First day in Bangkok

Today was our first full day in Bangkok.  We intentionally avoided making plans so that we could wander around the city.  We woke up pretty early at 8:30 and took to the streets.  It was nice to see various vendors setting up their stalls for the day.  Everyone was peeling and cutting vegetables, washing meet, putting serving sized portions in plastic bags, etc.  Our first stop was breakfast.  Thais don’t really eat breakfast like we do in the US, but their meal is just like all the other meals of the day.  We stopped at a street cart that served a rice-porridge with egg, lemongrass and mystery meat.  The owner was very nice and showed us that we needed to break the egg first then stir so that the meal would cool down.  It was excellent, but I didn’t eat the meat.  Afterward, we continued to wander.  Then we took the water taxi over to Chinatown to wander there.  It is fascinating that this town can support so many shops….Maybe this is why all of the Americal car dealerships are always grouped on a “motor mile”.

After wandering through the mechanic section, we found Golden Mount.  We weren’t looking for it, so it was a nice surprise.  It is a small temple built on the overgrown rubble of a previous temple.  It didn’t excite me too much, but the view from the top was pretty good.  I am surprised by the number of high rises throughout the city.

Next, we headed to Chinatown.  I got turned around a few times while we were there because everything looks so similar.  We went through a larger market and the most fascinating thing was the boys delivering the produce from the loading dock to the stalls.  They were using these huge bamboo basket/wheelbarrows and moving very quickly.  We were in their way several times.  Also at the market we saw several women making flower wreaths that we think are part of a religious celebration.  Hopefully it is and we ‘ll see parts of it later this week or this weekend.

Then it was nap time…8 hours of nap time!!!

[Monks walking around in orange robes]

[Cats and Dogs everywhere]

For dinner we went to a nicer indoor place near the river.  It was good to be in air conditioning for an hour!  Then we walked around looking for fried bananas and found one of hte more touristy streets.  It was the first time we saw more “farangs” than locals.  Next we went to a park near the river to sit for a little bit before heading home for a game of double solitaire and research of what to do next.

Our Cathay Pacific plane that hosted us for 14 hours from Los Angeles to Hong Kong!!

We really are here.

Canal near the guest house.

Delivery boys at the Chinatown market

Inside one of the market buildings.