One Day in Bangkok - July 12

We had agreed to wake up and get on the move at 9:00 am to give everyone time to adjust to the jet lag, but I had a terrible nights' sleep, not able to fall asleep until around 3:00 am and wide awake again at 5:30 am.  By 8 I couldn't take it any longer so I woke everyone up earlier than planned.  We started off at our hotel breakfast and then got moving.   We arrived in such a rain storm last night, so were happy that it wasn't raining today while also grateful that it was overcast and threatening to rain.  The high humidity would have been more difficult to take if there were blaring sunlight as well.

From our Poshtel, we walked to the Grand Palace.  Despite three people telling us that Jim would not be allowed in wearing shorts while trying to sell us pants, we decided to try our luck anyway and sure enough were turned back at the gate.  Jim bought a pair of pants outside the Palace and we went to enter again but were stopped once again, this time for Julia's dress code violations.

We had turned down many offers for tour guides outside the Palace gates, but when Sonny approached us inside the grounds, we decided to let him show us around.  It was so crowded with visitors, I was glad to have someone lead the way.  He has worked in the Palace since 1961 and pointed out many things we would have missed otherwise.  The Palace has been the official residence of kings of Siam and Thailand since the late 1700s, but is now just used a few times a year for ceremonial events.The beloved King (Rama IX) died 7-8 months ago and his body is on display in the Palace for a year to give the people from all over Thailand the chance to come and pay their respects.   Shortly after the anniversary of his death he will be cremated (as all Buddhists are).  There were hordes of people dressed in black and groups of school children waiting for their chance to get into the funeral hall.

The Palace is a complex of buildings that has been added to over the years but each subsequent king and as a result is hodge podge of styles right next to each other.  In a single view you can see the ecletic mix of architecture - this one photo shows influences from Britian, Thialand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.   Unfortunately we were weren't able to get inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, but we could view the statue, which is actually made of a single piece of jade, from the outside.

After Sonny's tour we went into the Queen's textile museum (part of the Grand Palace complex) seeking air conditioning and nice bathrooms, but it turned out to have an interesting exhibit as well. She was quite a fashion icon in the 1960s, much like Jackie O.  

From the Grand Palace we walked over to Wat Pho, one of Bangkok's oldest temples, dating back to Rama I before he moved the capital to Bangkok.  It houses the largest collection of Buddhas in Thailand.  There were Buddhas everywhere, including a 46 meter long reclining Buddha.  We enjoyed wandering the grounds, going inside the ordination hall.  It has a school on the premises for Thai massage and would have been a great place to get our first but unfortunately the wait was too long for how hungry we were getting.

From there we took a taxi over to Jim Thompson House because Michelle had mentioned there was a nice cafe there and we thought (and were right) we could get some vegetarian fare there before touring his house/museum.  Jim was an American architect who fell in love with the Thai people and culture when stationed in Thailand and after the war he came back to make this country his permanent home.  Jim's disappearance in 1967 at the age of 61 remains a mystery but shortly after his death his home was turned into a museum.  He is credited with rebuilding the Thai silk industry and bringing an international awareness and demand for it.   He brought six houses together to form his complex and filled them with artifacts and antiques representing the Thai culture.  It was interesting to learn about the Spirit House - most Thai homes and businesses have spirit houses on their properties to provide shelter for the spirits that had previously lived at the site and were forced out once construction of a new place began, so that they will protect the house (and who otherwise might wreak havoc).   

We were getting very tired at this point in the day and decided we were all up for Thai massage.  We had passed a massage place on the way to Jim Thompson's house and returned there.  The girls and I chose to get a traditional Thai massage while (out of concern for over-manipulation of his hips) Jim opted for a foot massage.  The girls and I lay on beds next to each other, each with a masseuse on the table with us the whole time using their bodies to manipulate and massage ours.  A fabulous hour for under $8 each!  Can't wait for my next one.

Asked a taxi to take us to the Giant Swing, but when we saw it was just a metal frame in a big roundabout on a busy street we asked him to keep driving to the shopping street Khoa San, which was quite a spectacle - busy, and very loud.  Perhaps there was an age where I would have thought it was super cool, but I don't remember that time.  We did get to see the street food carts full of fried cockroaches and scorpion lollipops.  At the end of that street we needed to get dinner and came across an Indian restaurant.  It seems no matter where we are the local Indian restaurants will be our most reliable source for vegetarian options...luckily it is our collective favorite cuisine.

After dinner we finally said yes to one of the many tuk tuk offers we had gotten throughout the day, wanting to be sure to ride one in Bangkok and knowing our hotel was relatively close by.  It is funny how a driving situation that would feel near catastrophic in the States somehow feels perfectly safe - and without seat belts or helmets.

We've made it back to our hotel - it is just after 9:00 pm and everyone has fallen asleep already. I thought for sure I'd be the first one out.  I sure hope tonight is a better night!