Friday, May 13, 2011

First up, Bangkok!

We were given time to vacation our first week! We decided this first trip to head down to the beautiful islands off the coast of southern Thailand, but we spent a day touring Bangkok to start everything off!


Our morning began with a boat ride through the floating market. On our way, we visited the first of many Buddhist temples we would see throughout Thailand. We were greeted by a couple of Buddhist nuns who let gave us gold leafing to put on the huge Buddha at the top of the large shrine inside the temple. They must never have to do it themselves with all the tourists coming through!




The floating market was so much fun! They piled their little boats high with fruit or hats or other fun things to buy. I bought some coconut pancakes for breakfast which were delicious! Other than that we didn't buy much since it was our first day and we were just trying to soak it all in! I did, however, hold a python around my shoulders. The snake guy’s sign said “No Dangerous,” so I wasn't worried!






Later, after a breakfast of fried rice, we went into the heart of Bangkok to see the temples and palaces. They were amazing! Gold leafing and hand-placed pieces of tile and glass created beautiful designs covering the entire temple walls.








We also saw the king's old palace...



And went on a boat ride...


...and climbed to the top of the Temple of Dawn! It was amazing to see the rooftops of Bangkok and the canal the boat had taken us through.



Next up, Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands!

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