Vinny arrives and I get to play tour guide!

Back to Bangkok for more adventures, this time accompanied by one of my favorite travel companions-- Vinny! She and I have made appearances together in France, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, Belize, Charleston, Colorado, San Francisco, and now Thailand!

Vinny's flight got in around 5:30 PM on Friday and I headed up directly after school on the bus. I made it to the eastern station in record time (1 hr., 20 minutes), but then it took me 2 hours to get across Bangkok to rendezvous with Vinny at our guest house, Rambuttri Village Inn, near Khaosan Road!!! I took a city bus but realized that it would take FOREVER due to gridlock traffic, so I switched to Sky Train, which can only take you so far west. I finished off the journey by tuk-tuk. Needless to say, I was happy to finally arrive, and of course elated to have a visitor from home, especially one who is such a great friend and explorer.

After relaxing and catching up for a bit, we headed out to see the sights and sounds (sensory overload, really) of Khaosan Road. We split a banana pancake and had some other nibbles on the street. It is definitely clear that it is high season, as the streets were more packed than I've ever seen them. After a 1/2 hour Thai massage, we went in for the night to rest up for a day of sightseeing.

We were ready to go in the morning, and so we set off to check out the free Green Bikes. I knew that I wanted to try them, but was also nervous about riding on the busy streets without a helmet (or with one for that matter), but Vinny was game so we hopped on some bikes and headed off to see the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It was, indeed, scary, but also exhilarating and there was a dedicated bike lane at least some of the time (though cars were often parked on it). Each time I get a little more comfortable with directions in Bangkok, but navigation is still not my strongest suit, to be sure! It was a beatiful, clear, sunny day. A little warm, but really good for sight-seeing and picture-taking. Though I should have known better, I wore capri pants which were not long enough to be considered appropriate, so I had to wait in the long line to borrow a wrap-around Thai skirt. When I got out, I saw that Vinny had been accosted (in the friendliest possible way) by an Asian family who insisted on taking their picture with us. That one always cracks me up. The woman was clinging to Vinny and she took my hand and draped it across her husband's shoulders. In their version they kicked their daughter out, but we asked her back into the picture for ours.

Although I was at these same sights in June with Fiona, it is still nice to see them again with a fresh eye, different weather, and a little bit more certainty of what's going on since I'm not fresh off the plane as I was last time. I also know for sure some of the sights that are must-sees and some of the ones that are so-so.

After we left the Grand Palace, we headed to Wat Pho to see the Reclining Buddha. Though we didn't go in the main entrance, I didn't want Vinny to peek in the windows so that she could get the full surprise of the sheer enormity of this particular buddha. It is pretty amazing to see! We walked around the grounds of Wat Pho (where I might want to take a massage course if I make time for it) and then headed back to the bikes, which you are technically only supposed to have out for 3 hours.

When we got back to the bike drop-off point, there was a small fair going on. It was in celebration of "Buy Nothing Day," though there were ironically some vendors SELLING food and gifts. There were tables selling teas, essential oils, hill tribe jewelry, and promoting conservation efforts. We both felt like we could be at an event in Boulder or SF. We got a delicious herb salad and fresh spring rolls that were made with edible flowers--so pretty! It definitely made them even more delicious, I think . . .

We then went walking to (back in the direction we had come on the bikes) to see the Flower Market, but they were starting to pack up for the day by the time we got there. We did see some trucks filled to overflowing with cones of roses and bag after bag of marigolds, as well as some huge flower arrangements. After the flower market, we headed back to the hotel and took a quick dip in the pool on the roof. Yes, the guest house had a pool! Though it is still budget, this guest house is a huge step up from what has become the usual for me in Thailand. It afforded me such luxuries as: a private bathroom with toilet paper and hot shower, towels, and even a TV. Fancy pants.

Before dinner we got an hour-long oil massage (my first in Thailand), which was super relaxing and great. We ate Indian food for dinner and by that point Vinny was ready to rest and I wasn't far behind. I headed to the book store first to replenish my supplies and trade in some that I have finished.

On Sunday, we walked over to see Vimanmek Mansion, which is the world's largest teakwood structure. It was built in the early 1900s by the king at that time, and the tour is well-done and very intricately timed. Tour guides are posted at discreet section and pass the group off like batons in a relay race. I went on that 45-minute tour with Fiona and I wanted Vinny to see it but wasn't really interested in repeating it myself. I read in the coffee shop while Vinny went on the tour. After the mansion, we decided to go see Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), which is across the Chao Phraya river in Thonburi. We took the river taxi to crisscross our way over to Wat Arun, which is a beautiful series of structures, decorated with pieces of china in a mosaic style that I really like. There are very steep stairs that you can climb for a nice view across the river, if you dare!!

Everything seemed to take longer than I anticipated on Sunday, so we got back just in time for Vinny to grab some pad thai on the go and hop on the airport shuttle. She flew down south since I have to teach Monday and Tuesday and there would be nothing for her to do in Chonburi, but we will reconvene on Ko Tao, along with Courtney on Wednesday, to celebrate New Year's.

After this weekend, I can say that I have taken just about every form of transportation available to me in Bangkok (save for the elephants that you occasionally sadly see)-- tuk-tuk, regular taxi, motorbike taxi, river taxi, subway, Sky Train, city bus (for the first time this weekend), bicycle, and lots of miles (kilometers, really) on my own two feet. Though it is huge and unwieldy at times, I think I have a little more understanding of Bangkok each time I go.

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