We flop into the hotel room after the flight from Siem Reap. First day back in Bangkok is a wash. With Dave sick in bed, I head out into the streets alone to try and find a laundry place. We're not in a particularly touristy area so all the signs are in Thai and almost no one I meet speaks English. After an hour of walking, I finally find the place. Two Thai sisters grab my clothes and count everything out as their shirtless dad (I assume) with a belly big with ascites and glasses thick as jars yells indiscriminately from his perch on the Laz-y Boy. They hand me my receipt and with a "Khap kun kaa" (thank you) I'm on my way to find soup for Dave.
The next day, Dave is back to his old self and we head out to explore the temples of Bangkok together. First stop, temple of the Emerald Buddha (actually it's made of green jade, but the legend sounds cooler) and the Grand Palace. After getting busted for my tank top (they wouldn't accept my shawl) and standing in line to rent a big hot polyester shirt, we finally begin the tour. The ornate detail of the structure is mind-boggling and makes me wonder what Angkor Wat would have looked like in its heyday.
After finishing, we check out the temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), which houses a gi-normous buddha more than 151 feet long and 53 feet high.
Hot and tired and cranky, we try desperately to make our reservation for tea at the Oriental (at Aunt Elly's suggestion). After much haggling, some passive aggressive remarks, and much gesticulation, we finally find the right boat taxi to take us to the hotel. As we settle into the historic Author's lounge with white lights and matching colonial rattan furniture, we enjoy their signature tea blend and a pastry before heading back for a not-so-wild new year's eve... in the hotel room.
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