Brian's musical inclinations aside, we enjoyed our trip to Bangkok though neither of us plans to return any time soon.
Among many things, Bangkok is known for shopping. Since it was pouring rain our first morning, we decided to hit the indoor shopping circuit first. I'd love to show photos from inside some of the crazy malls - both high-end and market-style, but photography inside is discouraged and we tried not to tick people off while we were there. Neither Neal is a huge shopper though I bought a few silk pillowcases and a wall hanging. Despite its diversity, shopping wore thin on Brian after a few hours so we regrouped and headed over to Khao San Road, which came highly recommended by friends Carolyn and Ali.
Khao San Road is a pedestrian-friendly street once frequented primarily by backpackers. Now you can find just about anyone there, milling the streets with $2 beers and bags full of jewelry, t-shirts and other souvenirs. We really enjoyed this area in part because it was so chill, in part because of the "bargains" we thought we got, and in part because it was the first time it had stopped raining. That night we had dinner at a great Thai seafood place on the river called Baan Klang Nam. Ali recommended it and it was delish!
Luckily, it didn't rain our second day there so we got to enjoy the Grand Palace in its full glory.
Because the adjoining Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha and other nearby buildings are sacred, bare shoulders and shorts were not allowed. We knew this going in but it was just so hot and humid in Bangkok, we decided to rent the cover-up clothing for an hour or two and be comfortable the rest of the day. These photos don't do the intricacies justice, but I'll save the details for the Snapfish album.
This is a mini-replica of Angkor Wat. I actually debated on taking this photo since Cambodia was our next stop. However, due to flooding in Siem Reap we have canceled the trip we were supposed to begin tomorrow. We really went back and forth about this until we saw photos on this blog of downtown Siem Reap: http://cambodiacalling.blogspot.com/. It made our decision pretty easy, and confirmed it when our "non-refundable" flights and hotel reservations were refunded except for $16. My peace of mind is worth more than that (and I'm sure my mother's is as well).
Anyway, I digress. Here we are outside Wat Pho, the oldest temple in Bangkok. As you can see some of it is quite worn down...
...while other parts have been restored. Wat Pho is the site of the famous "Reclining Buddha," a large gold statue that depicts its namesake. Photos discouraged. 
We couldn't resist photos of the street scenes, however. We spent a lot of time in cabs because traffic here sucks. Not sure if you can really tell here, but many streets are rather dingy, the sidewalks are broken, and the buildings have soot on the outside. This is near the Chao Praya River area, while the photo above is of the Sukhumvit area near our hotel.
Yesterday afternoon we took a river cruise after enjoying lunch alongside the river.
I love this photo because it epitomizes our Bangkok experiences and observations. Note something so nice and lovey next to something so run down. In many ways it saddened us but the people were quite happy. Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles, and we found most people (cabbies who didn't want to turn on the meter aside) to be quite friendly.
Back to the ugly, though...we also checked out the sin city aspects in the late afternoon, including the Patpong and Soi Nana areas. We did not take photos out of respect for both the "professionals" and the "patrons" (no doubt seeking secrecy). Even in some of the seediest areas, we never felt unsafe.
Last night we wrapped our evening at the Suan Lum night market, which had thousands of shops and dozens of food stalls in the bier garden. We didn't shop long but we enjoyed the food and the Lady Gaga cover song entertainment. Everything we ate in Bangkok was delicious - food was definitely a highlight of our trip (much to Brian's relief after a couple of sketchy instances in Beijing). Since we're no longer headed to Siem Reap tomorrow, we're going to enjoy a few extra days in Singapore. We're also considering an additional day in Bali, but we're waiting to decide tomorrow. For now, we're off to dinner and to enjoy one night in Singapore. Lar lar lar.
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