Bangkok Part II

No smoking. No durian. No animals. No intercourse? In the taxi.

We had an "oil massage" and it was amazing; the lady was not too rough, but let's say I wasn't expecting the massage to be full body.

We had drinks at the Lebua state tower. On top of this hotel is a 360 degree skybar with an amazing view of the city. You may recognize it from Hangover 2.

The ladyboy show at the Calypso cabaret was very classy (stripper poles and racy outfits aside) and burlesque.

The Thai like beauty and fashion; there were many markets selling a medley of goods.

The Kimmidoll store = cute!!

Beauty is an important status symbol in Bangkok and this huge ad brightens the otherwise dark streets of the metropolis.

Bangkok Part I

This post is dedicated to the gorgeous temples. They were truly awe inspiring, over the top grandeur, and I just had to share these shiny (gold) pictures!

Grande Palace. Murals.

One of the temples. In Thailand, 60% of the population is Buddhist.

Gold.

Shockingly; more gold.

There were many different buildings in the Grande Palace; each one built during a different era meant to represent the grandeur of the time.

Part of the temple.

19th century (Western inspired?) palace residence.

Sofie and myself .

The gates to the monastery next to the Wat Arun temple.

Wat Arun temple.








Thailand definitely has a rich cultural history. They especially like their monarchy. We went to see a movie and before the showing in the cinema, we had to stand up during a 5 min clip of the King's life and his achievements.

Culture Shock

For the first time in my life I experienced culture shock. Strangely enough, I didn't experience it in Manila, but in Bangkok. The city is so different and far removed from what I'm used to that I was in complete shock most of the first day. The streets, the way the system is set up, the markets were all unexpectedly different. Sometimes surprisingly pleasant, other times conspicuously disappointing. I enjoyed my trip to Bangkok with my Swedish friend Sofie. For now, here is an itinerary of what we did (pictures to follow):

Friday
- walk around Sukhumvitz
- take the MRT to Hard Rock Cafe
- walk around the centre (Siam)
- enjoy a relaxing oil massage
- watch "Friends with Benefits" in a VIP movie theater aka huge lounge chairs

Saturday
- visit Grande Palace
- take a boat ride across the bustling river
- walk around Wat Arun temple
- walk around chatuchak market (8 acres which 300,000 people visit per weekend)
- have drinks (Hangovertini) on top of the Lebua tower 360 degree sky bar where they filmed the Hangover 2; an amazing view of the stretched out skyline
- have drinks in an American diner and visit Insomnia night club

Sunday
- visit a floating market 1 hr outside of the city
- have dinner at an English pub
- view a ladyboy cabaret show (Calypso cabaret)

I ate a lot of Thai food; some spicy, some bland. I am as of now indifferent, but perhaps in Phuket I will extend my taste palette and learn to enjoy Thai cuisine a bit more.