Thailand Day 2 - Bangkok Temples and Chinatown

Today was a day for temples and more exploring of Bangkok, Thailand's capital city. We started by attempting to get a tuktuk to take us to the Grand Palace. He sold us on a "city tour" that turned out to be a scam to try and get us to buy an expensive boat tour. However the tuk tuk did take us to "Big Buddha" and eventually to the Grand Palace. If you ever end up in Thailand avoid the tuk tuk "city tour" unless you want to buy an expensive boat ride, and possibly a suit.

Unfortunately Big Buddha was a letdown as it was covered in scaffolding, but the surrounding grounds offered some interesting artifacts. Following the Big Buddha we were driven to a suit shop where I wasted 10 minutes of my life as someone tried to sell me on suits, shirts, and belts that I do not need. We escaped the suit shop and were taken to the Grand Palace. This huge area contains multiple temples, a palace (of course), and what appeared to be an endless amount of spectacularly decorated buildings. What a gorgeous place and a must visit for anyone who is visiting Bangkok, and do not worry it is not closed.

After a couple hours we left the Grand Palace and made our way across the street to Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn the famous temple that houses the enormous sleeping buddha amongst many other temples, halls, and figures that make up the surrounding grounds. The size of this Buddha shocked both of us mostly on our lack of knowledge regarding this particular Buddha. It is surprisingly hard to accurately research without ruining some of the awe of visiting a site in person but this was not one of those moments.

Opting for some contrast from the luxury and maticulously detailed temples we headed for the Chinatown district of Bangkok. Wandering through what seemed like endless alleys of shops selling all kinds of goods. Brightly colored fabrics, clothes, food, electronics and everything in between. Chaos down an alley barely wide enough for 2 people at times, being passed by carts and scooters loaded with goods makes Black Friday shopping appear serene.

We took a tuk tuk back from Chinatown and ventured down another street full of shops near our hotel. Before sunset we walked about a mile up the river and found a view of Wat Arun and the setting sun. Once the lights on the temple had been lit, and a brief bit of rain passed dinner was had overlooking the river. A splendid way to end a busy day in Bangkok.