Thailand - Bangkok

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We laughed when first arriving here in Thailand....the pilot said the temperature was 86F! It was funny because just less than a week prior we were non-stop shivering up at High Camp, wanting desperately to get warm and dreaming of our arrival in Thailand. Well, here we are and we sure are sweating! As most of you know, Ben and I don't "thrive" in the hot, humid weather but we are actually doing pretty well. Our health has returned as well, and we are so grateful to be feeling well again.

Bangkok is another big city...full of lots of people, cars, and buildings. We arrived in the evening to our inn in the Sukhumvit neighborhood, a more modern area of the city. It's a great place to stay, tucked away in a side alley off the main street. The next day was spent just relaxing and making our final arrangements (purchasing train tickets, arranging for hotel and transfers, etc.) for our 2-week island getaway in southern Thailand. We are very excited to get to the beach!

The next day was spent exploring the city. We enjoyed walking through packed street markets filled with everything imaginable to buy and lots of interesting food choices. By the looks of some of it, my excitement to try some authentic Thai food declined rapidly! Anywho, it was ineresting nonetheless. We also journeyed to see some of the most famous temples here in Thailand: one that housed the emerald Buddha and another that housed the largest reclining Buddha in the world. The first one was also within the Thai Royal Palace area, which was filled with incredible architectural buildings--lots of glitter and gold...beautiful. We decided we had seen enough for the day, so we retreated to the air-conditioned mall in our neighborhood to enjoy fresh mango smoothies and a bit of internet! At least we found where we can cool-off!

It's been a great city to explore but we're ready to move on....

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Photos

Bangkok
Heather in front of Buddhist temple area.

Bangkok
Gold and shimmering figurine at Buddhist temple.

Bangkok
Side view of Buddhist temple...very detailed and ornate.

Bangkok
Bonsai tree within temple area. The plants and grounds were beautiful.

Bangkok
Ben standing among side temples at one of the Buddhist temples.

Bangkok
Heather standing in front of the enormous reclining Buddha (46m long, 15m high).

Bangkok
Mother-of-pearl inlay on the bottom of the reclining Buddha's feet.