Bangkok Highlights

I spent the majority of my time in Bangkok sick so I didn't get to do as much as I might have but I hit a few of my highlights and I know that dad won't let us miss anything important when we return in December so I'm not worried!

Covered in tiny gold tiles

I went to a temple around the corner from my hotel and was interested to see how the temples here are so much different than up North.  I also got to see a bunch of the monks chanting!

Monks were chanting and praying at
the temple

I dropped my phone on the way home from seeing the temple and cracked the screen so I headed over to MBK Center to get it fixed.  I took the public bus and wasn't exactly sure where to get off, I was trying to follow it on google maps as we went (one of the reasons I decided I couldn't live without my phone, because I've been using it a lot as a GPS here).  I happened to look out of the window just in time to see a sign for it.
MBK Center is nestled in between several other more high class mall buildings, with fancy designers and even a huge chocolate store.  I've seen Magnum ice cream bars in the 7-Elevens but I guess they make more than that.  I didn't go into the store itself but in front they had a long table set with a 'feast' and on one side a cage and where people could take pictures... it was all just a little bit strange.  That whole building just looked very expensive and 'posh'.

The MBK Center on the other hand felt a bit more gritty.  There were floors with all sorts of things, but it felt more like an indoor market instead of a mall.  The little shops were squeezed in next to each other, grouped by product.  The section I was looking for was focused on phone and computer repair and there were hundreds of stalls where I could shop around for someone to fix my screen.  I was able to find a larger stall where they charged me 1500 baht for a new screen, which isn't too bad, although of course I was a little upset I had to fix it in the first place.
I had 45 minutes to wait while they fixed it so I headed over to the international food court where I spent a fortune on the worst baklava and chips and salsa I've ever had.  They had an interesting idea though, when you enter the food court you get a card preloaded with 1000 baht, and then you go around to the different stands and buy your food with it.  The prices are outrageously high but since you're not using 'real' money it doesn't occur to you until you go to check out.

The democracy monument seen from the
window of the bus, built to commemorate
the 1932 coup but also just a good landmark
when navigating the city

One of the nice things about Bangkok, especially since I wasn't feeling well, was that it was a comfortable place to stay.  It was expensive, but I was able to get almost anything I needed.  I stayed right by Khao San road which is the big backpacker spot so there were shops catering to every need of the thousands of tourists.  There was a Starbucks at the end of my street (as well as a couple McDonald's and Burger Kings) and a decent vegetarian restaurant called Ethos.  Not exactly Free Bird but they had a decent selection of vegan and vegetarian food including this vegan apple crisp which I'm still dreaming about now.  It was served warm and covered in a coconut custard, delicious although a bit too rich for my taste, I almost couldn't finish it.

I went to two of the major temples, Wat Arun is right across the river and was just really stunning.  It's covered in pieces of broken China and tile which was just really interesting to see.  I expect to see it in kitchens and patios but not on temples.  I had to take a ferry over which was a little concerning when I looked out on the river at these boats.  These men must be tuk tuk drivers at night because they drive the boats the same way, far too fast and out of control.  Fortunately the ferry I took was much larger and we didn't have far to go.

It looks so much different up close than it does from afar

There was also an incredibly steep staircase which you could climb for a view of the city from about midway up the chedi.  Great view and the colors are brilliant, but wow was it steep!  Standing at the top there were groups of people hovering about the staircase debating about how to get down them, they were so vertical it seemed more of a ladder than stairs.

Wat Pho is known for having the largest reclining Buddha although it's hard to get a feel for just how large because the statue is in a building that doesn't allow you to see it in it's entirety except from the head or feet.  The building is small and there are huge pillars in front of the statue.  Maybe that was part of the design though.  It does seem a lot bigger when you can only see the head peeking at you from behind a pillar or from the end of the long building.

Buddha's feet