I got the opportunity to go to Hong Kong during my MBA program in 2009 with Duke University. So, when Juan Pablo's UNC-Chapel Hill MBA program took him there in May of 2011, I jumped at the chance to go back with him! We decided to start there, and then go on to Thailand - a country we'd always wanted to visit.
We only had a couple days in Hong Kong, and since we'd both already done a lot of the touristy things with our respective classmates, we just wandered the streets together. And what a fabulous city at night!
From here, we flew to Bangkok. Wow, what a city for the senses! I don't think I've ever seen so much traffic. There were people, sounds, and smells everywhere, and the energy was amazing. We stayed on Sukhumvit 31, at a tiny little hotel, which turned out to be a great respite from the crazy Bangkok streets.
First, we visited Jim Thompson's house, the man responsible for reviving the silk trade from Thailand. He purchased 6 different houses from various areas in Thailand and brought them together in to one sprawling home. We then walked through Siam Square and back to our hotel via the skywalk, which was a great way to see the city. The gold structure is the Erawan shrine, the first of many buddhas we would see.
The next day, we took the express boat up the Chao Praya river to the Grand Palace, which was a perfect way to see some more of the city.
Juan Pablo really enjoyed the signs telling tourists what not to wear to the palace.
Although I had read the warnings in the guidebook, we still managed to fall for a very official looking man who told us the palace was closed for lunch. We found ourselves in a tuk-tuk taking us to some other attractions that were "open". After he started taking us to jewelry stores and suit shops, we realized we'd been "had" and politely (then rather forcefully) asked him to return us to the Palace. Despite this, we actually enjoyed the ride and had a fun time. (and I have to admit, we did buy a custom shirt for Juan Pablo)
In fact, although we are Christians, we thought we'd embrace the culture and make one prayer offering to Buddha, since we were there after all! The funny thing is, the prayer I offered up was that we would get pregnant easily and quickly when we started trying a few months after this. I guess Buddha came through for us...keep reading... :)
After our tuk-tuk adventure, we finally got to visit the Grand Palace. This was pretty a pretty spectacular exhibit of Thai architecture. Note that since I followed the oh-so-explicit signs, I had to wear long sleeves and a long skirt. This was rough considering the temperature that time of year is in the 90s and humid. My family can attest that I have never toured well in super hot weather (Williamsburg circa 1988 is a family legend) But in Thailand, with your best friend, no complaints here! After the Grand Palace, we made two more stops - first to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.
And then to the Banyan Tree Hotel to check out what was supposedly one of the best views of the city. It was beautiful! A large storm rolled in right after we finished our first drink, so we had to leave, but not before we snapped a great photo of the view and the storm!!
As if this wasn't enough to fit in to one day, we topped of the evening with one of my favorite memories. If you know me, you know how much I love food, and so good meals are important to me. I have to admit that one of our best meals of the whole trip was our $11 meal that night in the food market! We feasted on egg noodles, pork on a stick, glass noodles and the BEST mango and sticky rice I have ever had!!
Ah....Bangkok. How does the song go? One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster!!
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