The Grand Palace and Monsoons

The next day I headed over to the same general area to see the Grand Palace Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). According to Lonely Planet, it is Bangkok's biggest tourist attraction and a pilgrimage destination for devout Buddhists and nationalists.

A ticket to get in cost 350 Baht (about $10.00). It was packed with people from all over. I noticed a group of Aussie guys taking pictures of themselves. They were wearing what looked like clown pants. It is not allowed to wear shorts or tank tops, so if you are you can rent the proper clothes. These guys looked ridiculous, but they had a great sense of humor about it. I went up to them and said, "I just want to congratulate you on your recent graduation from clown school!" They laughed.
A few minutes later it started pouring rain. Everyone took refuge under the awnings of the temple or a small pavilion like I did. After 15 minutes of waiting, the rain showed no sign if letting up. What did I expect? It's monsoon season. So I finally I decided to have a walk around anyway.

I went inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha is only about 26 inches tall and is actually carved from a single jade stone. (Emerald in Thai simply means dark green). No person is allowed to touch the statue, except for The King, when he changes the cloak around the statue three times a year for the summer, winter and rainy seasons. The Emerald Buddha is deeply venerated as the protector of the country.


I walked over to the Grand Palace and saw a huge flash of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder that scared the crap out of most people because there backs were turned away from the flash. I had a plane to catch that night and didn't want to get struck by lightning, so I ended up cutting my tour short and headed back. I was heading to Chiang Mai that night and didn't want to miss my flight.

Thailand!

So after my lovely time in Germany, it was time for me to return to work in the United Arab Emirates. It was the last week of Ramadan (a month of fasting from sun up to sundown) and just about to be Eid al-Fitr. Eid is Arabic for "festivity," and Fitr is Arabic for "breaking the fast."

After we returned to work, the very next day, it was announced that we would be given the whole week off for Eid. Gee, that's great news, but essentially I only had 3 days to plan my trip and get a plane ticket. My first thought was India. I went to the Indian Social Center to apply for a visa and was assured I would receive it in 3 days. Riiight...and if I don't get it I'm screwed.

Several people suggested Thailand. Ok, why not? Thailand is a huge country and I wouldn't be able to see it all in a week. I did a bit of research and decided to spend some time in Bangkok and then head north to Chiang Mai. Finally, Thursday evening, I tried to book my flight.
I found a good deal for around $550.00 on the internet. I found flight times I liked...put in credit card details..."This flight is no longer available. Please choose another flight."
Rats. Ok try again. I tried for hours and hours. Finally, I found a direct flight on Etihad returning a day earlier than I wanted and $300.00 more than I wanted to pay. Fine. I put in my credit card details and pressed "Ok." The computer read: "This flight is now $905.00. "Fine." I pressed "Ok" again. This flight is now $950.00. "FINE!" I pressed "Ok" yet again. "This flight is now $1200.00." Argh! NOT FINE!

I gave up and had to start my search again! Finally, 9 hours later! I got a ticket on Qatar Airways. It was going to take me 9 hours to reach Bangkok after a layover in Doha, and a whopping 14.5 hours to return after a 7 hour layover on my way back. Ugh. Better than hanging around the UAE for 10 days.
I arrived in Bangkok early that morning. I was told to head to the backpacker are of Kho San Road. A friend suggested a hotel room for me to stay in. I grabbed a cab, and headed that way. The driver just sort of dumped me off in the Kho San Road area and I couldn't find the hotel I wanted. Fine. I wandered up and down the road until I finally found a decent place to stay. During my wanderings, I happened upon some kind of break dancing competition. Cool. I stuck around for a while and watched these guys show their stuff.

I headed over to Wat Pho (meaning temple of reclining Buddha), an area that is said to be the birthplace of Bangkok and Thai Massage. It was already "closed" when I got there, but the gates were open and I was able to take a leisurely stroll of the grounds. Unfortunately, I found out later, that I missed the Reclining Buddha which I hear is pretty impressive at 46 meters long with mother-of-pearl feet.

Elephant statue on a traffic island.

Is it a frog or a dragon or what?

Buddhas

Sculptures

Wat PhoFlower motif chedi.

Hey, he stole my pose!

A pile of broken statues.

Wat Pho ubosot.

Chedis at dusk.

The Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) across the Phraya River.

The cutest dog in Thailand!

Wat Pho in the rain.

Monks waiting for the ferry.

My first ride in a tuk tuk.

Late night snacks on Kho San Road.

I walked around for as long as I could that night until my feet really hurt and I wasn't quite sure I could find my way back in the dark. So, I grabbed a tuk tuk (which is basically a small open air tri-wheeled motorcycle) and motored my way back to Kho San Road for a midnight snack and some much needed sleep.