A Quick Stop in Bangkok

We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand a few days before Christmas. We spent just one day in Bangkok since we were excited to scrap city life and rush down to Thailand’s beautiful islands. In Bangkok, home to 7.7 million people, we stayed in an area called Banglamphu and spend an afternoon visiting the city’s most famous attraction, the Grand Palace. From our accommodation, we took a short water taxi ride to the Palace. The water taxi had a section reserved for monks that we accidentally sat in!

It was a hot, humid day and, as is customary, we dressed conservatively to enter the Palace (no shorts or skirts, no open-toed shoes, no exposed shoulders for women). The place was teaming with sweaty tourists, but the compound was an impressive sight nonetheless. The palace was built in 1782 upon the order of the Thai monarch at the time, who was clearly interested in an lavish and ornate residence. The grounds encompass more than 100 buildings, including the beautiful Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Here, we removed our shoes and sat in front of the Buddha, who was perched high above the floor, careful not to point out toes in his direction, which is considered extremely disrespectful. The Grand Palace is home to over 200 years of royal history, so despite having traces of a tourist trap, it is an important destination for Buddhists and Thai nationals.

Later that day, we hopped onto a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to the island of Koh Samui! More on that soon.