Bangkok, Thailand

As promised, here is the video tour of our tree house resort in Khao Sok.

We left off on Corinne and I taking the night train back up to Bangkok. This is life in first class. We had a private sleeping room with bunk beds, they provided sealed sheets, blankets, and pillows. We even got room service! It was wonderful.

Tuk-tuks! These are the cheap mode of transportation throughout Bangkok. Taxis are easily available also, but for shorter distances these are ideal.

The first day in Bangkok Corinne and I went to the Royal Palace and Emerald Buddha. It is not made of emerald, or even jade. Actually the Buddha itself is rather small and unimpressive after the Tiger Cave Temple. It is a highly revered statue, its clothing is changed by the king or crown price three times a year, to ensure the Buddha is properly dressed for the season. You can see all three dressings if you click the link in "Emerald Buddha" above.

The reason is is worth the trip, however, is the beautiful temple around it and the Royal Palace which is connected. The architecture is amazing, and everything is incredibly ornate.

There is a huge series of these murals with gold detailing. They are constantly under repair, so the pictures look impeccable.

The left is the traditional Thai protector of the temple, and the right is the Thai protector of the palace. I like the contrast.

The following day we went to Wat Pho, or the Reclining Buddha. This temple was much less crowded than the Emerald Buddha, which made the experience a lot more intimate. The Buddha itself is 46 by 15 meters, so it is gigantic. This temple is considered the birthplace of Thai massage. It is also unique because it depicts Buddha entering nirvana.

Corinne and I in our traditional skirts. We haggled fantastic deals for them.

There are over one thousand Buddhas in the temple.

Several Buddhas had small gifts left on or around them.

The next day Tricia and Russ were here! So, we took a river taxi to Wat Saket, or the Golden Mount. It is a modern temple on a man-made hill that is supposed to have a beautiful view of Bangkok. We forgot that this was the first of the year, however, and it is Thai tradition to go to 5 temples in one day. It was insanely crowded, and we didn't make it up to the top.

We did get some pretty views, though, from the walk up.

This is the top of the Golden Mount itself.

This is Russ and Tricia sitting on Khao San Road, getting harassed by the street vendors. We got dinner and then I was off to the airport, flying home to Daegu.

It was a whirlwind trip, but I loved Thailand. I really want to go back again - maybe even move there next. Now I am anticipating seeing my sister, she is going to come to Korea at the very end of the month. Being in Korea again is a huge adjustment, I forgot how cold it is here! Now I have officially been here over five months, though, which is an accomplishment.