Three Nights in Bangkok

“One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free
You’ll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you’re lucky then the god’s a she” —One Night in Bangkok, Murray Head

So what if you spend three nights in Bangkok? Find out what happens below!

The trip started off pretty stressful in the day or two before our flight, but then things improved dramatically! We were off to a great start. First Bangkok experience: getting a taxi to our hotel.

Typically, Steve and I would use public transportation or a shuttle to the hotel upon arrival if we land in the daytime, but after 24+ hours of traveling, getting through customs, and popping out of the airport in a new city at 10pm-ish, we opted for a taxi ride. Sometimes door to door service is the way to go, and it was inexpensive, considering the exchange rate is about 35 Thai Bhat (pronounced “bot”) to the dollar.

Travel tip for taking a taxi from BKK to downtown Bangkok: have some baht ready to pay two tolls on the highway. It was about 150 baht, or about $4.25, for an hour’s ride!

And when we arrived at the hotel, you can bet we were pooped! The room was amazing, though. It was spacious and had a nice view of the river! They also provided a bit of welcome and comfort for us weary travelers:

And look at what happened after a couple of much-needed showers and a moment of sitting on the comfy bed:

So what did we do with ourselves when we woke up a few hours later? Here’s the low-down.

Day 1
The Golden Palace

Boy was it hot! Wow was it crowded! But goodness gracious was it beautiful. Information in English was limited, but for the most part, we understood its significance in the Buddhist religion. The Emerald Buddha is here, but sorry, no pictures inside. The detail on these structures inside the temple complex–and it is a huge complex! I was fascinated with the tile work and the statues, large and small.

Pretty impressive, huh? We spent a good portion of the day here waiting in lines, gawking at the Emerald Buddha and the solid gold everywhere we looked, and generally trying to find some shade! It’s the #1 thing to do in Bangkok, and we could see why!

We spent the rest of the day at the Bangkok National Museum, found a couple of new Starbucks mugs for our collection, and then relaxing at the hotel pool! We actually cheated a little bit and instead of going out for supper, we ate at the pool! I got the sushi and Steve got the burger. And we were in bed by 7:00 pm!

Day 2
Up and at it! There was more to see. Steve and I did our own church service in the hotel room. Pretty sure they didn’t have juice boxes and seaweed crackers at the Last Supper, but that’s what we were working with! We also listened to a sermon online while we sat out on our balcony.

After a good workout at the gym and one last poolside excursion, it was time to set out and explore once more! This time, to peek in at the Mandarin Oriental across the river, and onward to the Golden Buddha! At the Mandarin, my duck made a new friend! Can you find him in the picture?

The walk to the Temple with the Golden Buddha (Wat Traimit) was long, hot, and riddled with people trying to scam us, but lucky for me Steve trusts no one! We made it to the temple without getting scammed, try as they might. The Golden Buddha is huge! He weighs 5.5 tons, and he’s made of solid gold. Only somehow that info got lost over the years. One of the kings ordered him moved, and whoever was moving him dropped him, and he cracked! Apparently, he was covered in stucco to prevent him from being stolen many many years ago, and they forgot about it–or perhaps kept it a secret to protect him! Anyway, he’s on display for all to see now!

Shiny, yes?

By the time we finished up with the Golden Buddha, it was time to head back to the hotel for our luggage and make our way to the Novotel Airport Hotel where we would be spending our third night in Bangkok. We took the hotel ferry to the other side of the river, walked to the Sky Train, figured out the ticketing system with only a little difficulty, changed trains, changed trains again to take the airport train, and walked over to the Novotel, where we spent a restful evening and final night! Steve left for his flights home early the next morning, and I prepared for my next trip… stay tuned to find out where!