Bangkok

I woke up at 4am this morning and could not go back to sleep. Ida and I both got up around 7am, got ready, had breakfast, and were on our way out by around 8:30. We took the skytrain, aka the subway towards Bangkoks center where we booked our next hostel. We took a lovely walk through the city! We actually met a very friendly Thai man who pointed us  in the right direction to catch a bus. We ended up walking upon his suggestion which ended up being a great way to get to know the city. It was about a 3 mile walk from the train station to our hostel, Born Free. Even though much of the main roads we walked along were bustling with  traffic, it was oddly quite enjoyable because the sidewalks were wide, brick or stone paved, and had lots of lush green plants and trees, many of which were blooming with flowers. It was also beautiful out! It was very humid but the sun wasn't overpowering and the skies were blue. 

Very common sight in Bangkok are these overpasses. Instead of crosswalks, you go up and over the traffic. If you look carefully there's a worker hanging, what seemed to be very precariously amongst lots of electrical wires. It's so fascinating and intriguing to see such a different way of life.

As we got closer to the center, we walked through streets covered with small markets and vendors all down the sidewalk. It was sometimes hard to get through, there were so many people! And tons of food. Every step I took, I could smell something different cooking. It was either very scrumptious or made my stomach uneasy, just from the aroma. 

Upon our arrival at the hostel, we were hot and tired so while we couldn't check in until later, there were cushioned mats to collapse on and a fan to keep cool. It was perfect.

We headed out for lunch as soon as our energy came back. For finding food, we pretty much just aimlessly wandered about and when we happened upon a cute road, we'd take it and could usually also find something yummy to eat as well (also made great spots to take pictures while we waited for our food 😊) I don't know what any of the places we ate at were called but I do know that I was amazed by the cook who made us our lunch today. The place was so busy and yet she was the only one cooking but she managed so well!! Every dish that was ordered was made from scratch right then and there.

Our view while we ate. Pretty cute little road isn't it?

We were planning to take a nap/rest after lunch and then go see stuff around Bangkok. We ended up taking what was going to be a little walk. On our "little" walk, a very friendly local Thai woman apparently thought we were having trouble crossing a busy road and helped us out. In short she also gave us great advice and called us a tuk tuk (like the vehicle shown in pic above) to drive around the city and give us the tour of things to see close by at the cheapest rate. Our walk had a minor detour, haha! Riding the tuk tuk was so fun and so scary. Thai drivers are crazy. They go so fast and make unexpected moves that you aren't prepared for but I suspect I'll be in for a lot crazier very soon based on what I've heard.

This is at the Marble Temple.

This is a huge buddha and the huge buddha's feet.

Same place where we saw the big buddha.

This is at the Golden Mount. We saw such breathtaking views of Bangkok here. What a beautiful day it was!

And let's not forget our driver! He was great! And very sweet. Made the tour possible.

Ok it's getting late over here. I need to go to sleep now so I can get an early start. These were the highlights of day. Hope you enjoy!