A big city and an old friend

Bangkok was our next destination. and our first time back in a big city for a long time. It also happened to be the place our friend, Wakana, had just moved to for work (only a few days before we got there!). One of the highlights was being able to catch up with her while we explored Thailand's capital. Naturally, we started off with dinner the night we arrived...

The next day saw us visit Wat Phra and the Grand Palace, with the first being the biggest temple in Bangkok and the second the home of the Emerald Buddha, which is the "paladin of Thailand" and had been a source of our curiosity since visiting its former home in Vientiane. Unfortunately, no photos allowed... We were able to see plenty of interesting features, that seemed to be hurried past by other tourists intent on the perfect selfie or portrait. We had to think about whether it was ruder to walk through the frame of the shot, or to block traffic while you took photos amongst hundreds of other tourists.

After the two big attractions, we attempted to take a canal boat ride back to the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, but Google maps let us down with ferry timetabling, so a bus was required instead. On the up side, Wakana got her first tuk-tuk ride, and we experienced the wonders of the Bangkok bus system, complete with wooden floors and a cranky driver who got sick of the traffic and just kicked us off between bus stops when we were close to the destination. The BACC had a range of interesting exhibits, mostly themed around the environment, and also some interesting architecture. Afterwards we found a little local restaurant for dinner.  

The next couple of days were a bit slower, to aid our mental recovery after quite so long travelling. We did manage a canal boat ride, which was an interesting experience, as well as visiting a couple of attractions across the river from the main part of town - Wat Arun and the old Portuguese quarter, Kudichin. This was particularly interesting and included a museum detailing the Portuguese contribution to the city over the course of 500+ years. A particular challenge was getting there through the maze of alleyways and canal paths, after having approached from the "more complicated" side. James does choose some interesting navigation at times! The quarter also included a Catholic church, which made a stark change from the temples of the previous few months. There was also a cultural dance show, which Gillian dragged James along to - he only had a short nap partway through! We also managed a farewell dinner with Wakana, in the midst of a massive rainstorm.

A final day in Bangkok had us leaving the apartment as late as possible and checking our bags at the train station (the most frustrating experience imaginable!), and a half day of museums and wandering through back streets. We managed a tasty dinner of street food in Bangkok's Chinatown before heading back out for our overnight train.