Third time visitor, first time tourist

On my thrid time through Bangkok, I finally took a little time to sightsee.  I only had a few days so I didn't even begin cover all there is to see and do, but I managed to make it to a few of the essential sights.  I went to Wat Pho, Bangkok's oldest and largest temple and saw the giant reclining Buddha.  Went to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keao and saw the "emerald Buddha".  You're supposed to dress very conservatively in these places, which includes not wearing shorts or any shoes which show your toes, so did what I was supposed to and sweated through all my clothes on the walk to the palace.  Felt pretty gross when I got there and of course noticed tons of other people in shorts and flip-flops.  Grrrrr.  I traveled down to these sights on a riverboat on the Chao Phraya; a cheap, fun way to get around.

01 That's a big Buddha

The next day was gift buying day, so I took the bus to the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall.  This place was really fancy.  Everything from Ferrarri to Ferragamo, Pucci to Gucci.  Really highlights the extreme difference between rich and poor in Thailand (and SE Asia in general).  I saw a movie there that evening (Babel).  My first movie in a real theater in over 4 months.  Not likely that record will be broken any time soon.  Speaking of fancy, the ticket cost $15 and included a pre-show wait in a VIP club style room with massage chairs and complimentary drinks.  The theater itself had only about 40 seats in a room that could have fit 200, because each seat was a huge, plush, motorized recliner with so much leg room that I couldn't kick the person in front of me if I tried.

02 Shiny

Aside from a few good meals, that was the extent of my Bangkok experience.  I think I'd need at least a month to really feel like I got to to experience the place.  My flight back to San Diego had a 10 hour layover in Seoul, and I initially had ambitions to take the opportunity to explore the city for a few hours.  By the time I got there, exhausted and tired of rushing around, I decided to splurge and check into the in-airport hotel for 6 hours of sleep.  If I couldn't see much of Bangkok in 3 days, was I really going to get anything out of a few hours in Seoul?  So I enjoyed the most luxurious accomodations of my trip and then boarded my half-day long flight back to San Diego.

03 Shinier

you'll find a few Bangkok pictures on Flickr