Next stop: Bangkok!

Wat Phra Kaew is home of the Emerald Buddha
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After a 6 hour flight, we found ourselves in Thailand -- a new place that felt very different than Japan. By the time we got to the Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel, it was midnight.

On Tuesday (7/22), Shaleen and I took the Sky Train to Saphan Taksin station, where we boarded a river express boat and travelled north on the Mae Nam Chao Phraya river to see the Golden Palace, Wat Phra Kaew (home of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Pho (housing a 46 meter reclining buddha statue and massage pavilions), and Wat Arun. The heat and humidity were brutal, but we indulged in foot massages at the temple after a long day of sightseeing.

This mural depicting the story of Ramayan (Thai version) spans the length of the wall.
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We generally took Wednesday easy and spent most of the day shopping at Siam Center, Siam Discovery, Paragon, and MBP. A very tasty pad thai for 35 baht (1 USD) was had on the 6th floor. Shaleen picked up a few silk scarves and learned that bargaining is required for everything in Bangkok.

We spent Thursday morning touring Jim Thompson's house and museum before we headed to Bangkok airport to depart for Chiang Mai.