Baby arrived and we decided after talking with the grandparents, they would be thrilled to trade off watching him. Just in case, we got him a passport. Fast forward to early November when it was time to finish packing, send off my massive frozen milk stash, and leave my baby for the first time ever for longer than a work day. We must be crazy.
As we were loading up the car, Kara sent me a text to "bring the milk bags!" Breastfeeding moms out there will know it is very important to keep your supply up. I was going to be away from baby for two weeks and would need to continue pumping the entire time. For the time we were on the group trip, I was able to collect milk to be donated to an orphanage in Myanmar. Another thing to note, is that I tried to keep a regular-ish schedule of when I would normally be doing feedings. This was actually handy being halfway across the world since sightseeing would happen overnight at home.
Grampa and baby dropped us off at the airport. It incredibly hard to say goodbye. I'm starting to tear up now even thinking about it and he is nearby.
We breezed through security and grabbed some breakfast. And Cheezits. S carefully carried the treasured snack bag all the way to Myanmar for Kara. Upon reaching Dallas, I realized we were not arriving in Bangkok on Saturday. We were arriving late Friday night and I had only booked a hotel for Sat/Sun. Planning fail. I managed to get a hotel booked just in time for us to board the flight for Seoul.
The flight to Seoul was about 14.5 hours. I watched the new Lion King and Aladdin and managed to nap a bit. We had a couple hours to kill in Seoul before continuing to Bangkok. That flight was a bit delayed so we landed after 11p local time in Bangkok. We used the local rideshare called Grab for a ride to our hotel, the Pullman G. We really liked the hotel after we changed rooms (the 1st room's A/C was out). After a much needed shower, we snoozed in a very comfy bed.
After several hours of sleep, we woke to start a full day of sightseeing. But first we had to change hotels due to my booking snafu. We moved from the Pullman to Best Western Plus At 20 Sukhumvit. It was ok, but we used British Airways Avios to pay for the stay. Next time we'd go back to the Pullman.
After dropping off our bags at the hotel (since it was like 10a), we headed to the Google office. We then caught a ride to the very touristy area by the river. Note that traffic is pretty heavy in Bangkok so anticipate that it will take awhile for you to reach your destination.
Upon reaching the tourist area, we grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant overlooking the Chao Phraya river at the ferry stop. I wanted to really like my pad thai, but was concerned because the chicken was cold (noodles were warm).
 |
| We at lunch at this restaurant and the ferry pier was right next door. |
Our first destination post lunch was the Grand Palace. Pro tip, the entrance is on the north side so we had to walk a ways from our lunch spot. Google Fit said we did about 30,000 steps in our sightseeing for the day.
The Grand Palace was one of the busiest stops for the day. Next up was a ferry ride across the river to check out Wat Arun. The ferry was incredibly cheap. We waited in line for a few minutes and then all piled on the boat.
Make sure to not only rush over to the famous Wat Arun Ratchavararam steps, but wander around the complex to see the Ordination Hall and other outbuildings. We also saw a huge monitor lizard exploring the grounds.
We grabbed another ferry back to the east side to see Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho). This is where there is a HUGE reclining Buddha. Looking back, it would have been beneficial to have a tour guide in Bangkok like we did in Myanmar.
The sun started going down as we wrapped up our time at Wat Pho. The light was gorgeous as we made our way to Riva Arun for dinner. We watched the sunset behind Wat Arun and enjoyed a very delicious meal. After tasty mango sticky rice we went back across the river because it was going to be easier to hail a Grab from there. It still took some time to get a ride, but we finally made it back to our hotel through gridlock traffic.
 |
| Delicious fancy Pad Thai |
Day two was filled with a couple more temples. First up was Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram Rajawarawiharn - aka the Marble Temple. I think this was my favorite one in Bangkok, not only because it was the least crowded. It was beautiful and I loved the bells tinkling in the interior.
Next we took a tuk tuk ride to Wat Saket (Phukhao Thong). Travel tip - we looked up the price for Grab and then negotiated the rate so we weren't scammed. We climbed many steps to the top for a lovely view of the city.
As we waited for a ride to lunch, some college students interviewed me for an English class. People that speak more than one language impress me.
Quite a few people told us we must go eat at Terminal 21. Picture street food stalls in a mall. You purchase coupons to then go to the different vendors to pick your meal. We were too hungry and it was too crazy for us, so we grabbed a table at a quiet restaurant right around the corner with a great window to people watch on the street below.
After lunch we walked back to our hotel and made arrangements for massages at Orchid Spa. We partook in a couples' scrub and massage. The two hours sprinted by as I enjoyed what I think was my favorite massage ever. You were greeted with a cool towel and tea and then after your treatment, they gave you hot tea and sliced mango.
On our way back to the hotel we grabbed dinner at a little place on the street. It was very delicious and I had one of my new favorites - mango sticky rice. This was the only night we were able to video chat with baby. Boy was it hard for this mama to see him and not be able to hold him.
The following morning we start the second leg of our adventure by traveling to Myanmar.
No comments:
Post a Comment