We went to the grand palace. Right now in Thailand, the country is in a year mourning period because the king died last October. King Bhumibol Adulyadej was a ruler since 1946 till 2016 when he died. The Thai people all wear black when they visit the royal temple and palace but for most tourists like us we just need to cover up. The palace is used for a range of official rituals, it used to be home for all the kings. So we put on our long pants and headed out to the heat. The palace is so decorated everywhere between statues of statues and buildings with elaborate gems it’s definitely a site to see even with the masses of people.
After a really hot afternoon we headed back. We took a look at the canal since it was so close and drivers kept offering tours on it. The river is so polluted it’s just all grey and gross so no river tour for us! We got some food and wandered our way back to the hostel so we could rest up a bit. At night we wandered the streets more tried some lovely coconut ice cream after dinner. We’re so exhausted that is always bed time early lately.
The food here is fun and so are the vendors. The food has to be one of my favorite parts. It seems like some of the local restaurants are just like walking into someone’s home where the family just decides to cook something up for you. A lot of the places are decorated and filled with plants and the people are so welcoming unlike all the people on the streets. The street venders never stop trying to sell. We have found there are two types of Thai people. Ones that love to help you and others who are completely annoying and only want to sell sell sell!
Everyone we talk to think that we are crazy that we like to take things one day at a time. It seems like everyone here just tries to do as much as they can in one day but Elizabeth and I are happy just taking our time. We found we like walking everywhere because then we can take in Bangkok on our own time and see exactly what we want before we get too tired.
The city is filled with plants and trees around on every street. All the hostels have so many plants. It really adds to giving the city a more welcoming atmosphere. The plants make the city more cheerful than just grey and busy!
A funny thing that keeps happening is that Elizabeth keeps getting comments about being Asian. She’s confusing all the Thai people! They all think she is Chinese and expect her to speak an Asian language. She’s half Korean half American and has lived in Chicago her whole life, they don’t really believe she is American.
We stayed at two hostels in Bangkok. Born Free hostel in the center. Born free was very nice, it became our sanctuary from crazy Bangkok. The staff was very nice and gave us a lot of tips. Our other hostel is Heyyyy Bangkok which is away from the center but we love it! It’s really relaxed, has lots of plants, A\C, books, a cafe/bar, and nice staff. It even has a cute little hostel cat! It’s not super social but we are taking it easy so it’s perfect for us to re organize ourselves for our trip.
The heat is so real and so is the jet lag. The city is so busy. It never stops! There’s people everywhere selling food, clothes, tours, etc. This city is filled with noise and we are exhausted from it. We are ready for a new place to go! Good thing Nepal is next!
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