Micki and I met in the lobby at 5:50 AM to set out to see the morning markets get set up and for some more monk observations. With two of us, it felt a little more comfortable to observe.
The locals do their shopping first thing. Here is one of the fresh fish vendors. 65 Baht = $2.10 USD.
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| So much to look at in this photo, but the wiring never ceases to amaze me! |
We stopped off for a coffee, which gave us a view into the working of a couple of vendors behind the scenes...
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| Some type of noodle dish with broth - a common breakfast for Thai people |
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| Banana leaves wrapped around sticky rice |
It was only about 6:30 AM at this point, so we decided to hop in a tuk-tuk to head to the Grand Palace in the Phra Nakhon District, about 7 km away. Just the two of us, so no one to race in our tuk-tuk '_'
Glad we made this trek! This area is a different side of Bangkok from what we have seen so far. The streets are wide and very clean. And the intricacy and detail of the palace and surrounding buildings and temples were really amazing! There are millions and millions of tiles, sparkling gems, and gold. I cannot even imagine the maintenance!
The king no longer resides here, since the turn of the 20th century, but the building are still used for ceremonial purposes.
We walked around the perimiter of the Grand Palace, which took up an entire square block, not including the surrounding defense building, park, etc. to make it to Wat Pho, the Buddhist temple complex that holds the reclining Buddha. Unfortunately it did not open until 8 AM, but the outside of the complex was interesting to see too.
We thought we would just hop in another tuk-tuk to return, but we were quoted 500 Baht by the first three tuk-tuks we approached. It was only 200 to get there. So we walked on. Then the next 3 drivers we flagged down were not willing to take us all the way back to our hotel! We were about ready to walk back to the Grand Palace when we found a younger tuk-tuk driver who agreed to not only drive us, but for 200 Baht. We were thrilled!
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| Our initial tuk-tuk inquiries were to drivers with kids still asleep in the back of their tuk-tuks. |
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| We saw many kids on their way to school. Why do only the parents wear helmets?!? |
| As we made our way back to the Chatrium Riverside, we saw firsthand why procuring a tuk-tuk for 200 Baht, let alone at all to get back, was so difficult. We were in the midst of rush hour. It was insane - and honestly a bit tough to breathe in an open air tuk-tuk. Glad we experienced it. Once. |
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| This tuk-tuk was bursting with fruits and vegetables |
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| You can see the line of mopeds which stretch on for blocks in both lanes. - and using both sides of the road, regardless of the direction they are heading. |
We made it back at 8:10. It felt like we had been gone a full day! We met everyone for breakfast at the Chatrium breakfast buffet for another amazing meal. Then we said out goodbyes. Alexanders were flying home at 8 PM and Kidders at 11 PM, so they had the day in Bangkok. Out flight to Cambodia was at 1 PM. Sad to leave our friends, but excited for this final leg of our journey.
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| Breakfast outside at Chatrium |
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| Packed up again. Mixed emotions on leaving... |
The flight to Cambodia was only 1-hour, but it was an eventful hour! It is rainy season in Cambodia and we experienced that first hand as we attempted to land. The wind gusts picked up, severely rocking the plane. So much so that the pilot abandoned the landing with what appeared to be only 50 feet to go before touching ground. As we ascended through the choppy area the plane was eerily silent, except for an adult crying in front of me and a child sobbing behind me. I said a lot of Hail Mary's and tried to not appear bothered for the kids as we circled waiting for the storms to pass.
As you might guess, it all worked out :) When we landed, the entire plane erupted into applause. Ugh.
We were greeted by the driver of our hotel and got checked in. Stayed in for the night and had dinner at the hotel. All a bit tired. Looking forward to a bike tour of the temples tomorrow!
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