Lost in Bangkok

Last Wednesday, we left Panama City, FL for Bangkok, Thailand.

Here’s a quick photo-tour of the highlights.

Our Korean Air flight was really nice, on the largest commercial plane we had ever seen, let alone boarded. The flight was 12 hours to Seoul Korea, followed by another 5 or so hours from there to Bangkok. Along the way, we had personal TVs with 30 or so movies to choose from, free wine and posh slippers!

We arrived in Bangkok at night to a bit of a blur of tuk tuks, steamy night markets, and zooming moto-taxis. Our hotel was in the downtown area, which seemed to be a wealthier section of town, judging by its amazingly swank shopping malls and fashion scene.

In a single mall, we found Krispy Kreme Donuts, a Ferrari dealership, a bowling alley, private karaoke rooms, and $400 jeans (pretty steep when you consider a nice hotel is about $20 per night in Bangkok!). We were also surprised to learn that some of the best food can be found in the food courts, completely the opposite of back home. However, perhaps due to the romantic vibe of it all, we still enjoyed the food in the street markets more…

…and aptly-iconified bathroom signs.

In the mornings, we had breakfasts in the food stalls on the street. The typical morning fare was big bowls of noodle soup, with chicken or beef parts, and several other ingredients we didn’t recognize. It was delicious and super-spicy.

…anyone have any idea what those little green balls are?

One of the highlights of our time in Bangkok was the Chatuchuck Weekend Market, which was a sprawling set of market stalls with vendors selling handmade clothing, furniture, food, and pretty much anything else you could imagine.

On the way to the market, we happened upon a beautiful Buddhist Temple area, where monks were loudly chanting as we walked around. Unfortunately, the pics don’t do it justice.