Hello everyone from the Land of Smiles!
And smiling I sure am...
After a short flight from Luang Prabang to the city of Bangkok, we arrived early morning in Thailand on June 25th. After quickly visiting the train station, storing our backpacks, and buying tickets for that night's trip, we spent the day wandering the bustling streets of Thailand and making the most of our 12 hour travel gap in what is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world. The city has quite the diverse attractions from the Grand Palace in the historic, authentic Old Quarter to the night life scenes of Khaosan Road and Patpong. We spent the day in the Old Quarter exploring the immense Grand Palace, its complex of European and Thai royalty, its central Buddhist temple, and continuous development.
The Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam and later Thailand since 1782. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy- King Rama IX currently in power as the longest serving head of state and constitutional monarch since 1946. Although the Grand Palace is no longer the residence of the monarch, it is still used for official events. The Grand Palace consists of a multitude of halls, pavilions, and court houses surrounded by immense lawns, walking paths, and intimate gardens. Its eclectic composition and style are a product of its organic development of building and rebuilding throughout 200 years of successive monarchies. The palace appears as if it could be placed in England or France with its familiar classical and baroque styles and picturesque landscapes; yet stands out as colorful oriental tiles ornament its temples, small stupas, and exterior walkways
At the heart of the complex stands the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is considered the most sacred temple in Thailand. The temple was beautiful with a large emerald green Buddha statue at its center. Intricate mosaics and gold filigree captured light and spirit within the temple. Respecting Buddhist practices, my friends and I took of our shoes, quietly entered the temple, and sat cross legged in cross conversation with the statue.
After walking the upper and lower court area, we visited the current queen Queen Sirikit's Museum of Textiles which opened in 2012 at the palace. The Museum of Textiles collects and displays textiles throughout Southeast Asia with a focus on traditional Thai garb and the Queen's royal wardrobe. Established and managed by the Queen, the museum aims to introduce and portray the origins and unique complexities of Thai textiles to the world and even more importantly give an identity and awareness to her country. A beautiful array of fabrics including polished royal garb to traditional, rural woven tapestries were displayed as cultural relics throughout the building. What fascinated me the most was Queen Sirkit's use of traditional Thai textiles as a political propaganda piece throughout her country and the world. The Queen travelled from village to village throughout Thailand meeting with women about their craft and also creating a more intimate political relationship with her country. The Queen has established her Support Foundation- a nonprofit to support Thai textile workers and introduce textile preservation as necessary to Thai history and its people. (An effort I have seen quite frequently throughout Southeast Asia).
After wandering throughout the Old Quarter for the day, we made our way back to the train station for our night sleeper train. After train, bus, ferry, and taxi, we arrived at Lamai Beach on the island of Koh Samui off the coast of southern Thailand.
For four days, I enjoyed nothing but the warm sand, the clear blue water, the quite strong sun, and the lax island lifestyle. I was spoiled rotten - guilty. Each morning I began my day running the beach and getting some quiet time in the beautiful salty ocean water. My friends and I did a little bit of exploring off the shore with our snorkel masks and inland by bike, but other than that life was pretty simple (rejuvenating for the three weeks ahead). If anything I learned the Thai sun is a lot stronger than that in the Northeast and 15 spf will just not cut it when you're swimming all day. Oopss... or should I say ouch.
During our last full day, we were quite adventurous -driving motor bikes to a nearby waterfall and finishing the day off eating barracuda and shark for dinner. Suprisingly, the barracuda was delicious! That night we went to the beach and set off a "floating lattern"- a tradition in Thailand literally like a small hot air balloon that is set off over the water during annual festivals, most importantly the Full Moon Festival in June.
After four lazy days in the sun, we made our way back to Bangkok in preperation for our flight to Delhi.
We spent all of July 1st enoying Thailand one last time- riding tuk tuks, dealing with infamius cab driver scams and visiting the Golden Buddha, the Lucky Buddha Temple, the Golden Mountain Temple, and Thailand's Democracy Monument in Bangkok. That night we enjoyed Bangkok's authentic food and gorgeous skyline at a rooftop restaurant and bar. My girl friends and I even ate SCORPION!!! Pictures attached to prove it!
Fun Facts:
Bangkok has a sitting area reserved for monks in all forms of public transportation.
Kob kun kaa = Thank you
Spicy is all Thai people's favorite and most used adjective.
Scorpion, although quite crunchy and salty when cooked, does not taste good!
Now off to Delhi, India we go! Goodbye to the Land of Smiles for now!
Hope all is well on the other side of the world!
