'Wat' a Day

My train for Chang Mai didn't leave til the evening so I had the full day to explore the city. I started wandering around, trying to discretely follow other foreigners in the hope that they would lead me to something exciting. However, I stopped stalking a group of foreigners because they looked even more lost than me, but somehow found myself at the gates of the Grand Palace. It was incredibly crowded with Thai people and foreigners. Apparently I was at the Thai only entrance, and I couldn't find the entrance for foreigners. So I roamed around the palace walls until I spotted one! Another foreigner who looked just as lost. Thus I met Nick, guy from New York, in Thailand for about 2 weeks, heading south for the beaches the next day, and my first friend on my trip. It was perfect, now I had someone to take awkward solo pictures of me.

Awkward picture #1. Hello ugly outfit

I would like to mention that apparently my skin was too exposed for the palace, so I had to rent a skirt and shirt to cover my ankles and shoulders, so my outfit inside the palace was awful! Please don't judge me, rather enjoy the photos and the vibrant colors that my mismatched patterns emit.

The Grand Palace was grand indeed, it was HUGE. I don't even think we saw everything, and it was incredibly beautiful. So beautiful it hurt. Okay, I just exaggerated a bit, but seriously, every square inch of the 2,351,000 square feet was stunning. The palace ground were vast and it was filled with temples, courts, palaces, random beautiful buildings I didn't recognize, and gardens. The majority of the time I didn't even know where exactly in the Grand Palace we were, but it didn't matter. We also saw the infamous Emerald Buddha, where you weren't supposed to take pictures but of course I did. I felt a little weird going into all these temples because it is a sacred place for Buddhists, and some Thai people were praying and trying to have a peaceful moment while the rest of us were scrambling around trying to get the best pictures.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

After the Grand Palace, Nick and I decided to head across the river to Wat Arun, also known as Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan. I also enjoyed my first tuk tuk ride from the palace to the ferry. It was frightening and yet exhilarating. It's amazing how tuk tuks weave in and out of cars and lanes and end up going the wrong way on a side of the street and somehow you still manage to live. 

Tourist alert!

Wat Arun was spectacular in a completely different way that the Grand Palace was. I think I even liked Wat Arun better (shhh). It was old, made from stone, and had vibrant colors. The wat's construction began in the 1800s! Whoa. It was amazing how old it was, how weather has damaged it, and how many people have climbed or touched the wat and yet how beautiful it still was.

Awkward picture #2

The climb to the top was awful. My fear of heights did not help. The steps were incredibly steep and tall, so tall that at one point I was crawling with my hands and knees. After climbing about 250 feet up, the view was totally worth the sweat and tears (Jokes! I didn't cry.) There was a great view of the river, and of Bangkok. Truly stunning.

The main temple

At the top

After Wat Arun, me and my new friend Nick had to part ways. I booked it back to the travel agency, picked up my pack, cabbed it to the train station, and prepared myself for my very first train ride. Look out Chang Mai, here I come!