Let’s start by saying it is HOT & HUMID here.

We thought we would go to the Grand Royal Palace today. Since the entry ticket included the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) we figured we could do both in the same day. Turns out they are side by side. We had woken up early, 3:30 am early so decided to go for opening which was 8:30. Our hotel offers free tuk-tuk rides to this attraction so instead of walking the 2.7 km we opted for the tuk-tuk. Let’s say it was already hot by 7:30 am, so why walk?

It was great fun to ride in the tuk-tuk and I look forward to doing it more. For some reason they had to drop of us off about a block away but that was no issue as the gates didn’t open for another half hour. Saw this on the way, Uber scooters. As we walked the block to the compound we heard the song of the bird that has been waking us up every morning. These guys are early risers and appear to be following us. In Vietnam Doug had a rooster that would wake him up every morning. The birds just want him up early. The welcoming sign that greets you at the entrance

Inside the walls, the grounds are absolutely massive. Every temple was just so spectacular around every corner you walked.

By 10:30 we were so hot and tired that we really felt like it was mid afternoon. That’s what happens when you are wide awake at 3:30 am. So we decided to take a break and enjoy a cold drink as we stumbled across a small cafe. An ice cold beer has never tasted so good.

After our break we headed over to the Royal Palace side of the area. Pretty sure the inside of the palace is not open for viewing.

It boggles my mind how many people ignore and disrespect signs around these temples. They weren’t the only ones sitting. There were many people sitting in these areas.

Shortly after noon we decided to leave and walk back to the hotel and try to search out Khao San Road which is the hopping, lively area of Old Bangkok at night time. We got close but were getting tired, hungry and have I mentioned, hot? Found this street food restaurant named Yummy Yummy and it was doing a booming business so decided to get some lunch. We both ordered Fried Rice with Chicken and Cashew. It was pretty good but I’m finding that everything I eat over here all tastes the same. However the price was right. Under $12 for 2 plates of food and 2 ice cold Chang beers. I have never drank so much beer in my life and we haven’t even been here a week. Water and beer seem to be the 2 beverages of choice. A large bottle of water, maybe 2 litres in size is 13 baht, approximately $0.50 Cdn. We are going through a lot of bottles!

After lunch we continued to look for that street but we just got too tired and decided to head back to the hotel. Got back and laid down for an afternoon nap at 3:00 pm. Next thing we knew it was 8:00 pm. Best sleep we had both had since leaving Canada. We really needed it. Once again we headed out to find Khao San Road and we were successful this time in finding it. Turns out it was one street over from where we had had lunch today. Found a nice place with cheap beverages and good entertainment. He sang a great mix of songs. A little rock, a little country and a little Elvis. We’ve been told we shouldn’t pay more than 80 baht for a large Chang so pick our dining places based on their Chang price. There is definitely something wrong with this method but had worked for these few days.

The washroom left a little to be desired but it did have a sink to wash your hands in. Just nothing to dry them with which is apparently the norm around here.

We didn’t eat here so we grabbed a little street food on the way ack to the hotel. We should have got more as it was really good.

The next morning we realized that we never even saw the Emerald Buddha that we had originally headed out to see the morning before. Only we could miss it. Proving once again we had been over tired and jet-lagged. Guess we’ll have to look at others’ pictures on the web.