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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“The last few days of fun at Bangkok and some time to myself before heading home” |
One last time at Bangkok and Grand Palace & Wat Phra Keo
I stayed at Cam's new Bangkok suburb house that she and her husband will live in. Then I stayed another evening at the Miracle Grand Hotel. Cam's house was very nice and fairly modern but one thing they didn't have is hot water. That was a bit shocking but I guess if you live in Thailand with the heat, many people may not have need hotel water.
The next day, I finally got to see the Grand Palace (where the King supposedly lives) and Wat Phra Keo (where the Emerald Buddha is). My friend Cam called a taxi for me and gave him all the directions but but somehow he still dropped me off at the wrong place. The driver dropped me off to a military office that was still 20 minutes away. I think he might have been trying to drop me off to where he thought the King really lives. Ugh.
Luckily, someone in the military office spoke a few words of English and said this is not the King's Palace for tourists. You need to take a taxi and go there. I got another taxi and off we went and luckily this time, the taxi ride ended at the right place.
It was already 9:45am and I had a 12:30 appointment at the Central Chetlum mall to get a facial and I thought I would never make it. But unless I missed something, you really only need to spend 2 hours at the most at both the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Keo (the template that is right next to it). I got to Wat Phra Keo first and there were many beautiful monuments of monkeys warriors and beautiful small buildings next to the real temple that has the emerald buddha. I was expecting a very large buddha statue but it actually is pretty small and is sitting up high. The room does have lots of other beautiful buddhist statues and ornaments to look at though. That just took an hour and a few pictures.
The Grand Palace was actually the most disappointing. Tourists really only get to see the outside of the building. I don't think there is a house to walk into unless I missed something. Also, while I was there, there was construction on the outside to make it look nice for the King's birthday. Well I was off to my facial by 11:00am. With the way Bangkok traffic is, I needed the extra time.
Just relaxing and shopping
My facial at the Lancome center was really nice, probably the best facial I've ever had but I haven't actually gotten that many facials even in the U.S.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at Central Chetlum stores, Starbucks, and Siam Square. It's nice to have some time to myself. Siam Square is a very cool place to shop but all the clothes in Bangkok was warm weather clothing and I knew it would be still 6 months before I can wear most of it. So as I said in my previous journal, I did buy some things but not very much. Plus, Siam Square sells a lot of young American brands (e,g. Abercrombie & Fitch and Diesel) which is more expensive there than in the U.S.
I got back to the Miracle Grand Hotel and finally got to do some running on the treadmill that I've been desperately hoping to do. I wanted to get back to the exercise routine that I had at home.
Then I had an international buffet dinner a that the hotel. It was for $20. It was great and it was the last time I had a papaya salad, which I really love to eat now. Kinn has promised to teach me if I baby sit her kids.
On the day we left, I got in some additional exercise at the gym but realized that I was having stomach aches. I wonder what I ate yesterday that might be causing this.. I thought to myself. I took some some medicine that my boyfriend, Ken, packed for me.
Cam and Kinn came to check me out of the hotel as we booked under Cam's bridal package pricing. We were off to the airport but had 1 more meal. I was ecstatic to have another chance to eat Thai food again.
The restaurant that Cam took us to had more interesting Thai dishes than other places including a wild pig dish which I didn't like so much but Kinn really enjoyed. Cam's new husband Amb eat with us. Unfortunatelyy, some how I have forgotten the name of this restaurant when I had time to write this journal. But there's karaoke at night.
We're done eating and it's off to the airport once again but for the final time of this trip.
It's Time To Go
It was time to say bye to Cam and Bangkok and Thailand. It was really a nice busy and yet relaxing vacation. I am sure I will be back to Southeast Asia again.
previous travel blog entry
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