After our bittersweet departure from Nairobi, we were welcomed into Bangkok with a lovely evening and view as the start of the Asia portion of our trip.
Starting with a Misadventure
We didn't have much of a plan for our four days in Thailand, so on our first morning in Bangkok, we hopped on a bus heading toward a couple of the city's most famous sights.
We settled in for our estimated 34-minute (and apparently free - no one would take our money!) bus ride, but about ten minutes in we realized that we had gone WAY off the route. We ended up taking an hour-long ride that meandered all over Bangkok. It was a lovely and unexpected tour of the city, even if we looked like this for most of it. :)
We didn't have much of a plan for our four days in Thailand, so on our first morning in Bangkok, we hopped on a bus heading toward a couple of the city's most famous sights.
We settled in for our estimated 34-minute (and apparently free - no one would take our money!) bus ride, but about ten minutes in we realized that we had gone WAY off the route. We ended up taking an hour-long ride that meandered all over Bangkok. It was a lovely and unexpected tour of the city, even if we looked like this for most of it. :)
Seeing the Sights
Greg and I braved the heat and confusing transport to head to The Grand Palace, which used to be the royal residence, Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and the Jim Thompson House (the Thai-style home and art collection of an American who fell in love with the country).
Greg and I braved the heat and confusing transport to head to The Grand Palace, which used to be the royal residence, Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and the Jim Thompson House (the Thai-style home and art collection of an American who fell in love with the country).
Taking a Break
Given the ubiquity of Thai massage vendors, we couldn't help but indulge in a bit of relaxation during our time here.
Given the ubiquity of Thai massage vendors, we couldn't help but indulge in a bit of relaxation during our time here.
Diving into the Food: Central World
Central World is a huge mall in Bangkok that for the last two weeks of July is hosting Bangkok Varee, a celebration of the 234th anniversary of the establishment of Bangkok. The Varee is an outdoor market that features tons of traditional food vendors and crafts makers. It was a delicious introduction to the food in Bangkok!
Central World is a huge mall in Bangkok that for the last two weeks of July is hosting Bangkok Varee, a celebration of the 234th anniversary of the establishment of Bangkok. The Varee is an outdoor market that features tons of traditional food vendors and crafts makers. It was a delicious introduction to the food in Bangkok!
Classing It Up at Gaggan
Greg was amazing and had planned months in advance to get us a reservation for dinner at Gaggan, consistently rated the best restaurant in Asia. It serves "progressive Indian cuisine" in a set menu of super innovative dishes. We were blown away!
Greg was amazing and had planned months in advance to get us a reservation for dinner at Gaggan, consistently rated the best restaurant in Asia. It serves "progressive Indian cuisine" in a set menu of super innovative dishes. We were blown away!
Eating ALL the Food, Seriously
We didn't stop there, but ate pretty much everything else we found in our path!
We didn't stop there, but ate pretty much everything else we found in our path!
...and the Consequences
After eating a path through Bangkok, we were sad to get ready to leave. It seems Greg's stomach wasn't quite ready to leave yet either because the night before our flight, Greg came down with the worst case of food poisoning either of us had ever seen.
A tough, sleepless night was followed by a hurried morning of changing flights, rebooking hotels, reviewing trip insurance policies and endlessly thanking the hotel doctor for the anti-nausea shots. (See below.) :)
After eating a path through Bangkok, we were sad to get ready to leave. It seems Greg's stomach wasn't quite ready to leave yet either because the night before our flight, Greg came down with the worst case of food poisoning either of us had ever seen.
A tough, sleepless night was followed by a hurried morning of changing flights, rebooking hotels, reviewing trip insurance policies and endlessly thanking the hotel doctor for the anti-nausea shots. (See below.) :)
So we nixed Singapore from our itinerary, and we've spent a couple extra nights in Bangkok giving Greg time to recover. He's all better now, and we're ready to tackle our next stop: Indonesia!
- JC & GK
Special thanks to Greg for letting Joann both take and post a picture of him in his misery. :)
- JC & GK
Special thanks to Greg for letting Joann both take and post a picture of him in his misery. :)