Bangkok: adventures of martha and jim (part I)

- basically, this is going to be a multi-part post - think harry potter

After a few (quiet) months in Hong Kong we met Martha and Jim in Bangkok, Thailand! And we probably did more in these last two weeks than we have in the last six months. They definitely kept us on our toes (though more accurately, ran circles around us). We had an incredible time and here is our top ten list of Bangkok

#10 The National Gallery

Read all about the history of Thailand and the Siamese. We were slightly underwhelmed by the display but didn't realize there were actually five additional buildings that housed national treasures and art...including a teak house that used to be the residence of the King's sister.

#9 Taking the Ferry along Chao Phraya

Bangkok used to be called "Venice of the East" and with all the waterways and canals (as we discovered) it's FAR more convenient to take a boat than sit in traffic for hours...also super inexpensive - approximately $0.40 a trip.

#8 Grand Palace
Packer-Kramer family. Jim sizing up the guards with guns.

Everything was covered in gold or made of gold or made of and covered in gold. Surprisingly, there is no reflection that can be seen from space.

#7 Wat Pho

The oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. With over 1000 images of the Buddha (the most famous being the reclining Buddha) it is also the national headquarters for traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage.

#6 The Floating Market

Taking the water taxi to the floating market

Selling souvenirs, snacks, fruit and full meals.

#5 Shopping

This doesn't quite give the markets of Bangkok justice but imagine having this much variety in anything you could ever want, now multiply that times a thousand, and square that. That number is an approximation of things to buy in one street market in Bangkok. At some point I will drag Ari to the largest market in Bangkok, the lonely planet recommends you purchase a map for this market before venturing out.

#4 Emerald Buddha

That gold spot in the middle is the Emerald Buddha clothed in his "winter outfit" which- SURPRISE - is made of gold! He has a change of clothes for all seasons. I would say it reminds me of barbie but I'm pretty sure in my next life I would be reincarnated into a rock.

#3 Reclining Buddha
At 46 m long and 15 m high the reclining buddha is a symbol of buddha passing into nirvana. Here Ari and Jim discuss the intricacies of 108 images made of mother of pearl on the soles of the feet.

#2 Solid Gold Buddha
Three meters tall and 5.5 tonnes of solid gold this buddha was once covered in stucco to hide it from looters and the solid gold inside was forgotten about for centuries until it was accidentally dropped.

#1 The Wildlife
Martha feeding an elephant bananas!

The Martha and Jim dead skin buffet. Fish feeding on...them. Reversing the food chain.

So we packed A LOT into our three days in Bangkok. And surprisingly Martha and Jim showed no signs of jet lag. They kept going and going and going. Most nights we headed to bed as they went for a "night cap".

More to come when we work up the energy to post about Siem Reap, Cambodia and Chiang Mai, Thailand...