/home) which had the famous reclining Buddha. I've seen photos of the Buddha before, but was in awe of how huge it actually was. We were given coins that we were supposed to drop in buckets alongside the wall. It was for good luck, but we turned it into a competition on who would finish first. Last time Jon was here he used up all his coins before reaching the final bucket. For this visit he took his time with care and precision.
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| Buddha in a break dancer pose |
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| Buddha's Feet made out of Mother of Pearl |
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| Just a drop in the bucket |
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| Dropping coins |
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| Crossing the river |
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| Wat Arun in the distance |
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| Our boat |
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| Wat Arun entrance |
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| Such craftsmanship! |
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| Jon climbing to the top |
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| The boys climbing the tiny steps |
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| They made it! |
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| No climbing for me! |
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| Back down from the summit |
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| Action Shot |
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| Part of the temple you can't climb |
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| The temple is made of porcelain china |
After temple-hopping we were exhausted. We grabbed a taxi and an hour later we were back at the hotel. The ride should've taken only 20 minutes because all we had to do was cross the river. However, Bangkok has notoriously bad traffic. Jon fell asleep in the front seat while the rest of us passed the time listening to this silly radio show. Back at the hotel, Tony and I headed to happy hour that was part of the our club room package, while Jon and Jason headed to their room to rest up before dinner.
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| Happy Hour Snacks |
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| Mango Mojitos |
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| Deck outside the lounge |
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| Hotel Balconies |
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| It's exactly what it looks like. |
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| Vendor selling "interesting" meats |
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| Bangkok Skyline |
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| View from the Sky Bar |
The next day we enjoyed our spectacular free breakfast at the hotel (dim sum, a sausage & bacon guy grilling your choice of item, eggs made to order, grilled breads, and Thai delicacies). We planned to visit the new Asiatique mall (http://www.thaiasiatique.com/index.php/en), but it didn't open until 5 p.m. So instead we headed to Chatuchak Market. It's one of the largest outdoor markets in the world (http://www.chatuchak.org/) where they even sell live animals (lions, tigers, and snakes...oh my!).
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| Yogurt station at breakfast |
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| Cute cafe inside the market |
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| Happy Hour anyone? |
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| Endless stalls |
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| Getting lost in the abyss of stalls. |
Yesterday we spent too much time in traffic so we decided to take the local mass transit instead. There were long lines to buy train tickets, but once you got on it was a pretty fast.
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| No drinks allowed Jon! :) |
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| A "local" greeting us at McDonald's |
Because we were in Bangkok, we had to check out the Patpong Area (Red Light District). The plan was to walk through the area just to see what the hype was about. Then leave before the noisy bar owners lead us to watch a "ping pong" show. It's not what you think it is. The area looked like any typical red light district with prostitutes on every block. The only thing that surprised me was a girl who had a price tag on her of "$100.00." I was really surprised of the low price, but who knows what you get for that cost.
After the excitement we headed back to our hotel. Jon and Jason called it a night, but Tony and I hit the Sky Bar one last time for a nightcap and to admire the view.
