Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand is full of Cobra's known to roam these temples, thankfully we didn't see any!

Monk who blessed us

A week prior to leaving our family all came down with an illness of some sort- a cold, a sinus infection and a inner ear issue. All that combined with losing our dog in the same week, it felt almost impossible our trip was going to happen. But we medicated, and pressed on- this trip was nonrefundable, of course. After a 5 hour direct flight, we arrived in Bangkok!

Buddha statue in Ayuthaya

Our first day in Bangkok we visited two famous temples: Wat Pho & Wat Arun. 

Wat Pho is the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok that features a reclining Buddha that is 150 feet.
We took a taxi and got there as soon as it opened, there were no crowds and R was able to run and play. He loved all the animal statues. The taxi ride (and the rest of them while on our trip) were quite a ride! One time, we were riding in-between a car and the guardrail on the median at top speed!!!)

Ferry to 2nd temple Wat Arun 

To get to the next place, we road on a ferry across the river, which was a little rocky and R was not a fan. Wat Arun features a 70 meter high spire decorated with tiny pieces of colored glass and Chinese porcelain but the most exciting part was that there was a set of stairs you could climb to get close to the top. These stairs were very steep, almost vertical, you must use your hands to grip the rail one on top of another to pull yourself up. I am afraid of heights and only made it half way.

Look closely and you'll see N in blue!

The next day of our trip was the highlight: a guided tour of a city named Ayuthaya,  about an hour outside Bangkok. This day happened to be a exceptionally hot day in Thailand, but temples require most women to be very modestly dressed, so outfit choices are limited in places like this.

This city is rich in history and Thai culture. Our guide helped us explore in a way we would see things most tourists do not, and also explained the history and Buddhism behind the places we visited. We received a blessing from a monk, participated in a Buddhist tradition of putting gold leaf on a Buddha, fed an Elephant (our alternative to riding since we do not condone the treatment of elephants being ridden) took a long tail boat tour of the river, ate authentic local Thai food and lastly visited UNESECO World Heritage Sites.

More info:  Why You Shouldn't Ride Elephants in Thailand

(Random tidbit: I was surprised by the amount of stray dogs we saw (which makes the suggested rabies vaccination prior to visiting understandable now), apparently the dogs are taken care of by local monks. R enjoyed playing with a few friendly pups.)

Tiny cable cart we rode to the other side of the village

The rest of our trip included an amazing aquarium in side one of the largest malls I have ever seen while our sailor went to a softball tournament, massages, some shopping and lots of eating.

Who can resist a baby Elephant? This little guy was SO interested in R.

On that note, I unfortunately came down with illness after eating something with bacteria. I became ill at the airport and after an IV, two rounds of antibiotics and days of doctors visits, I'm feeling human again although not completely better.

Bangkok was quite a interesting experience! As long as you're smart about what you eat (oops) and watch out for scammers, you can have a pretty amazing and authentic experience. But, I am officially squashing my travel bug for awhile!

A few tips for families with young children visiting Bangkok:
-Bring a baby carrier, or prepare for your child to walk. The streets are not stroller friendly (it's do-able but not fun) and most BTS stations don't have elevators.
-I found hand antibacterial wipes wipes very handy
-There are Family Marts and 7/11 everywhere and stores for random items you might need everywhere so don't stress too much about forgetting things.
-Sun protection, and cooling packs if you're going to be outside for long periods of time.