Check-in and security at Singapore's International airport lasted all of 15 minutes. So we had some time to kill. Thankfully, the airport has the amazing social tree, food, more food, and shops. Thus, we were fully entertained.
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| We're famous! |
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| Oh Gary, you work-a-holic |
2 hours of mucking about lead us to our final destination, Bangkok Thailand!
sawatdee ka
'Sawatdee ka' is a Thai greeting, like Aussie's say 'G'day mate'. Obviously you make a polite bow with your hands in praying mode to be ecstatic about saying hello. After clearing immigration, we made our way to the train to brave public transport to reach our hotel. A shout out to the friendly stranger who showed us the 'English' button on the ticketing machine, we were able to obtain our token and ride the 1980's train that was probably -10F for 4 stops (which takes like 30 minutes!). Our hotel was directly across the street - an added bonus! The unfortunate part of that is the elevated tracks were just below.
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| A view from room #1 |
Now, being 20-somethings we could not be bothered doing any type of pre-planning. So we arrived, settled, showered (again) and went now what? My pockets were loaded with Thai Baht so I was keen! (My 400 Australian Dollars fetched me approximately 12,000 Thai Baht.) Our first tourist stop was the Grand Palace - really an entire complex of
everything.
Golden Light
In today's time the Grand Palace is a giant tourist trap while sometimes holding functions, state business and other royal doings. The King of Thailand currently doesn't live here, but past royal families have. To even get to the palace, we had to catch the MRT and then a taxi.
Welcome to tourist central, where pick pocketers thrive, beggars beg and scam artists don't even flinch. Admittedly, walking up through the grand entrance is like walking in NYC for your first time - your neck hurts form looking up.
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| It's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! |
After paying our 500 Baht (15USD) entrance fee AND 100 Baht (3.00USD) clothing rental fee we entered the sacred grounds for some tourism. Of course we were too cheap to pay for such extravagance as a tour. Instead, David and I just followed one of the Chinese speaking tours and translated for me - who is gonna think a fat, white American can understand Chinese?! I didn't so we were able to pick up tidbits of useless trivia.
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| My amazingly colourful clothing rental. And gold, lots and lots of gold! |
Along with the hundreds of other tourists, we walked throughout the grounds to admire the beautifully ornate buildings, statues, foot paths and temples.
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| Naughty folks turned bird-ish |
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| Obviously the gold looks the best |
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| David literally touching gold |
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| With all that ornateness, of course they have to work on it. |
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| Does it even look real?! It's like entering the Asian version of Mr Rogers Neighborhood :D |
Being all granded out, it was time to walk. Oh Lordy did we ever walk. In the end we really walked in a gain circle. During this long walk is the first time I got us ripped of. While shopping through the riverside markets, ended up paying around 1,500 Baht (USD45.00) for two of us to take a "river cruise".
We gots in to the rinky dink boat, and they took us around all the residential canals and other dirty places. Highlights included seeing a male wank himself under a bridge and seeing giant river snakes. They also had the audacity to have a canoe paddle up next to us in a desperate attempt for us to buy some stuff from their "floating market". Needless to say, waste of time and money. Didn't see much of anything and the drive didn't even drop us off to where we agreed on! Redonkulous!
After growing tired of touching and looking at so much gold, it was time to hit up the remainder of Bangkok and its highlights.
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| Nice monument to signify an important part of Thai history, or a gift. You pick. |
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| Actual Floating Markets. I DARE anyone to touch the water... | | | | | | | | | | |
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We were in Bangkok when the opposition started storming government buildings, demanding the resignation of the Thai Prime Minister. I'm sure you've heard some stories.
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| Police barricade |
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| Opposition Rally at Democracy Monument. Cannot say this is the best place to find ourselves... |
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| Lots and lots of people were pissed. |
We all mucked about quite a bit. So many bloody markets and shopping centres, tourist traps and rivers to explore. Plus the local cuisine, street food and pubs that only damaged my waistline and gave way to my inverted hour glass figure (haha). That Thai Massage was amazeballs, but reminded me of Catholic Church with its up, down and all around work-out. The pool and bar were grand places to do absolutely nothing. Of course our last hoorah was Tiger Temple and Elephant riding.
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| Of course I ate food on the street! |
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| Because why pick it up yourself? |
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| Chaz and Glenn on their elephant behind us |
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| Parting ways - now it's time to visit each other in the Northern Hemisphere! |
After a grand two weeks (thanks to those bloody Irish and their slang), sweating in parts I didn't even knew existed and eating until my fat pants stretched it was time to return to the land of Aus. So. Much. Fun.
