Thailand! (Week 4)

Sawadee from Thailand! After an eight hour flight delay we touched down in Bangkok, Thailand. We made our way through immigration and quickly realized that hand gestures and pointing are the only true international language. We hopped in a taxi unsure if our brief discussion with the taxi driver had been effective. 

At first glance Bangkok appeared to be just like any other big city, but then we would get occasional glimpses of stunning temples or poverty stricken homes. We arrived at our hostel and headed out to the streets. Bangkok is a buzzing city with street food, local shops, bars, and massage parlors. Tired from travel, our first taste of pad Thai was extra delicious. 

Excited to be immersed in a completely new culture we went to check out some famous Buddhist temples. Wat Arun caught our eye from the water taxi, so we made this our first stop. The towering white stupa, covered in porcelain designs was awing. What we didn’t realize at the time was that wats are not just single temples but are big enclosed courtyards containing multiple temples, chedis, monk living quarters, and other various buildings. We spent a few hours exploring Wat Arun and crossed the river to see the famous reclining Buddha at Wat Po. 

Wat Po did not disappoint and the reclining buddha is enormous. We enjoyed exploring the wat’s various buildings and beautiful courtyard. By evening we were hot and thirsty and headed to a rooftop bar for drinks; it was Valentine’s Day after all. Corbin, being Corbin, had forgotten all about V-Day. But after drinks we strolled hand in hand to the flower market where he picked out a lovely bouquet of flowers for Tatum. Though he doesn’t plan... he is great on the fly. It will be a Valentine’s Day to remember.

After enjoying the city for a couple days we continued the journey via train and headed north to the city of Ayutthaya. We spent the next couple days exploring ancient ruins and learning about Thai history. Ayutthaya, a previous capital of Thailand, is covered with ancient temples built as early as 1324. Some of the temples were destroyed by the Burmese in the 1700’s and many of the Buddha statues are still headless to this day. It was so cool to wonder around the city on rented bicycles and see the effects of history. 

We are so blessed to have been able to visit Ayutthaya... LITERALLY! We were blessed by a monk. Water being sprayed on our heads and everything :) 

Overall, we spent our first week in Thailand touring temples, re-applying sun screen, and eating delicious Thai food. We hate to talk poorly about the Philippines, but Thailand really wins this category. From morning to night we have been loving eating this and that. Favorites include papaya salad, pad Thai, masaman curry, and coconut ice cream. We even tried crickets.... this is supposed to be an adventure after all (and they weren’t too bad). 

With Love,

   Boots Abroad

Corbin’s

   Highs: Watching Tatum try crickets, getting blessed by monk, $3 foot massage

   Lows: Uncontrollable sweating, trying to upload photos from the camera unsuccessfully

Tatum’s

   Highs: Temples, being interviewed by a young Thai girl for her school project, FOOD!

   Lows: heat rash, long flight delay in Manila