Thailand- Bangkok

Hey guys!!! I could not wait to share our Thailand trip with you!!!!! When going through all the pics I knew there was no way I was going to be able to share all of these with just one post, so I decided to split them up into 4 different posts of each place we visited to try and give you the most detail I can. I'll add as many links as I can to the hotels and activities. I'll also be adding in random bits of information as they enter my mind. I have to first start with the flight, although I dreaded every hour of those flights I can say it was totally worth it, every 22 hours of it. It made for some serious jet lag but still it was a once in a lifetime experience that I wouldn't take back for anything. We were 11 hours ahead of Orlando where Noelle was but we figured out we could FaceTime at least twice a day. Traveling with De and Somaiya always makes for a great time but seriously, it's so effortless to get along and I thank God for friends like them!!

Let's get into it! Bangkok was our first stop and originally we were scheduled to stay there for 4 days but from all I had heard from people who had gone, it may have been hard to find 4 days of things to do. So we talked about the possibility of going to Chiang Mai after 2 days but we didn't decide until the last minute which is a great perk about Thailand. Making last minute plans is no biggie. Bangkok is a huge city and from the airport to our hotel took an hour and we only paid 500 bahts which converts to just over $14. Needless to say, we felt like ballers and shot callers with bahts in our wallets. The traffic in Bangkok can get pretty ridiculous so if you get car sick easily I suggest sitting in the front seat (like I did) or keeping Dramamine on you at all times. 

I am a pretty big hotel snob, along with the rest of my crew so were really pleased with the Hyatt. We definitely followed the rule of not drinking the water and even brushed our teeth with the bottled water from the hotel. Now I don't know if it is actually that serious but we did it. I was very happy and pleasantly surprised that bottled water was everywhere and it wasn't hard to stay hydrated while avoiding typhoid.

Our favorite mode of transportation were tuk tuk's. With all the traffic and my motion sickness I wanted fresh air. The amount of cars, tuk tuk's and moped's on the road was insane. And to see infants and children on moped's was pretty alarming. They drive pretty crazy but we did not one accident while in Thailand.

We took a tuk tuk tour through Bangkok and our first stop was The Golden Mount. Little did I know that these 344 steps (one way) would have my calfs on FIRE for the next two days, had me walking like a zombie.

We then made our way through the markets. 

The flower market was huge and after we realized that Buddhist use flowers to pray, it made sense.

Tasty.

There are literally thousands of temples in Bangkok alone. We wanted to at least see a few of them and this was the one to see. The biggest Buddha in Bangkok. It was truly a culture shock seeing Buddha EVERYWHERE. We have missionaries from my church who just recently moved to Thailand to teach people about Jesus and they are certainly in my thoughts and prayers.

Somaiya and I had to cover up and there were lots of other rules to follow, like no PDA and women were not allowed to touch the monks.

Canal tour.

Got our souvenirs from this lady!

Feeding the many fish in front of a temple but the people are unable to catch the fish in front of the temple.

Somaiya and I really wanted to get some henna, so we did!!

Night one spent in China town. We met a serious hustler named Jimmy who set up our whole next day. 

Day 2 at the floating markets. We were able to choose how much time we spent out there and 2 hours was just enough. Make sure if you do this that you get a boat with a motor and a cover. We saw some tourist struggling with no top to their boat and their guide rowing at the back. No thanks! If you are not big on being pressured into buying things or easily aggravated, this is not for you my friend. I have never said "no thank you" so much in my life!!

After the floating markets we headed to feed the tigers. Well Somaiya and I did, the guys say it's because they just didn't want to pay for it but we know!!!

 I let Somaiya go first!

 It was so nerve racking!! I got to feed the big boy and poor guy really had to work for this chicken because I was not getting too close.

  We really wanted to feed a baby tiger but they only had "medium" sized tigers soooo… yeah no.

Night two was a complete BUST!! Someone had recommended this dinner cruise and it. was. awful. The food was gross and it was so boring. We paid WAYYY too much for this cruise booking through a tour company, we should have done it online, or NOT AT ALL. These are the only pics I took on that cruise. 

Yep, that's De laid out sleep, right before I knocked out myself. Major FAIL!!!

We ended the night with night markets and a very interesting show. At this point the jet lag was really setting in and there are no pics from later that night. Next destination is Chiang Mai!! Stay tuned….