The second half of our trip to Thailand brought us to the capital city of Bangkok. Bangkok (like Tokyo) is a big city - full of skyscrapers, expensive shops, and tons of neighborhoods/districts with their own unique flare and culture. During the 80s and 90s, many international companies moved their regional headquarters to Bangkok - so it has also become quite an international city as well. Interestingly, Bangkok is known as a "primate city." A primate city is at least twice as large and more than twice as significant as the next largest city in the country. Additionally, a primate city is number one in things like politics, economy, media, culture, and education.
I have to say that one thing I noticed about Bangkok almost immediately was the smell. When you combine heat and humidity with outdoor restaurants/food vendors and air pollution - the smell can be quite intense. And, the traffic is ridiculous. I've never seen anything like it! There were massive traffic jams at all hours of the day - even with the public transit system that is in place. Apparently Bangkok's rapid growth and poor urban planning has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure systems. The airport was less than 15 miles from our hotel and it took us close to 90 minutes to get there in the middle of the afternoon!
On our first full day in Bangkok, we explored The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and the Jim Thompson House. Then, we ended our day with a food tour!
*The Grand Palace*
The Grand Palace was the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) from 1782 until 1925. It is a complex of buildings that vary greatly in style and design - as buildings have been added and rebuilt by the kings over the past 200 years. 
The dress code for entering The Grand Palace is even more strict than for the wats we visited in Chiang Mai. As we left the hotel, the concierge told Kaz that they would not let him into the palace unless he was wearing pants. And, I had to change into shoes that covered my toes. Needless to say, we joined the locals in wearing long pants in the extreme heat and humidity! 
To get to The Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho, we had to take a water taxi...if you can call it that. I am sure we were breaking more safety codes than we were meeting. People were crammed tightly onto the water taxi and a quick whistle was all that signified a stop. If you didn't make your way to the back of the boat in about 5 seconds - you weren't getting off! 
One little tidbit of information about the palace that I found the most interesting was that as they were building it, they ran out of materials. So, the King ordered his men to go upstream to the old capital city of Ayutthaya (explained in more detail later in this post) and dismantle/remove as many bricks as they could find. The city had been destroyed in 1767 during a war with Burma. The King instructed his men to leave the temple ruins alone; however, by the end, all of the royal palaces had been completely leveled. 
After a coffee break to cool ourselves down, we continued on to Wat Pho, which was just down the street from The Grand Palace. Wat Pho is known as the temple of the reclining Buddha - and one of its building contains a huge reclining Buddha. The Buddha represents the entry of Buddha into Nirvana at the end of all reincarnations. The reclining posture is referred to as "sihasaiyas" - the posture of a sleeping or reclining lion. 
The temple is also considered the first public university of Thailand - teaching students in the fields of religion, science, and literature through murals and sculptures. In 1955, a school for traditional medicine and massage was established - and four courses are currently offered: Thai pharmacy, Thai medical practice, Thai midwifery, and Thai massage.
All of our guidebooks had listed "getting a Thai massage" as one of the top things to do in Thailand; however, they also cautioned tourists to select wisely. Since the "birthplace of traditional Thai massage" seemed as refutable a place as we could find...we decided on 30-minute Thai foot massages. One of the differences between Thai foot massages and others I've had is that they use little wooden tools on your feet. While it was a bit painful - it also felt pretty good! I'm really glad I did not opt for the Thai body massage though because a man was getting one next to me and the woman was twisting him in so many positions that he was actually crying and yelling out in pain!
As part of our evening food tour, we stopped to explore Wat Pho at night. The gemstones and gold-leafing sparkled even more. And, we even spotted a real cat sleeping soundly in the arms of one of the giant statues (the statue was the Thai depiction of a Westerner at that time)!
*Wat Arun*
Wat Arun derives its name from the Hindu god, Aruna, who is often personified as the radiations of the rising sun. Many of the wats also contain small Hindu temples, as there is a strong Indian influence in Thailand. It is believed that in 1768, King Taksin arrived at this temple just as dawn was breaking (after fighting his way out of Ayutthaya). The main part of the wat was under construction; however, it was still a site to see!
*Jim Thompson's House*
The last stop on our whirlwind tour of downtown Bangkok was The Jim Thompson House. Jim Thompson was an American business man who helped to revitalize the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, when visiting friends in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands, Jim Thompson went out for a walk and never returned. To this day, his body has not been found and no one has figured out exactly what happened....though many theories exist.
His house still stands and visitors are able to tour it and learn about Jim's life and his lasting influence on Thailand.
*Midnight Food Tour*
Bangkok is also known as the "world's best street food" city. And, we decided to allow the locals to show us some of the best cuisine by taking a food tour! I'm really glad we did this - as most (if not all) of the places we ate at...would probably have been places that I might have passed up. I'm still working on the whole not judging the quality of the food by what the restaurant looks likes...even if their kitchen is outside and people are eating on the sidewalk!
We were picked up by our very own decked-out tuktuk and driven all over the city! Our tuktuk was equipped with pink and purple lights and "Let it Go" blaring from the speakers. We started out with an array of traditional Thai dishes - all of which were way too spicy for me to enjoy! However, then we stopped for sticky mango rice (YUM!); a dish that contained chicken, egg, and noodles; and, we ended with the best Pad Thai in all of Bangkok! On the way, we even got to stop at a flower market to see where all the Buddhist offerings are prepared. And, we enjoyed a drink atop a rooftop bar...as Bangkok is also the "rooftop bar capital of the world!" I'm really glad we took this tour - as it enabled us to sample so many of Bangkok's specialties in such a short time...and it helped me to expand my food repertoire even more!
*Day-Trip to Ayutthaya*
Feeling the need to get away from the craziness of Bangkok, we spent the next day exploring the ancient capital city of Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and grew to be one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce. The city was attacked by the Burmese army in 1767 and was burned to the ground - forcing its people to flee. The city was never rebuilt; however, its archaeological ruins are managed as a historical site and considered one of Thailand's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
There are wats everywhere and you can walk (or drive) from wat to wat. There were barely any tourists around (as Thailand's high season for visitors had just ended) and Kaz and I were able to explore the ruins uninterrupted. A ticket is required for each wat and we didn't realize until the end that you can buy a group ticket for a select group of the wats. Ooops! Just a little piece of advice in case any of you ever visit!
Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, Wat Maha That, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Phrasisanpeth, and Wat Phra Ram were just a few of the wats we visited. I think we may have visited two or three more; however, we could have spent days exploring all the sites! Just like temples in Japan all start to look the same after a while...so do wats! No matter how much you enjoy Indian Jones! ;)
While each wat was unique - one consistency I noticed was that most of the remaining Buddha statues did not have heads. We later found out that when looters came through the sites, they took most of the jewels and other valuables. And the Buddha heads were considered to be very valuable.
Here are some pictures from the various ruins we explored!
All-in-all, I truly enjoyed our trip to Thailand and found the history interesting and the sites beautiful. I have to admit, however, that I don't feel the need or the yearning to return any time soon. In our three days each in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, I feel like we "conquered" both cities and that I "got a good feel" for Thailand. Perhaps though, if we visit again in the future, we'll spend time in some of the more remote beachside towns and villages.
Now on to our whirlwind-trip to Cambodia, which will complete our Golden Week 2017 Travels! Blog post coming soon! :)
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