Kate and Jeff are in Thailand!

Proof!

After too many hours on the plane, some interesting ice cream in the airport in Korea, and a poor first nights sleep, Jeff and I are now happily wandering around Bangkok.

We spent our first full day, yesterday, taking a lazy walk around the city. We made our way down toward the river and ended up visiting the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Being Saturday, it was probably a bad day to visit, since we found ourselves lost in the swarms of organized tour groups, but we still enjoyed the experience. The palace and temples are incredible.

Part of the Grand Palace

A temple guard Jeff was fond of

Beautiful lotus flower

Jeff being "regal" in front of the palace

Between the Palace and Wat Pho, we accidentally wandered into the thick cluster of shop stalls and food markets that are clustered around the river ferry terminal. I loved being back around the sights and smells of the street food.

Market Stall

Market stall featuring fish and warm food

What we didn't exactly love, though, were the constant and persistent scams being thrown at us. There's only so many times you can be asked if you want to see "big Buddha" because all of the official sights are closed due to a "ceremony" (the palace and temples were, of course, open). Thankfully, we know better and know to ignore them, but we still saw a few people on the streets get taken in.

At Wat Pho we saw the amazing and huge reclining Buddha. Even though I'd seen it once before, the sheer size and beauty of it is still amazing.

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Line of Buddhas at Wat Pho

We wrapped up the visit with a half hour at the hands of the massage therapists at the Thai Academy of Massage. Half an hour of being twisted, pushed, pulled, and contorted by small Thai women with fingers like stone. It was great.

By 4pm, we were barely keeping our eyes open due to the time change, so we had a small dinner of yummy coconut chicken and called it a day. We'll be around Bangkok for a few more days before heading South to do little more than sit on a beach with a cold drink in hand. It's a hard life.

Happy garden statue at Wat Pho