Bangkok Day 1+2

Since it has been 6 months since Kenya and Ryanair wanted to give us 800 euros due to a delayed flight, we were looking forward to All Saints' Day more than any other holiday. We just watched the glorious game of the Blues in the DFB Cup, packed our backpacks, and off we went the next morning. Since the ICE route from Cologne to Frankfurt was only partially passable due to a fire, we went via Hanover to Frankfurt. We missed the train, but still arrived at the check-in too early. With 12 and 13 kilos of luggage, we set a new record. Via Qatar Airways to Bangkok via Doha. I've had worse flights. If smoking were to be socially accepted again in the next few years and the last rows were made available to smokers, we would give it 10/10 points. So it remains a good 9. After a taxi ride of nearly 1.5 hours, we finally arrived at the hotel. To our shock, our room was not available. Instead, we got a free upgrade to an Admiral President Executive suite. 75 square meters on the top floor with a balcony to let off steam. Awesome! Well, the rooftop pool is more like a bigger bathtub, but still okay. After 30 hours of travel with occasional sleep, there was a fantastic burger parade in the shop around the corner, and then we slept for 12 hours. Bangkok welcomed us early in the morning with 30 degrees and sunshine. Since the palace, monastery, and various temples were on the to-do list, we had to wear long pants and sturdy shoes.

We took a taxi to the Royal Palace. Similarly crowded as the Vatican, but quite nice to look at. 15 euros entrance fee per person is quite expensive for Thai standards, but it's definitely worth it, as the most important sacred place (emerald Buddha or something like that) of the Thais is located in this complex. Then we walked along the river for about a kilometer and visited a monastery next. This monastery houses a nearly 50-meter-long reclining Buddha gracefully gliding into Nirvana and allegedly the best massage school in Thailand. Also very cool. Unfortunately, there was no romantic boat trip on this day, as the king was visiting and the river was closed until further notice. Great king. Well. We continued by Tuk-tuk to the Golden Mount. Mount? Mount=High=Stairs. Finally. After about 344 steps, countless bells and gongs, we had temples and a 360-degree view of the old town. Also, great. We took a Tuk-Tuk and the Skytrain back to our lodging. We found a nice restaurant/bar and had a delicious meal for 15 euros. At least for me. My suggestion to Maren to try the noodles was not my best on that day. They were just slippery noodles. Sorry again for that. After the pool and shower, we went to Khaosan Road to end the day. It's the tourist street and backpacker hotspot number 1 in Asia. Numerous bars compete with alcohol prices and the volume of music. Here, you can buy everything (from T-shirts to various electronic items to passports) and try them out. If the cockroaches, scorpions, or grasshoppers had been fried, maybe I would have tried them, but not raw under the burner. They also say that there is skewered crocodile here, but unfortunately, we didn't see it. We ended the evening with candlelight, rice, pizza, and beer, and after 16 hours in Bangkok, we returned to our beds. After all, we still have one more day ahead of us.