We had a full day ahead of us and intended to use every minute of it exploring Bangkok and enjoying our time together. The first stop was to put our stuff down and we really had no plan whatsoever, but lack of planning hadn't been a problem so far, so we were not worried at all. We headed towards Khoa San Road, the infamous backpacker street where Leo (Dicaprio, that is) spent his nights getting lost in the movie The Beach. Anyway, the street was bustling when we arrived with vendors and restaurants and we couldn't wait to unload, get some food, and make our way around the city. Almost immediately, we located a Backpackers Inn and although they wouldn't just store our bags, we were delighted to find out that they had one room left and it only cost $10! They let me check out the room first, and although it was tiny and a little dingy, it was fine. We just wanted to put our things down, and I was happy to have a place to lay my head for a few hours as my flight wasn't until 7 am the next morning (Sarah was leaving first around 10 pm that night). Anyway, we happily paid for the room and found a restaurant nearby for delicious pad thai, thai iced tea (a new favorite) and some people watching, of course.
Around 1 pm, we left Khao San Road, planning to head towards the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), which we had only seen from a distance the first time around. On the way, we wandered into a much smaller temple, and found ourselves the only tourists among a crowd of Thai people, there to pray, be blessed by the monks, and make their offerings. It was amazing to see the people kneeling on the ground praying with a monk seated above them, chanting and sprinkling holy water as he gave his blessing. We tried our best not to disturb, and I think we did a good job of it, no one seemed to mind us being there. We left the temple and headed out through the streets of Bangkok. We came upon a huge festival where everyone (easily a few thousand people) were wearing red shirts, but we had no idea what it was for, so we kept moving. After a few stops to haggle some goods from local vendors, we made our way to the river and took a ferry across to Wat Arun.
As we got closer to the temple, we began to see that the structure which looked gray and drab from a distance, was not gray and drab at all. As we approached it, we began to see that it was completely covered in a complex pattern of porcelin. From far away, it just looks old, but up close it is truly unreal (Ben commented that it looked like one of those Magic Eye books we used to stare at when we were kids, and I think thats a pretty good description). Anyway, we paid about three dollars to get in, and were able to walk (and climb!) all around it. The base of the temple is a pentagon shape and then there is a steep tower jutting up in the middle. We climbed the steps or I should say ladder, which is a much more appropriate way to describe it, up the tower and were rewarded with a great view of the river and the city. It was fascinating in a different way than the Royal Palace which we saw on the first day. While the Royal Palace was gold and magnificent and a work of art, Wat Arun with its worn appearance felt more like a glimpse into the past. It was really cool to be there and to see the buddhist monks carrying out century-old traditions. Thankfully not everyone in the world is becoming a homogenized reflection of the western world.
Wat Arun- Temple of Dawn
Sar climbing Wat Arun
couldn't pass this up
Pleased with taking in one more famous temple, we decided to find some local action at a flower market on the river. We walked through the blocks and blocks of flower vendors, pretty amazed that these people can all make a living selling flowers. After taking in the bright colors and smells, we decided it was time to make our way back to Khao San for some shopping and maybe a little bit of relaxing. We still hadn't taken a famous Tuk Tuk vehicle (see picture below) because we had heard that they try to scam tourists, but we thought it was a steal at about $2 for a 20 minute ride! It was also great because we got a tour of the historic area of the city from a new perspective. Sitting in traffic next to the Parliament building and whizzing by the Royal Palace grounds was a great last way to see the city. When we got to Khao San, we did some last minute shopping and found some great deals. Just a word of advice, don't try to haggle too much in Thailand because the vendors are sticklers and you will piss them off! After a long day on a plane and exploring the city, we needed a little relaxation before the night, so we headed back to the dingy (but cozy) inn to take a rest.
50 baht (or about $1.75) for each bouquet
riding the tuk tuk!
Sarah's flight was at midnight, so she had to be in a taxi by about 9:30 and she had just one wish for her last night in Bangkok: to check out the posh roof-top restaurant Red Sky at the Centara Grand Hotel (if it sounds expensive, that's because it is). Despite my meager Korean teachers salary and my backpacker attitude in which I'd rather sample street food than eat in a western style restaurant, I agreed to dress up and dine like the New Yorker that I still had buried in me somewhere. It turned out to be a beautiful restaurant with stunning views and absolutely to die for drinks and food, so it wasn't all that bad...plus, the sis helped me out a little, of course!
Red Sky restaurant
Our sister adventure in Thailand was finally over. As we went back to the inn to pack up Sarah's stuff, I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyes. I had that awful mouth twitching, when you're trying to hold back emotion. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my sister and go back to cold, family-less Korea. We didn't say much as we walked through Khao San Road (which was now hopping with music and party-goers) and when we got to the end we were quickly able to hail a cab. Suddenly, her luggage was in the trunk and the taxi driver sat waiting. With tears rolling down our cheeks, we hugged and said our goodbyes (even now it makes me teary to think about it). Sarah left and then I was alone again. I wiped away the tears, and decided to make the most of the last few hours with some shopping and listening to live music, and then finally headed back to my room to relax. Around 3 am I had the hotel call me a cab, and I was the first in line at the airport which was worth it because I scored the exit seat for the flight back.
It was a long trip back to Korea, and I thought a lot about the trip and how great it was. To be able to share that week with my sister, in a place neither of us had ever experienced before was really special. It was an amazing time, and we really better do it again (Matt, you can come too next time)!!
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