Bangkok

From Koh Phi Phi we flew to Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand.
We stayed at the Bhimann Inn in the historical district of Bangkok, only a five minute walk for Khoa San Road. The hotel was clean and quiet, with a pool in the back. It was nice to be so close to all the action on Khoa San Road but to be living off of it. Khoa San Road is the backpacking district of Bangkok. The road sells tank tops, face ids, food, beer, drugs and anything else you can think of. It is notorious for late nights and a good time.

We were only in Bangkok for 3 nights and two days before we hopped over to Vietnam. So it was a couple of busy days trying to see as many Wats and eat as much Pad Thai as possible.

The Pad Thai was to die for and you could get it on almost any street from a food cart for around a dollar.

We spent our first day wondering around the historical district. We wanted to knock out all of the Wat's (temples) and The Grand Palace in one day. Let's just say it was a long day of tourism and tuk tuk rides. (Picture below is all of us squished in one tuk tuk.)We first went to check out Wat Pho, where the world's largest reclining Buddha lays. This "worlds largest _____ Buddha" would complete Sam's trifecta. He has now seen the worlds largest sitting, standing and reclining Buddhas. Now that an accomplishment.

The next Wat we hit up is called Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). It is across the river from The Grand Palace and it was my favorite Wat in Bangkok. It is smaller in size and far less glitzy. Wat Arun is made of broken Chinese porcelain. You can also climb up its steep and narrow stairs to the top for a great view of the city.

We crossed the river again and walked around The Grand Palace and the temple inside of it called Wat Phra Kaew. It was very glamourous, covered in gold and jewels. A place that we all said "we could live here one day."

That night we explored Bangkok's nightlife starting on Khoa San Road, meeting up with Brian's high school friend who is teaching English in Bangkok. We then followed him around the city to a bunch of clubs and bars. It was a blast and pretty insane. I think Bangkok has some of the most absurd nightlife I have ever seen. The next morning Justine and I went to check out the famous Bangkok landmark, Jim Thompson's House. Jim Thompson was an American business man who revitalized the Thai Silk industry. His death is also very famous and mysterious. He went missing while he was on vacation in northern Vietnam. In 1967 Mr. Thompson went out for a walk into the Vietnamese highlands and never returned. There has been many investigations over the years but no answers have been found. He left a beautiful house in Bangkok that is now popular with tourists. It took Justine and I 3 hours to find it (the fault of our AWFUL cab driver).
Here are some more shots I took from around Bangkok.
This was my second time in Bangkok. I went with my Dad and my older sister Shannon in 2004. I loved it then and I could not wait to get back there. There is something about Bangkok that makes me feel alive and extremely happy. It is just one of those cities I keep hearing myself say "I could live here at some point." Who knows when I will be back again and if it will be for an extended period of time. Anyone else want to move to Bangkok with me?

Next stop Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.