Grand Palace, Temples and more...

So our hotel is perfect! A little modern comfort in a great location and a great price! However we are constantly awoken at dawn by a rooster nearby....ha! Completely settled in though. I would quickly and repeatedly be reminded throughout this day how much more relaxed and quite easy it was for us to figure things out and get around on our own. Unlike some of our past trips like India and parts of Africa where I was really happy to have someone helping to navigate. We have this great app Tiposo which runs without wifi and it is so great for city walks, maps, Gps and travel tips, LOVE!

After breakfast we decide to take on the classic tourist sites of Bangkok starting with Wat Phra and the Grand Palace. Easy walk there though the humidity is thick. Four headed elephant on the way.

Well little side note before I begin with brief facts and pictures. Our taxi driver from the airport the other night made some comment about the "Chinese" tourists that would be there and to try to avoid them...right? This comment is even more hilarious to me now after the fact. As we approach the entrance to the complex which is surrounded by a huge white wall, droves and droves of huge Chinese tourist groups with flags and banners and umbrellas and selfie sticks (so many selfie sticks!!!!) are pouring into the gate. As we walk in to buy tickets groups are standing all over the place posing with banners saying things like "You Should Be Here!" and "Bangkok 2015" it was not exactly what I had imagined. I preface all of this because as you will see in the pictures below I did the almost impossible and tried to aim my camera around and away from all the crazy people EVERYWHERE and so you will not get a true sense of this experience without me first enlightening you in on this point. And just when I start to feel awkward about being a tourist in a touristy land, a person from one of these groups is hugging a statue with the words "Do not touch" written under it holding a selfies stick. Classic! There were many pictures that got retaken 5x as people would not just mistakenly walk in front of you but stand directly in front of you or whack you with an umbrella. Ha!!!! If this wasn't our first stop I may not have had the patience in the humidity but alas it was all quite humorous on one level and a cultural experience on the other.

But enough about the Chinese...he he he

Wat Kaew
Inner walls of entry are decorated with murals of Ramakian

Each entrance to Wat Phra Kaew is guarded by a pair of of enormous yaks ha,ogres or Giants from Hindu mythology

Then onto the inner compound. The most important structure is the bòht which houses the Emerald Buddha
We weren't able to go in unfortunately because they were getting ready for a cream only but the outside was still beautiful.