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We arrived in Bangkok after almost 23 hours on a plane. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think it helps arriving at midnight in a foreign country so you can just get to your hotel and jump in bed! Speaking of beds - we checked into the shangri-la Bangkok -it was probably the best hotel experience I've had anywhere in the world. From the guys who met us at the airport to the lady who brought us cold lavender scented towels and a refreshing ginger drink at 1:00 am to our room -the service and facilities are top notch. We love our balcony overlooking the river with all the boat traffic and sights. We began our morning with a delicious breakfast in the riverside dining room & from there we were supposed to meet our private driver at 8:30 am but he never showed up! The concierge saved the day with his instructions on how to catch the public river taxi to the Grand Palace and the Wat Po temple of the Reclining Buddha. It was a little
Intimidating but actually quite easy once we followed his detailed directions. After a brief walk through a street market we made our way to the boat station and bought a ticket for $40 baht which is about $1.50 each. This turns out to be a large savings from the private driver we were supposed to have. We stopped first at the Grand Palace which was truly incredible. I kept saying how it didn't seem real. It felt very Disney-like. Those gold buildings are unbelievably beautiful but like Mark said they put the beauty on the outside unlike the Christian churches where all the beauty is on the inside. I thought it would feel holy and sacred to me but it did not. I compared it to visiting Sacre couere and Notre dame in Paris where I was moved to tears but I had no feelings at all seeing the large Golden embellished buildings and temples. after a 20 minute walk through every imaginable street vender selling jewelry, food, drinks, spices, statues,etc we arrived at the temple of the Reclining Buddha. At the Wat Po temple we happened upon the Thai massage school and stopped in for a cool relaxing foot massage! 30 minutes was less than $10 (highlight of my day). An awesome riverside lunch, a couple hours reading at the pool, a complimentary happy hour and a tuk-tuk ride to a famous alley side Thai restaurant - Harmonique- finished our 1st day in Thailand. Tomorrow we are headed to Chiangmai for part 2 of this adventure.
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Kim Cutest place ever:)