Bangkok, continued!

We ended our touring days in Bangkok with a new plan: wake up early and head straight to the sights, come back for lunch and a regroup. This definitely helped the heat situation but it was still hot. Adding to the heat was the fact that we wore shorts and had to cover up inside the palace. Please enjoy some classy pictures of our added clothing! On the plus side, everybody was doing it, even the natives. 

The Grand Palace was a ferry ride (a $0.45 ticket, by the way) away from the hotel. It was the home of the royal families of Thailand dating back to 1782 and is still used today for formal events. It is a giant complex with swarms and swarms of tourists. AT has a new fear of being hit with a selfie stick and it felt very real today. 

We wandered through the complex in awe of all the people and all the bedazzling. No surface was left untouched, a reflection of the wealth and power of the Kingdom of Thailand. 

 

Following a cool-off luncheon, we went back to the Jim Thompson store because...beauty. I took a picture inside the store this time but it just looks like a random picture of a store and not like the place I want my ashes spread when I die so I'll give you this picture of a beautiful scarf I now own instead.

The day ended with a longboat ride through the rivers and canals of Bangkok. It was a little rainy but we don't mind! We're off to have one more delicious Thai dinner before leaving for Cambodia tomorrow!

Bangkok!

It's so beautiful. There are so many flowers. It's so hot. 

Where to begin? I can start with the fact that we are poolside at what must be one of the most special hotels in the world. We are just back from amazing sight-seeing that was slightly blurred by all the sweat coming from our bodies. 

I'll back up so you can see how we got here. We arrived in Bangkok from Tokyo on Thursday. The flight was about 6 hours and, in comparison to our previous flight, felt like nothing. Upon arriving, we came to our hotel, The Mandarin-Oriental. We were greeted with flowers and the service has been extraordinary ever since. There is a butler on every floor to anticipate your every need, sometimes even racing you to the elevator to hit the button for you. There are so many details I could go to in but my favorite happened today at breakfast. AT blew her nose (with a pre-packed kleenex*) and the waiter was immediately there with a box of tissues to offer her another. Whoa. 

I could go on for days, but I'll spare you. I will say that the lobby is beautiful and the flowers are so abundant that I insisted I take my picture in front of the hanging purple flowers to "show the wedding planner." This is putting many tuk-tuks before the horse and I don't even care. 

For our first full day in Bangkok, we went on a Jim Thompson pilgrimage. Jim Thompson was an American who was stationed in Thailand during WWII and he loved it so much that he returned after the war. He revolutionized Thai silk production and brought it to the attention of the western fashion world. We started at his outlet store, then went to the real store, and ended at his house which is now a museum. 

The outlet store was five floors with the first three all being bolts of fabric. If you need to upholster something in Thai silk, please start here. The choices were endless and each was more beautiful than the next. The top two floors have clothing, bags, and home furnishings all made from Thai silk. We bought many many things. 

We had to compensate for our entire trip in Japan where we tried to shop but found nothing of interest. It felt a little bit like this**:

After shopping at the outlet, we went to full retail. I know we've seen many beautiful things this trip and will continue to go many more awe-inspiring places, but...I think that store was the prettiest place I have ever been. Imagine the most exquisite scarf you've ever seen. And then imagine it is next to another impossibly gorgeous scarf. And then imagine it goes on forever just like that. At one point I had to stop in the middle of the store with my head swiveling around and figure out which way to walk because I wanted to walk all the directions at once. I took no pictures inside because I consider it to be a holy place. 

Our last stop was the Jim Thompson house. Admission includes a guided tour of the six traditional Thai buildings he combined to build his house. It is filled throughout with art and antiques from Thailand and the whole world. 

Today we hit the more obligatory tourist destinations. We rode the ferry up the river to the Golden Buddha. We had a bit of a walk from the pier to the Buddha himself and the heat-dripping*** began. Please ignore the shine from us and focus on the shine from him. 

Next we went to Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple that was a short trip away through Chinatown. We opted for a tuk-tuk to avoid further pore-cleansing. 

