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Stefanie's Travel Journal
Today I was quite the tourist. After a morning jog in Lumphini Park I headed out to see the 'must see' tourist sights in Bangkok. They are all conveniently located along the river so I took the sky train to the river ferry (both of which I am nearly a pro at now!) and eventually found my way to Khao San Road for lunch.
Khao San Road is famous from the early backpacker days. Now it is very touristy but a great place for young backpackers traveling through Thailand to meet up. It is lively all day but really a fun place at night too.
I was looking for May Kaidee's restaurant in the back alley behind Burger King. As the guidebook says, the atmosphere isn't much but the food is great.
Fortified, I headed to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo which is the number one tourist destination in Bangkok. The Palace has been the capital of Bangkok since the late 1700s and although the current King and Queen do not live on the grounds, it is still used for guests and ceremonies. Anna (from The King and I) lived here and this was also the sight of the failed coup attempt in 1981.
Wat Phra Kaeo is the royal chapel and is on the same grounds as the Palace. The temple grounds hold many ornate buildings and monuments but the most revered is the Emerald Buddha. I could not photograph the Buddha but it is beautiful. It is small (only about 2 feet tall) but it sits atop a huge gold alter. Only the King is allowed near it when he changes its robes for the season (warm, cool, and rainy seasons). The Thai people believe that if the Emerald Buddha leaves Bangkok, the Chakri dynasty will end.
Next I went next door to Wat Po which is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Bangkok. This temple is famous for two things - the leading school for Thai massage, and a large reclining Buddha image. I saw the Buddha and walked all over the grounds but decided to save the massage for another day.
Then I went across the river to Wat Arun. My guidebook said you could climb to the top of the central prang and get a great view of Bangkok but that wasn't allowed today, maybe too many accidents in the past. The detail on the temple was very ornate and it was worth the visit anyway.
Eventually I made my way back down the river and then returned by sky train to my hotel for dinner.
Tomorrow I'm off to the beach for a relaxing day in the sun!
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