Love your backpacker,
Allie
And smiling I sure am...
After a short flight from Luang Prabang to the city of Bangkok, we arrived early morning in Thailand on June 25th. After quickly visiting the train station, storing our backpacks, and buying tickets for that night's trip, we spent the day wandering the bustling streets of Thailand and making the most of our 12 hour travel gap in what is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world. The city has quite the diverse attractions from the Grand Palace in the historic, authentic Old Quarter to the night life scenes of Khaosan Road and Patpong. We spent the day in the Old Quarter exploring the immense Grand Palace, its complex of European and Thai royalty, its central Buddhist temple, and continuous development.
The Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam and later Thailand since 1782. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy- King Rama IX currently in power as the longest serving head of state and constitutional monarch since 1946. Although the Grand Palace is no longer the residence of the monarch, it is still used for official events. The Grand Palace consists of a multitude of halls, pavilions, and court houses surrounded by immense lawns, walking paths, and intimate gardens. Its eclectic composition and style are a product of its organic development of building and rebuilding throughout 200 years of successive monarchies. The palace appears as if it could be placed in England or France with its familiar classical and baroque styles and picturesque landscapes; yet stands out as colorful oriental tiles ornament its temples, small stupas, and exterior walkways
At the heart of the complex stands the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is considered the most sacred temple in Thailand. The temple was beautiful with a large emerald green Buddha statue at its center. Intricate mosaics and gold filigree captured light and spirit within the temple. Respecting Buddhist practices, my friends and I took of our shoes, quietly entered the temple, and sat cross legged in cross conversation with the statue.
After walking the upper and lower court area, we visited the current queen Queen Sirikit's Museum of Textiles which opened in 2012 at the palace. The Museum of Textiles collects and displays textiles throughout Southeast Asia with a focus on traditional Thai garb and the Queen's royal wardrobe. Established and managed by the Queen, the museum aims to introduce and portray the origins and unique complexities of Thai textiles to the world and even more importantly give an identity and awareness to her country. A beautiful array of fabrics including polished royal garb to traditional, rural woven tapestries were displayed as cultural relics throughout the building. What fascinated me the most was Queen Sirkit's use of traditional Thai textiles as a political propaganda piece throughout her country and the world. The Queen travelled from village to village throughout Thailand meeting with women about their craft and also creating a more intimate political relationship with her country. The Queen has established her Support Foundation- a nonprofit to support Thai textile workers and introduce textile preservation as necessary to Thai history and its people. (An effort I have seen quite frequently throughout Southeast Asia).
After wandering throughout the Old Quarter for the day, we made our way back to the train station for our night sleeper train. After train, bus, ferry, and taxi, we arrived at Lamai Beach on the island of Koh Samui off the coast of southern Thailand.
For four days, I enjoyed nothing but the warm sand, the clear blue water, the quite strong sun, and the lax island lifestyle. I was spoiled rotten - guilty. Each morning I began my day running the beach and getting some quiet time in the beautiful salty ocean water. My friends and I did a little bit of exploring off the shore with our snorkel masks and inland by bike, but other than that life was pretty simple (rejuvenating for the three weeks ahead). If anything I learned the Thai sun is a lot stronger than that in the Northeast and 15 spf will just not cut it when you're swimming all day. Oopss... or should I say ouch.
During our last full day, we were quite adventurous -driving motor bikes to a nearby waterfall and finishing the day off eating barracuda and shark for dinner. Suprisingly, the barracuda was delicious! That night we went to the beach and set off a "floating lattern"- a tradition in Thailand literally like a small hot air balloon that is set off over the water during annual festivals, most importantly the Full Moon Festival in June.
After four lazy days in the sun, we made our way back to Bangkok in preperation for our flight to Delhi.
We spent all of July 1st enoying Thailand one last time- riding tuk tuks, dealing with infamius cab driver scams and visiting the Golden Buddha, the Lucky Buddha Temple, the Golden Mountain Temple, and Thailand's Democracy Monument in Bangkok. That night we enjoyed Bangkok's authentic food and gorgeous skyline at a rooftop restaurant and bar. My girl friends and I even ate SCORPION!!! Pictures attached to prove it!
Fun Facts:
Bangkok has a sitting area reserved for monks in all forms of public transportation.
Kob kun kaa = Thank you
Spicy is all Thai people's favorite and most used adjective.
Scorpion, although quite crunchy and salty when cooked, does not taste good!
Now off to Delhi, India we go! Goodbye to the Land of Smiles for now!
Hope all is well on the other side of the world!
Love your backpacker,
Allie