When we got to Wat Pho it was one stunning visual after another. We started at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. He is HUGE! I had/got to don a lovely robe (which I returned, don't panic) to cover up my shorts and then we walked all along the perimeter of him. I don't think the pictures really capture how giantly chill he is, but let's try. 

From there, we wandered around the very large complex. It hosts many tourists, a working Buddhist monastery, more than one thousand Buddhas, and many mounds that are ornately decorated in tile, gold, etc. It was overwhelming to see it all in one place. 

So overwhelming, in fact, that we got on the ferry and turned into our own reclining Buddhas at this pool. And we've come full circle!

There is still much to see! Tonight we are going to visit one of the night markets or continue visiting temples when the heat of the day has dropped off a bit. We then have one more day in Bangkok before we head to Cambodia! 

-KT

*She is an expert traveller. 

**In this scenario, Japan is the snobby Beverly Hills sales clerk, AT is Hector Elizondo, and I am a hooker with a heart of gold. 

***I've decided we need euphemisms for sweat. 

How-To ... Ask Strangers to Take Your Picture

I've had a bunch of people asking me about getting other people to take your photo. (Well, one, but I'm trying to sound popular. Shout out to Andrew!) Specifically, Andrew said:

"I want more context of how you ask strangers to take photos and how worried you are they'll run off with your phone, pleasethankyou"

This is a constant struggle for the small-group or solo traveller. You want to be in the picture and you don't want everything to be a selfie. At some point you have to ask a stranger to take your picture. 

(Selfie. Why can't I ever stand the camera upright and hit the button?)

Here is my approach:

1. Look around for people clearly not in a hurry at your picture destination. 

2. If multiple people fit 1st criteria, narrow it down by perceived friendliness and who you think will take the best picture. Ageism, sexism, and racism are all factors here. I, personally, think Asian* women in their teens-30's take the best pictures and my own photo history has confirmed that. If you see someone taking the exact same picture you want, they are also a good choice. If someone asks you to take their picture, you obviously ask them to take yours. 

(Taken by a Portuguese man who asked us to take his picture in the same spot.)

3. Once the target has been identified, look extra friendly and smiley and get their attention in a non-threatening way. Sometimes this means you say, "Oh! Excuse me!" several times before they notice. 

4. When the fish is on the line, continue smiling constantly, gesture to your camera, the view, and the people you want in the picture all at once while saying "would you take our picture?"

5. No one has ever said no to this face. 

6. If you have an Asian girl, you give them the camera and they automatically know what to do. If you have a non-Asian-non-girl, you set up the picture for them and hope they don't put the people in the center of the picture but off to the side like you clearly demonstrated. Fortunately, everyone the world over knows how to use an iPhone camera now so you don't have to show them how to use it unless you feel like a real jerk. 

(Taken by an Asian girl)

(Taken by an Asian girl)

(Taken by a man)

7. Smile for the picture. Laugh when they count off in their own language or say a word you all will understand. Examples: cheese, sushi, Mickey Mouse, etc. 

8. Take the camera back and friendly laugh and gesture "oh, it will be fine!" when they ask you to check it. If they're insistent on you checking it, fake click a few buttons before giving a big smile, a thumbs up, and saying excitedly, "ooh, yay!"

(In hindsight, this could have used some checking. We were aiming for the large golden thing behind us.)

9. Thank them in all the languages you know but especially English, the language of the country you are in, and the language you think they speak.

10. Continue being super nice because you're all tourists and odds are good you'll see them at the next picture spot. 

(This nice Austrian woman did not get the thing in the background but we saw her everywhere.)

If you follow all these rules, the concern for someone stealing your camera is 0, pleaseyourewecome.

I totally take questions now! Let me know your other pressing concerns!

-KT 

*Note: we are currently in Asia so this sounds like a very easy task. Not in Asia? Fear not!  Wherever you are, there will be Asian tourists.**

**Note: if you consistently find yourself somewhere where there are no Asian tourists, you need to seriously reevaluate your travel choices. You can only tour the backwoods of Alabama so many times.