Bangkok 22nd - 24th

So on the 22nd of September we flew from Koh Samui to Bangkok, with 'Nok Air' a cute budget airline who paint all their planes like giant birds, maybe this is meant to give you more confidence in flying with a small cheap plane, but it made me feel that they weren't taking the whole thing very seriously........

So we arrived at Bangkok, and made our way via Tuk Tuk to Khao San road, which is the main destination for backpackers visiting the city

This is a warning on the door in our room

The first day in Bangkok we decided to just catch public transport around the city with the aid of our trusty map. I've heard so much about Bangkok, and expected it to be crazy and dirty and packed with street markets, but we found it to be a very modern city that seems to have grown and developed around its old traditional buildings and land marks, with a well organised tourist industry and nothing like I've seen portrayed in films and on TV. It had its dirty areas but so does every city and its things to avoid and look out for but on the hole it was a lot like London....

We took a ferry down the Chao Phraya which was a great way to see the city and we found to be the quickest way to get around as the Tuk Tuk's (little motorbike driven carriages) seem to stop off 3 or 4 time on the way to where you want to go and ask you to look in a tailors or jewellery shop, he would say ''please please not for you for me''. So we would just go in for a minute, which we found out meant he got free petrol coupons. This was a trend among all the tuk tuks and you end up wasting half your time on them.

Warning the next part may contain some educational information..........

Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. The present monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), currently resides at  Chitralada Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. 

Rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Its asymmetry and eclectic styles are due to its organic development, with additions and rebuilding being made by successive reigning kings over 200 years of history. It is divided into several quarters: theTemple of the Emerald Buddha; the Outer Court, with many public buildings; the Middle Court, including the Phra Maha Monthian Buildings, the Phra Maha Prasat Buildings and the Chakri Maha Prasat Buildings; the Inner Court and the Siwalai Gardens quarter. The Grand Palace is currently partially open to the public as a museum, however it remains a working palace as several royal offices are still situated inside. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand.  

      Thanks again wikipedia.......

I had to cover my knees and shoulders so they loaned me some clothes, I felt sooo glamorous

Sausage wrapped in pancake on stick

The last night in Bangkok it rained and rained and rained.