Going the DISHtance: Bangkok, Thailand: 11/20

The final day of our honeymoon was spent in Bangkok. After our dinner at Gaggan, we stayed at the Riva Surya hotel right on the Chao Phraya River that runs through the middle of Bangkok. The hotel was nice and conveniently located by all of the touristy stuff we did.

Our day was off to a bit of a rough start because we overslept our meeting time with our guide, but since it was a private tour we were able to just push everything back a little bit. After breakfast at the hotel, we took a super long boat - for just the 4 of us (Jeremy, me, guide, and boat driver) - on a ride around the river and canals. We saw the drastic difference between some of the nice houses and totally decrepit ones, some side by side. We also saw a nice view of some of the city's major buildings and bridges.

We took the boat to see Wat Arun, or Temple of the Dawn, right on the river and explored there a bit.

We then crossed the river on a ferry to go see Wat Pho, famous for the 46m long reclining buddha covered in gold leaf.

(the green cover up is courtesy of the temple to ensure all guests are dressed appropriately before entering)

We were about to head over to the Grand Palace for our final stop of the day when our tour guide had a minor medical emergency (he was fine, previously broken nose = bloody nose). So, he ended up taking us in a tuk tuk (3-wheel taxi) to the temple and handing us off to a guide that actually worked there.

At first we were a little concerned about the sudden change in plans, but we ended up spending a few hours with the best tour guide we have ever had. Her name was "Jackie" and she knew every nook and cranny of this place. She was a photographer, so after seeing my camera she told me she had me covered on getting the best photos. She pointed out every ideal photo opp and knew exactly where to stand and how to frame it up to get the best possible shot. Also, she spoke enough languages that she was able to yell at other tourists to get of the way of our pictures. We had such a nice time learning about the history of all of the structures, statues, and buildings and really appreciated the intricate beauty of it all.

One thing to note is that you must be dressed appropriately to get into the Palace grounds. This means no shorts and covered shoulders. I was able to rent a sarong (you will see in the below pictures) which was ideal since it was SO hot. This way I could wear shorts all day and just cover up my legs for the time I was there.