Thailand recap: Bangkok

I'm sitting in JFK airport waiting for my flight back to Orlando. My luggage, however, continued its journey in Thailand. The airline has tracked it down and are having it FedEx'd to me. My trip was incredible so it was kind of downer to end it that way!

We landed in Bangkok and hit the ground running with dinner since it was 5pm local time (6am Eastern time). We ate at an amazing place called Sirroco, which is on the 50-something floor of the Lebua Hotel at State Tower. I barely remember the food because I was so out of sorts, but the view was fantastic!



The next morning, the time difference had me up super early, so I took a quick stroll around the hotel and the surrounding area and grabbed a few shots.





Most homes and businesses in Thailand have spirit houses out front. They provide an appealing shelter for the spirits who then protect the home. People leave offerings for the spirits at these houses and they're often quite colorful.







We spent several hours at a cooking school learning how to make 4 traditional Thai dishes. It was a total blast and we made some fantastic food.





That evening we went to Siam Niramit which is a Broadway style show about Thai culture. Sadly, no photos were allowed, but it was amazing display of color and song and I learned a lot about the Thai people. These pics are from the village grounds where the show takes place.







We took a little stroll through (and did some shopping at) Patpong Night Market. You can buy "genuine authentic" (read fake) Tiffany jewelry and things like that at the market. But you can also get some cool local crafts.







The next day we took a boat tour on the Chao Phraya River (River of Kings) and the Klongs (Canals) of Bangkok.



and toured the Grand Palace











and paid a visit to the Reclining Buddha



Tossing coins at the Reclining Buddha - I was told that this is a Buddhist practice which involved performing a repetitive task to allow you to clear your mind



What can I say, it's the little things that amuse me. Like Thai Coke.



We also spent time on Koh Samui and in Chiang Rai, so there's more recaps to come!