Memorial Day Weekend in Bangkok, Thailand
The first thing we noticed about Bangkok is that it is CLEAN! The second thing we noticed about Bangkok is that it WORKS! Both a refreshing break from life in Kolkata. We spent five days resting, relaxing, seeing the sights, eating some good American food (yes, in Bangkok!) and just basically enjoying ourselves. Should any of you find yourselves in this part of the world I would highly encourage you to take a trip to Bangkok.
Saturday
Arrive at 4 AM (yes, you read that right!) and checked into the hotel for a few hours sleep. Woke up and made our way to the Bangkok light rail station nearest to our hotel and were amazed at the efficiency, cleanliness and ease of getting around Bangkok. Walked around amazing western quality malls and bought….hold your horses…..Bing Cherries fresh from the US! You can’t imagine how good they tasted! Ended the evening at a burger joint called the Garage whose burgers, onion rings and fries were every bit as good as any burger I have had in the U.S..
Sunday
Today we begin our tourist trekking by visiting the Grand Palace and two of the key Buddhist temples in Bangkok. Truly amazing architecture, beautiful gardens and colors. After several hours of walking in 90 degree weather both Cole and I were ready for some quality pool time. Well…..I made it to the pool; Cole found NBA Basketball on the TV and was quite content. When he did make it to the pool he found me asleep, mouth wide open…oh well! That night we found (courtesy of Lonely Planet) a great American rib joint! American rock and blues…..full rack of ribs…..cold drinks…..great outdoor porch…..for awhile I thought I was back home!
Monday
As you all know Shannon is getting married in December….a dilemma as Cole doesn’t have a decent suit to wear. He does now as on the Monday of our vacation we visited one of the many tailors in Bangkok and now Cole has two custom cashmere wool suits, silk ties and custom made shirts. Then we made our way down to the river to take a long tail boat ride of the river and canals of Bangkok. It wasn’t Lake Superior but it was good to be on the water in a boat. I forgot how much I missed that! We end the day going to the movies to see Johnny Depp on a gigantic screen in Pirates but before the show it Hail to the King as they play the national anthem and everyone stands to honor the king before the movie.
Tuesday
Off to the beach we go for a day of sand and surf on the South China Sea. We traveled four hours to the small town of Hua Hin and soaked up the sun by the beach. As I was strolling along the beach trying to find a rock to take home (John understands) I look up the beach to see two large feet, heels to the sky an toes in the beach and two old Thai women hovering about. As I get closer I see that they are giving Cole a Thai massage on the beach. How much? 200 baht…..$5.00…..I join in…..great! This day ends with seafood fresh from the tank to our plate. During dinner we meet a Thai couple who now live in Worthington Minnesota. They were home visiting relatives. What a small world!
Wednesday
It’s the final fitting for Cole’s suit, some last minute shopping, one more burger before heading back to Veg and Non Veg (read that chicken) diets….Cole and I have come to believe that man was not meant to live on chicken alone; and it’s off to return to Kolkata.
Hope you can tell we had a great time. Enjoy the pictures!
Saturday
Arrive at 4 AM (yes, you read that right!) and checked into the hotel for a few hours sleep. Woke up and made our way to the Bangkok light rail station nearest to our hotel and were amazed at the efficiency, cleanliness and ease of getting around Bangkok. Walked around amazing western quality malls and bought….hold your horses…..Bing Cherries fresh from the US! You can’t imagine how good they tasted! Ended the evening at a burger joint called the Garage whose burgers, onion rings and fries were every bit as good as any burger I have had in the U.S..
Sunday
Today we begin our tourist trekking by visiting the Grand Palace and two of the key Buddhist temples in Bangkok. Truly amazing architecture, beautiful gardens and colors. After several hours of walking in 90 degree weather both Cole and I were ready for some quality pool time. Well…..I made it to the pool; Cole found NBA Basketball on the TV and was quite content. When he did make it to the pool he found me asleep, mouth wide open…oh well! That night we found (courtesy of Lonely Planet) a great American rib joint! American rock and blues…..full rack of ribs…..cold drinks…..great outdoor porch…..for awhile I thought I was back home!
Monday
As you all know Shannon is getting married in December….a dilemma as Cole doesn’t have a decent suit to wear. He does now as on the Monday of our vacation we visited one of the many tailors in Bangkok and now Cole has two custom cashmere wool suits, silk ties and custom made shirts. Then we made our way down to the river to take a long tail boat ride of the river and canals of Bangkok. It wasn’t Lake Superior but it was good to be on the water in a boat. I forgot how much I missed that! We end the day going to the movies to see Johnny Depp on a gigantic screen in Pirates but before the show it Hail to the King as they play the national anthem and everyone stands to honor the king before the movie.
Tuesday
Off to the beach we go for a day of sand and surf on the South China Sea. We traveled four hours to the small town of Hua Hin and soaked up the sun by the beach. As I was strolling along the beach trying to find a rock to take home (John understands) I look up the beach to see two large feet, heels to the sky an toes in the beach and two old Thai women hovering about. As I get closer I see that they are giving Cole a Thai massage on the beach. How much? 200 baht…..$5.00…..I join in…..great! This day ends with seafood fresh from the tank to our plate. During dinner we meet a Thai couple who now live in Worthington Minnesota. They were home visiting relatives. What a small world!
Wednesday
It’s the final fitting for Cole’s suit, some last minute shopping, one more burger before heading back to Veg and Non Veg (read that chicken) diets….Cole and I have come to believe that man was not meant to live on chicken alone; and it’s off to return to Kolkata.
Hope you can tell we had a great time. Enjoy the pictures!
Labels: Cole and Friend, Grand Palace, Hotel
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