Saturday, October 16, 2010

wat phra kaew (the emerald buddha), the grand place, and wat pho (the reclining buddha)



day seven in bangkok was busy from start to finish. it began with a 5 mile run in the rain before breakfast. the our last day of class was held in the morning (while the budget and finance portion of the conference concluded, our students have the project management classes next week). after lunch, salil and i joined most of our students on a group tour of some of the major sites: wat phra kaew, the grand palace, and wat pho. the day ended at the kinaree thai restaurant, where jose, jamshed and i had a late dinner (and then an post-meal mini-adventure).

i didn't get to visit any of these sites during my first trip to bangkok, so i was happy for the group tour. the emerald buddha (made of jade, actually) was overshadowed by the ornate temple that housed him! we had a fantastic guide who walked us (literally) through the incredibly detailed complex. after the emerald buddha and the grand palace, we continued our tour with a visit to the nearby wat pho temple to see the reclining buddha. this was another wonderful complex to explore (beyond the main attraction).

after the tour, i had dinner with jose and jamshed. the kinaree restaurant is a 10 minute walk from our hotel. i've eaten at this thai restaurant on my previous trip to bangkok. this time around we were driven for a little loop - literally - after the meal. the restaurant's credit card machine was down, and we didn't have enough bhat among the three of us to cover the tab. no problem at all - they drove us, via their own tuk-tuk (that classic 3-wheeled chariot), to the nearest atm! the tuk tuk ride was a first for me!


the reclining buddha

here are the rest of my sightseeing photos, via facebook.

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