Visiting the Wat Phra Kaeo Royal Palace

After so many days at the beach, we decided to do something cultural today. Nora and I made our way to the Royal Palace here in Bangkok after breakfast. The hotel staff told us it was an easy walk, just 10 minutes away! Unfortunately, they didn't mention that the 10-minute walk would lead us across an 8-lane road! 🙈 It took us nearly 45 minutes to find something like a pedestrian crossing!

Once we reached the palace, it was impossible to miss - both because of all the gold and because of the crowds of tourists streaming through the gates!

And when I say crowds, I mean it felt like walking through the Cologne Christmas market on a Saturday in Advent! Except it was 35 degrees! To make matters worse, I had packed too little water and my bottle was empty by the time we arrived.

And then, to enter the different buildings and temples, we had to take off our shoes. In summary, the outing was a lot of opulence, glitter, and a huge gathering of sweaty feet from around the world.

After about an hour, we practically fled the place. For the way back to the hotel, we took a Tuk-Tuk! The perfect vehicle for those who like to breathe in the exhaust fumes of other vehicles 😄 (Tuk-Tuks are motorcycle taxis with a covered rear seat).

For lunch, we treated ourselves to something delicious and Nora had her first experience with chopsticks 😄