travelVirginia Mae RollisonOctober 27, 2018bangkok, thailand, travel, asia, wat, temple, buddha, thonglor

Bangkok, Thailand

travelVirginia Mae RollisonOctober 27, 2018bangkok, thailand, travel, asia, wat, temple, buddha, thonglor

It’s 7:30am and I’ve already sweat through my t-shirt. Welcome to Bangkok.

Thankful for a brief break from the torrential rain that’s plagued our trip to Southeast Asia, we got up early to take advantage of the blue skies and see the Grand Palace and all the glittering Wats. The Palace is a massive complex and the hordes of tourists gave me flashbacks to visiting the Vatican. But the gleaming gold and colored mirrors sparkling in the morning sun was absolutely spectacular, and I wish we had more time to explore all the nooks and crannies of this beautiful, sweltering place.

With more rain forecasted for the afternoon, we zipped through the palace, neighboring Wat Pho, and a boat ride across the river to Wat Arun. After the morning crowds at the Grand Palace, both Wat Pho & Arun felt like a breath of fresh air, so peaceful and seemingly empty by comparison.

Golden stupa Phra Siratana Chedi and Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), inside the Grand Palace

A Demon Guardian stands watch, protecting the Emerald Buddha from evil spirits, inside the Grand Palace

Entrance to Phra Mondop, the Buddhist Library, inside the Grand Palace

Hor Phra Naga and Phra Wiharn Yod, inside the Grand Palace

Mural paintings depicting the story of the Ramakien, inside the Grand Palace

Outside of the Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn/The Royal Pantheon

Hor Phra Gandhararat, a chapel dedicated to the Buddha of rain + agriculture, inside the Grand Palace

A guard keep watch inside the Grand Palace

Phra Asadha Maha Chedi, eight towers dedicated to different pillars of Buddhism, inside the Grand Palace

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall, the royal residence of King Rama V built in 1877

Phra Chedi Rai, inside Wat Pho. These house ashes of the royal family or Buddhist relics

Phra Ubosot, the holiest prayer room inside Wat Pho

the Ordination Hall at the front entrance of Wat Arun

tufts of grass and flowers grow in cracks between the porcelain tiles

a monk gives blessings inside a chapel at Wat Arun

a quiet corner of the heavily touristed Khaosan Road

one of the many canals that weave through the city

delicious street food- pork or chicken over rice

Peek a Buddha! Looking down a street selling buddha statues — *Peek a Buddha!* Looking down a street selling buddha statues

After spending our first days in the historic center of Bangkok, we moved out to the trendy Thonglor neighborhood and spent a day exploring all of the fun bars and restaurants. Putting my heavy DSLR away for the end of the trip, I captured the Thonglor food scene on my Google Pixel 2.