The Grand Palace

พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang

This set of buildings and temples was the home to many kings from the 18th century on. Although the current king of Thailand resides elsewhere now, it's still used for many royal functions & gatherings.

The Tuk Tuk Experience

Touring part of Bangkok by longtail boat was great, but we were ready to take on the Tuk Tuk. These mini taxis are one of the many modes of transportation here in this country. We've heard a million stories from travellers, books, forums & articles on the Tuk Tuk experience so we thought we'd be able to steer clear of any issues trying to get from point A to point B. Turns out, it's unavoidable. Even though the driver tells you he'll take you directly to your preferred location, there will always be a few stops along the way. The stops almost always include a jewelry store (where they actually polish the gems and sell) and a few tailors. Commission is involved in these situations.

It's a good thing we all have a great sense of humor, otherwise the situation could have gotten worse. Thinking back to this, I can't help but laugh when I visualize Allison & Caroline walking up and down the aisles of a tailor shop (not wanting to buy anything) but still getting followed around by 10+ men asking you if you want, "a sexy dress" or a suit. If only I thought to snap a few shots of this while we were in the moment.

After about 3 shops, we learned that we just needed to be a little more firm, so we finally put an end to the window shopping and did more sightseeing.

Below: Wat Indrawiharn

What to Wear: Thai Temples

Dressing for temples is a bit of a challenge. Just when you think you've got the appropriate garb, they tell you to cover yourself up more. Summer in Asia is a difficult time to follow these guidelines. With the temperature between 90-100+ degrees with high humidity, I just wanted to wear as little as possible. Unfortunately, this doesn't fly for Thai temples. They have a very strict dress code that everyone must abide by. By dress code, I mean you must cover your knees & shoulders. In some temples, you even have to fully cover your legs and arms. Luckily, if you're not prepared, you may be able to rent out traditional thai clothing or find a cheap shop down the street.

Longtail Boat Ride to Wat Arun

I could probably spend all day at the Chatuchak Market, but we've got time constraints and we want to see everything possible. If any of you have ever travelled with me or Caroline, you should already know that we try and cram a million experiences into one day. Usually, we're pretty damn successful. Proof = Paris in 2 days back in 2008.

So, on to our next adventure of the day: longtail boat ride to Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) via the Chao Phraya River.

Bangkok: Chatuchak Market

After a pastry & fruit filled breakfast, we headed out with Khun Manop to explore Bangkok. First stop, Chatuchak Market.

This is one of the largest markets in the world. So many weird/ unbelievable/ cheap/ you name it/ things on sale at this place: puppies, fish, birds, food, clothes, hats, scarves, baby squirrels, wood carvings, shoes and more. As I perused through thousands of trinkets and animals, I wondered what would compell people to buy certain things. Who knows?

P.S. You can bargain everywhere in this country - they say tp never take the first price. We came out of this shopping haven with only a few dollars/ baht spent and the cutest hats & scarves.

SFO --> BKK

After meeting with our driver in Bangkok at the airport exit, we proceed to Nonthaburri which is about 30 minutes north of the city. Caroline's uncle was nice enough to let us stay at his place. Nanu was there to also make sure we never went hungry :). Having an on-site staff and driver to take us to Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburri & throughout Bangkok, is one of the many great perks for us! We stay here for a few days and head out to Krabi where we'll be soaking up some sun & beautiful ocean water.

Check out his gorgeous pad...

Back & Tan

Hi everyone!

I'm back to business and extremely tan. Been trying to slough it off with exfoliators, but it won't budge. Guess I'll just have to enjoy the color and tan lines for now. This year long tan seems to never fade.

This week has been crazy with so much going on that I haven't been able to catch up on real sleep or get to editing/ organizing my photos. Such a bummer because I've got the best photos to share! With my latest Flip purchase, I'll also be able to share a few videos.

Can't wait to provide you with more trip details, but the crazy week continues. I'm actually leaving to go camping tomorrow!!! Just the beginning of Summer fun. Stay tuned...

Sincerely,
Melissa

P.S. Don't mind the new design, I'll be messing around with different designs before I can figure out which one I like the best.

And I'm off...

to Thailand!

Twitter & Forever 21

So I'm signed up for Twitter (initially because of work/ social media) and it's seldom that I log in. Today I log on and Forever 21 JUST posted up a contest (winners get a free romper & necklace) and so I figured I'd answer their question and cross my fingers. There is just ONE person who answers before me, but she doesn't answer correctly. They ask for 3 "bloggers" in their Danny Roberts t-shirt collection, NOT actual blog names. Well, guess what, she won! Not fair, that romper & necklace are supposed to be mine - I answered the question correctly first!!! Haha okay that's all - just needed a source for venting.

Carmel

Northern California gets a bad rap for it's beaches because they're not the prettiest or cleanest in the state and the water temperature is always cold. Turns out, Carmel Beach actually has blue water and clean sand. It's probably the best beach I've been to up here. I don't even think I've seen water this blue in SoCal. If you disagree, please let me know where to find it :)

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Very little needs to be said about this place. With it's rocky cliffs, wildflowers & sea lion inhabited water, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is breathtakingly beautiful. See for yourself.