Railay Beach to Bangkok

On our third day in Railay, it was time to go. I am so happy that we got to spend that little bit of magical time together there. It was an absolutely perfect place and my favorite part of the vacation. As I type this, it's funny because I know not everyone would agree with this and I can even see why. The area has a fairly major trash management problem and it can be a little stinky in parts of Railay East during low tide but even with these drawbacks, I still loved it there.

We had booked our airport transfer the day before and it was smooth. We took a longtail to Ao Nammao where we were met by a taxi. The airport security line was short. Bangkok airlines had a great lounge in Krabi that any of their passengers can use. We had coffee, snacks and WiFi. Pretty sweet!

We had an uneventful flight to Bangkok and caught a cab into the city. I had to very firmly ask the cabbie to use the meter, which was covered up when we first got in. This ended up being just over half the price of his initial flat rate quote.  He also tried to be a little shady with the tolls and didn't have exact change when we got to our destination. It worked out though and I feel a little badly since the cabbie is just trying to earn money but it's not going to be by ripping me off and thinking I'm stupid. So, I guess my mild guilt is outweighed by my indignation. 

Grand Palace

We checked in and rested for a quick minute before heading out to the Grand Palace. My main objective was to see the  Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We walked over and got there at 3. The gates close at 3:30 so I felt a little rushed but we made it!  We had to wait in line to obtain loaned for SMS since he was indecent in his shorts. There's a little stand of clothes where for a deposit, you can get loose fitting pants or shirts to go whatever offensive articles of clothing you're wearing. Or you can just show up in pants (elephant pants are ok!) and a shortsleeve, non-see through shirt.  Yes, the rules are that specific!

The grounds and building exteriors were very impressive. The Emerald Buddha was on an amazingly elaborate alter. It was a little smaller (I think) than the one in Cambodia. 

Wat Pho

After the palace, we walked over to Wat Pho. A tuk tuk driver tried to tell us it was closed but I trusted the always reliable internet (ha ha) and SMS trusted me. Wat Pho was open when we got there and SMS and I filed in to take in the immensity of the Reclining Buddha, which is more than 60 m long and 15 m high. It's huge!  It was something different and even SMS, who can get a little templed-out, thought it was really cool. 

Next, it was off to S.J. International jewelers where I had ordered a ring to replace the one I lost a long time ago on the Kitty Hawk. It's a double ring that's an infinity loop with rubies on the underband. It's a little thicker than I had imagined so it took me a bit to warm up to it but now I love it!  I'm so happy I got it!  I've thought about replacing that ring for a really long time and now I did it!  Hooray!

After the jeweler, we went to the hotel for a quick change and then dinner at Gaggan. It was an exquisite, incredible dining experience that I'm going to write about elsewhere since I took lots of pictures. 

Bangkok at night

After dinner, we headed to a skybar. Although not on the river, it was still a pretty cool sight to look over the city. Then we walked through Khao San St which was pretty insane. Tons of loud music, drinking, food stands, outdoor bars- it looked like a lot of fun but not for us! We went to the hotel where we checked out the scene from above at the 6th storey pool, which was surprisingly nice. Then it was time for bed. I was so tired. I had a little trouble sleeping because of the vibrations of the music going through the entire building but eventually, sleep won. It always does!

Khao San Road with mass foot massages and lots of crowds!