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Thailand

Bangkok

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
The place to visit in Bangkok, this is the official residence of the Thai King as well as the site for reportedly the most sacred Buddhist temple in the country.

Entering the royal complex, we were greeted by the glint of gold over a field of green - just a hint of what was to come. We had read that visitors were not allowed to wear shorts or revealing tops, but also that such garments were available upon entry - and they were.

We had to wait in line a bit, as there were no skirt-wraps available until some other visitors left, and Breck got to wear a gigantic sized shirt to cover his shoulders, but soon we were ready to go and explore!
The word 'overwhelming' does not begin to describe the visual assault that we suffered entering the grounds. Everywhere we looked was the fantastic spectacle of incredibly-fashioned artwork. The big picture, the small areas, the tiny details: all combined to create an overload of beauty.
    
Breck made himself right at home - exploring the back corners, meditating on the steps, even getting friendly with the guards. Let the record also state that Alea had just as much fun, but she was very busy recording all her events with her brand new Christmas camera, which unfortunately did not survive the trip...
    

We ducked and played all throughout the temples and columns, losing ourselves in the opulence and glitz.

We did top by to visit the famous jade Buddha that is the symbol of the presidency, only to find that it is a tiny statue that faded in comparison with some of the more outlandishly sized decorations we'd seen.



The whimsical faces of the statues everywhere were extraordinary, and we did our best to mimic them!




Bangkok: Welcome to the big city - Up and down the river - Amulet market - Wat Pho temple - Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew - Wat Arun - Interesting shopping opportunities
Chiang Mai: Around town - Night Market - Traditional crafts - Doi Suthep - Hiking, rafting, and riding an elephant - Villagers - A day at the zoo
Krabi: beach and surroundings

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