Bangkok
December, 2009
We arrived in Bangkok (on the new A380 via Dubai) in the evening and took a taxi to our hotel, the Royal President just off Sukumvit road.
On our first day, we took the Sky Train to the Chatuchak Weekend Market for some shopping. We originally planned to spend a half day there but ended up staying until around 2 in the afternoon. Shopping was great, Sam and Lisa both got some great clothes and we found some knick-knacks for the house. Lisa got a foot massage towards the end and then we ate lunch at one of the stalls there.
After the market we headed over to the Siam Paragon Mall to see how the other half shops. The mall itself is amazing, even though the prices were a little out of our league. There were a number of other smaller malls and shopping centers in the same area so we also cruised those. By the end of the day we were beat so decided to just stay at the mall and eat at one of the Thai restaurants in the food court... lucky for us since it was here that we discovered Tom Yum Goong soup, which instantly became one of our favorite dishes.
The next day we traveled again by Sky Train to the river and then by boat up the river to the Grand Palace. The palace, especially the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is amazing. The murals painted on the walls surrounding the pagoda are impressive, with every scene done in fine detail. The pagoda and the other buildings were also beautiful, including the miniature Angkor Wat model which foreshadowed the next phase of our trip.
Once we had finished touring the Grand Palace, we continued on on foot to the Wat Pho which is where a seriously giant reclining Buddha is located.
We ended our day with a walk through a very crowded China town and then returned to the hotel.
That evening we went to a restaurant recommended by some friends of ours who had lived in Bangkok. After now having spent some time watching people eat and order food, we finally figured out the right way to get a proper Thai meal. Food was again great, of course!
The next day we boarded our Bangkok Airways light to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
