Bangkok: Bustling Markets and Glimmering Temples

As I mentioned in my last post, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend enjoying some of Bangkok while I was there for work.  This was the second day with our tour guide, Pook and our plan was to see the train market and floating market.

Salt flats
On the way there, we pulled over to take some photos of the salt flats and the street side markets where they sell the salt in large bags.

Food Market (a.k.a. "Train Market")
First we went through the food area.  Pook had us taste some local snacks.

And why do they call it the train market you ask?  You can see that the market is actually on train tracks.  If you haven't heard of this, perhaps you're wondering: but do trains actually come through? ...

Indeed they do!  Within seconds awnings are pushed back and larger items are pulled in.

And within a minute the awnings return and it's back to shopping as usual.

Floating Market
I think others in the group knew what to expect here but I didn't.  When they said "floating market" I pictured a barge where you have to take a boat out to shop.  Not exactly.  This series of canals are lined with stalls, while others sell goods from the small boats.  You paddle (or motor) through, stopping whenever you see something you like.

We had a late morning snack of noodle soup.  Yum.  And have you ever tried eating soup with chopsticks, on your lap, while holding a big camera, on a small boat?  Not easy.  Although, while I did spill a little of the soup on my jeans, I assure you it was worth it.

After our boat ride we did a little more shopping at the entrance of the market.  Talk about sensory overload!  I love all of the colors.

Royal Palace and Temple
Next we headed back into town and took a river boat to the larger Royal Palace (again, I need to come back here to fill in the blanks on the actual names of some of these locations).  But the thing that is so amazing about this palace is the level of detail.  This huge golden stupa is entirely covered in small mosaic gold leaf and glass tiles.

Here's part of the shrine holding the Jade Buddha, just outside of the palace.

And another close up of some of the detail.  The amount of work it must have taken to complete these structures is unfathomable to me.

Beautiful Bangkok

Usually when I travel for work (ahem, the "day job") I don't bring my camera along because frankly, the inside of conference rooms just aren't all that interesting.  But when work took me on a longer trip to Thailand of course I absolutely needed to bring my camera!  Thanks to my colleague Jackie who lined up tours of Bangkok for those of us staying through the weekend, we were able to experience beautiful palaces, temple ruins and bustling markets.

Our meetings were held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok (I know, fancy right?).  The hotel was gorgeous right down to the simplest details, like these floating lotus flowers on a veranda.

We booked our excursions through Tours by Tong and our tour guide, Pook (pronounced "Poke") was excellent.  She was so knowledgable (we later found out that she's a secondary school teacher on weekdays) and had a great sense of humor.

I'll definitely need to come back to fill in more specifics on the locations we visited.  I have tickets and brochures to jog my memory.  For now, I can tell you that the first stop was one of the Royal Palaces.  These flowers were hanging outside a shrine near the entrance.

Royal Palace

This is where our van was parked, right outside the palace.  I was struck by the contrast between this simple fruit stand and the opulence we had just left.

Next we visited the Buddha.

A small temple in a room just outside of the Buddha's room

Another temple

A much older temple.  After having visited the last one, it is easy to imagine a time when all of these Buddhas were also in tact and draped in yellow.

When you just look at the ruins it's tough to imagine how tropical this area actually is.  I had to stop from time to time to capture some of this surrounding lushness.

Elephant traffic jam

Sarah & Zach

They fell in love in high school and he gave her the opal promise ring.  But being the responsible kids they were they decided to wait until they were more established in their lives before getting married.  Each built their lives and careers and now years later, what started as a teenage crush has grown into a deep love and nurturing connection.  Their families and friends would tell you that each is not completely whole without the other - so in tune with each other that they are unbeatable Cranium partners!

Sarah and Zach were married at the Catamaran Resort Hotel in San Diego.

We've seen some pretty cute ring bearers in the past, but this one absolutely melted my heart.

I love the way they look at each other.

A singer herself (a fantastic one as I understand) Sarah's ceremony wouldn't be complete without at least a little opera.

Did I mention the ring bearer?

Par-tay!

Woot Woot

Thank you, you two, for letting us be a part of your day.  Dad and I had a fantastic time. 

PS - Sarah, I'd love to hear some of your music sometime!