My Thai Part 2

If you missed the first part of my Thailand trip, you can catch up here.

Day 3

I decided that the third day it was time for some more deliberate tourism, so I headed out to see some temples!

(of course first I stopped to appreciate the canal road some more)

(it's just cool, man)

My first stop was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha! It's a huge palace complex that requires an admission ticket, and I also sprang for the audio tour, which was a good decision.

That said, I still don't remember the names of each of these buildings, so just appreciate the intricacy of the tile work. *A*

You can really see that it was a cloudy day in this picture, which was honestly a blessing considering how HOT Thailand is in August (shocking, right).

How I'm tryna look

like EXCUSE ME this is GORGEOUS

She's a mythical creature called a kinnaree (if Wikipedia has told me the truth)

which means her legs are bird legs, so that's pretty rad.

This is the outside of the building where the Emerald Buddha statue itself sits.

No pictures of the inside b/c it's disrespectful and not allowed, but I did get to go in!

I couldn't get over the glow of the roof tiles.

This is a royal residence? I think?

Tourists aren't allowed in this section, but boy it sure is lovely.

Parting glances!

The whole thing is in a walled-off compound.

After that, it was time for a refresher:

LOVE. ME. SOME. JELLY. TEA.

And then I headed home.

A monument along the road, not sure for what though lol.

The hostel bus stop isn't near an intersection, so to cross the street you have to climb MANY STAIRS to the overpass.

Day 4

The last day! I had to check out in the morning, but my flight was at night, so you know what that means: ya girl dragged her suitcase around Bangkok on her last-minute sight-seeing adventure.

(but first I went out on the balcony and captured the view from the hostel)

Got the cool, urban grunge feeling against the lush greenery.

A little patio area on the second floor -- lovely, if you have bug spray to keep the mosquitoes away.

The bus stop was across these train tracks

I stumbled into a temple that I had seen from the bus on other days, and discovered that it's called Wat Ratchanatdaram. Wikipedia (again) tells me that it was built in 1846 to honor the king's granddaughter.

First up is the pavilion on the left, open to the elements. I think these structures are meant to shelter crowds on holy days? Not sure. Still cool.

Detail of the pillar painting

Can you imagine how cool a garden party would be here?

LOVE the simple linework in contrast to the colors everywhere else.

Now this I think was one of the actual worship buildings.

This is the big central temple! But wait, what's that?

A CAT FRIEND

Laying perfectly in front of this gate :') I'm so charmed.

Next to the temple was a cute little cafe with a tree growing straight up through the floor.

This is their chocolate roti because my sweet tooth is insatiable (it was VERY good)

If you happen to visit Bangkok, the cafe is called Milkey Tree Coffee, and I highly recommend them for a lovely peaceful atmosphere! (milkeytree_coffee on instagram)

The gardens outside the temple as you approach the street.

The whole complex as viewed from the street

That finished, I just walked along the road in the direction of another monument.

View from a bridge

Awesome flower sculpture on the bridge!

Where I found myself was the Golden Mount (Wat Saket). Unfortunately, it being a mount and all, I couldn't actually go up to the top because of my huge suitcase. The base was still lovely, so I walked around and appreciated it!

Medals purchased and hung to grant prayers.

There were so many!!!!!

Some part of the temple complex at the bottom of the mountain.

I also visited a royal museum where they mercifully had a bag check, so I got to explore that relatively unencumbered. I know practically nothing about Thai history, so it was a cool learning experience!

Then it was finally time to get on the metro all the way out to the airport.

which had this cool little shrine thing to give you the local flavor

Got dinner in the airport:

THE most exquisite curry I've had, frankly

And a really interesting taro and grain dessert

My flight was then cancelled because of a tropical storm, so I had to wait in the terminal forEVER, BUT when they finally got me on a flight, it was business class, so that was worth it, frankly.

Whew. The End.