Bangkok is one massive city. I can't imagine how long you would need to visit to take it all in. We mostly stayed in and around the old centre which included the Grand Palace, China Town, a number of very impressive temples (Wats) and some crazy bar streets.
We visited Thailand in March and the thing that immediately struck us was the heat and humidity. The combination was next to unbearable in the afternoons. Rather than slug it out, we toured around in the mornings then snuck away for an air conditioned nap in the afternoons before heading out again in the evenings. That pattern seemed to sync with the locals so we definitely didn't miss out on any of the action.
This post is all about our first day. We had arrived near midnight the day before so we were anxious to get after it in the morning. Our first stop was the Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace which was only a 30 minute walk from our hotel down the Th Ratchadmnoen Kiang (which was also our first introduction to the crazy long words that are possible in Thai).
We quickly came upon several impressive landmarks and shrines before the palace came into view.
It was behind the white wall where things got crazy.
The volume of glitter, glitz and gold was unbelievable. The numerous buildings and Buddhist Stupa were completely and meticulously ornate. It was difficult to keep your eyes open in the full sun with all of that sparkle.
They even managed to fit in a giant golden Buddha and a scaled model of Angkor Wat!
