Follow the Gibbs' as they set out on a much anticipated family journey around the world. This trip is the fulfillment of a joint vision of Joanie and Mike to share their love of world travel with their children Mackenzie, Audrey, and Rock- before they leave the nest.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas from Thailand!
Our final 24 hours in Bangkok evaporated in a blur. On the morning of Day 3, Joanie and I completed another Crossfit style workout in the rooftop gym. Pretty cool to be on the roof of a skyscraper getting in your daily burn. Check out the photo below of the rooftop pool. Amazing views in 360 degrees of the seemingly endless urbanization that is Bangkok proper.
Our next activity was a boat ride in a river taxi up the Chao Phraya river that cuts through the heart of Bangkok. The river was obviously once the life blood of Bangkok and it still plays an important role in today's world. The boat took us past fancy hotels, shanty towns, temples, and industrial sites - all within a couple of km of travel. We exited at the pier near the Royal Palace. It was a hot morning. Already passing 90 degrees at 10:00. The palace grounds were choked with tourists! Careful visiting the Wats and Palaces of Thailand on Christmas week. Tons of visitors.
The Palace tour was excellent. We next walked to Wat Po to see the Reclining Buddha. A very impressive gold Buddha laying down on his side. The kids and adults were now lagging from the heat and crowds. A snack back in the AC controlled hotel room complete with some ice cold Singhas, had us back on our A Game.
Our next objective was to shuttle ourselves and our backpacks through downtown Bangkok mass transit to the train station. We had an overnight train booked for Chumphon, where we would then catch our ferry ride to Koh Tao for 9 nights over Xmas and New Years. The kids did great cruising through the Sky Train and then transitioning to the subway. We stowed our bags and then set out to explore the neighboring Chinatown.
Chinatown has a couple of exceptional Wats. One was particularly notable because we watched an old monk in orange robes blessing a local family's new car. He was chanting, dousing water, and blessing as monks do, this Toyota Yaris. Very cool. We dined in Chinatown, bought some snacks for the overnight train, and then ambled back to the station in time for out 19:30 departure.
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