Getting to Bangkok takes a long time. I mean a really long time! And a lot of sitting. And this time some running. For the first time in my travel history I almost missed a crucial flight. Our stupid plane hit a stupid bird in Salt Lake City resulting in a 4 hour delay and by the time we got to LAX our ChinaAir flight to Taipei was already boarding! Hailey and I literally ran to the international terminal, a mile away, ran through security and then ran to the gate. Luckily the plane was super jumbo and we were the last in line of the 400 people that boarded before us. The next 14.5 hours whizzed by, with some pharmaceutical help, and the fact that it was a "red-eye". The the next thing I know, after groggily waking up just to eat the 2 full inflight meals, we are touching down in Taiwan and ready to catch another connecting flight which would get us to Bangkok 4.5 hours later. Total travel time: 24 hours.
Once in Bangkok I noticed two distinct aspects: trashy and glorious
On the one hand this huge city is very crude. Power lines are baffling, traffic is continuous and the driving habits are barbarous. Oh, and the street food! Everywhere!
A floating marked on one of Bangkok's many canals.
On the other hand, this city is home to temples and palaces that induce ornamental overload. So much gold, so much sparkle. The intricacy and opulence of these structures blew my mind. Every inch upon inch of these temples are jeweled with magnificent color....just overwhelming! Within the grounds of the Royal Palace: 360 degrees of WOW!
And in another exquisite complex: The huge Reclining Golden Buddha
and the various passageways filled with sitting Buddhas
I love the diversity of Bangkok. It is real and urban. Modern yet backwards. The mass of people are hard working and continually busy selling, driving or shopping. The grand palaces and shrines draw Thai people and visitors alike, bringing out the Buddhist in all of us.
Next Post: Chiang Rai, Thailand
1 comment:
I'm so glad you made that flight!!! Full of both trash and gold. I intriguing.
Post a Comment