If you thought Atlanta traffic was bad...

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As the title suggests...you haven't seen bad traffic until you've come to Bangkok! Seriously this traffic is completely insane! I guess that’s why people take scooters around everywhere. I opted for walking, for fear of the craziness.

Yesterday I took a cooking class. It ended up being a private lesson, but I had a lot of fun with the girls who own the restaurant. I cooked all kinds of things- curry, soups, hummus, sauces, pad Thai, spring rolls…and the best part…got to eat it all! Thai cooking seemed really simple to me that is if you have all the numerous ingredients.

Today I got up early and went to the floating markets…definitely cool. We took longboats up the canals and then took a paddle boat once we were at the market. It was definitely eye opening to see how people live on the river. The houses were all but falling apart and everything must be constantly wet from living in the marsh.

The market was full of souvenirs now, but you have to be good at bargaining in order to get anything for a decent price. I’m not so good at that, so I sat back and watched the couple in front of me go back and forth about prices. They said you have to offer a fifth of what their initial offer is if you want to get nearer the real price. They have traffic jams at the market as well. At one point boats were fighting to push through the crowd, which took over the river.

On the way back I saw a cobra show. It was definitely cheesy and a tourist trap, but I did get to see the "kiss of death". All I can say is he's braver than I am.

For the afternoon, I went temple sightseeing. First I went to Wat Phra Kaew, which is known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. I was definitely unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else- huge, golden, and sparkly😊 The design was ornate and had many intricate patterns throughout the building. To go inside you have to take your shoes off and never point your feet towards Buddha.

By the way, to get into the temples you have to be covered…which makes for a tremendously hot experience. I was definitely about to die about 5 minutes into the walk.

Next, I went to the Grand Palace. One of my favorite parts was the trees outside that reminded me of Dr. Seuss. The architecture changed a bit from the temple area to a not so mythical appearance.

My favorite place was Wat Pho. It’s the oldest temple and is famous for the giant reclining Buddha. There are many buildings around the main temple with mosaic features. It kind of reminded me of Gaudi in Barcelona.

I met a great girl from New Zealand and we ventured out to find Chote Chitr, a Thai restaurant recommended by another traveler. It was a cute little 6 table restaurant- definitely authentic Thai cooking. We shared dinner time with two cute dogs (dogs and cats are everywhere here!) and some people from North Carolina haha.

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