So Thailand was quite the experience. Not what I was expecting by any means. Parts of the city were beautiful while others highly polluted and very poor. Safe to say I experienced my first dose of real culture shock since leaving Chicago this past week.
We only spent about three days in Bangkok, but made sure to pack each day full of varying activities. Our first day (Friday) we all took a ferry and went to see the Grand Palace. Breathtaking. Quite a contrast to the rest of the city we had walked prior, people sleeping on the streets begging for money while the wealthier passed with masks to protect themselves from the pollution. The detailing on the buildings was remarkable. The pictures barely do it justice.
Here is a picture of all 10 of us (plus the newbie from our hostile) posing at the Grand Palace.
After the palace we made our way to the Reclining Buddha -- stretching out over 150 feet. From their we trekked through Bangkok to our hostel, which was just off Koh San Road. The road is always packed full of tourist and vendors. You can buy just about anything here - tattoos to pad thai to dresses and you can even get dreads. All the food here was so good. Throughout our time here we had just about everything, all freshly made to order.
After shopping a bit we went to dinner followed by the night market. The night market, along Patpong. Patpong is notorious for nightlife and great shopping. Here we put our bargaining skills to the test. I got a nice pair of D&G Sunglasses for pretty cheap (just 200 baht) and a beautiful Panerai watch (bargained down from 4,500 baht to just 1,000!).
this picture doesnt do justice to the night market -- didnt feel too good about whipping out my huge camera as we roamed.
Other highlights of our time in Bangkok was the Chatuchak Weekend Market (clearly did lots of shopping in Bangkok). But this market is a whole new ballgame. Its absurdely huge. Over 15,000 vendors, covering 35 acres! Prices were fixed here so we didn't come away with too much, just a cute skirt and some jean shorts. Made me miss home a bit tho -- one of the stalls was playing MATT NATHANSON, the other TAYLOR SWIFT! Never thought I'd hear that in the stalls of Bangkok.
From here we spent our last day on Koh San. Did some shopping, had some great eats, and after the group slip up to explore different parts of Thailand Val and I went and got a thai massage. Felt so good, and got just over $3 US!!
Val and I post massage
After shopping a bit we went to dinner followed by the night market. The night market, along Patpong. Patpong is notorious for nightlife and great shopping. Here we put our bargaining skills to the test. I got a nice pair of D&G Sunglasses for pretty cheap (just 200 baht) and a beautiful Panerai watch (bargained down from 4,500 baht to just 1,000!).
this picture doesnt do justice to the night market -- didnt feel too good about whipping out my huge camera as we roamed.Other highlights of our time in Bangkok was the Chatuchak Weekend Market (clearly did lots of shopping in Bangkok). But this market is a whole new ballgame. Its absurdely huge. Over 15,000 vendors, covering 35 acres! Prices were fixed here so we didn't come away with too much, just a cute skirt and some jean shorts. Made me miss home a bit tho -- one of the stalls was playing MATT NATHANSON, the other TAYLOR SWIFT! Never thought I'd hear that in the stalls of Bangkok.
From here we spent our last day on Koh San. Did some shopping, had some great eats, and after the group slip up to explore different parts of Thailand Val and I went and got a thai massage. Felt so good, and got just over $3 US!!
Val and I post massage
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