March 18
Our first day in Bangkok we slept in and it was great. After
waking up every morning by 7 at the latest, it was a treat to sleep until 10:30
and essentially wing the day. We grabbed a map and consulted it about our
activities for the day. We decided to hit up the major attractions, Wat
Prakeaw, The Grand Palace, the National Museum, and maybe a temple or two.
Flagging down another tuk tuk we attempted to communicate our destination and
eventually we were on our way, until we had to stop for gas, which was a little
disconcerting as I know zero Thai and often had no idea what action was needed
on my part in various situations. We made it to the general area where the
important stuff was and ventured on to Wat Prakeaw. We were stopped, of course,
by a very kind man hoping to sell us something/take us somewhere/generally make
money in some way using us, who very convincingly tried to aid in our itinerary
planning. After declining his invitations the man’s attitude abruptly changed
and he hurled a string of insults in my direction. I have never before been
verbally assaulted in a foreign country, so even while his behavior was out of
line, I couldn’t help but be a little shaken about the experience.
The one low point was quickly overshadowed by the beauty and
impressiveness of Wat Prakeaw. It is a huge compound filled with different
temples and statues that are intricately adorned with the tile and beautiful
architectural details. I could have spent the entire day taking it all in. Don't worry, I took an overwhelming number of photos. It was a beautiful day to be out in the city seeing the sites and stuffing myself, as usual. If you go to Thailand, which I would recommend you do, the number one activity you will partake in is sweating. There is no way to do it gracefully. You will look terrible and your clothes will be soaked within 10 minutes of being outside. You will look like you just fell into the canal and you will appear this way the rest of the day; in restaurants, in shops, in temples. And no, the Thai people don't sweat and they wear jeans, which will make you feel worse about how sweaty and gross you are.
At the National Museum
A random military parade that we encountered
At Wat Prakeaw
These were sold with incense and a candle as an offering. I wish I knew what kind of flower this is!
These photos are of the Grand Palace
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