Having gotten a small bout of food poisoning the first time I was in Bangkok, I was looking forward to being able to do a bit of exploration of this fun and crazy city.

And lucky for me, my friend Babs, who I’d traveled with briefly in China as well as in Nepal, was going to be in Bangkok at the same as me! Travel buddies reunite!

Neither of us had been to any of the temples or the Grand Palace yet, so we decided to make an afternoon of it.

WAT PHO

Wat Pho, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (or its official name of Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan…try and say that one!), is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage and, of course, for a giant reclining Buddha.

The Buddha itself reclines at 15 m high (about 50 feet) and 43 m (141 feet) long.

Wat Pho is a temple and, as a woman, I wasn’t allowed to have my shoulders or knees showing. But this is Bangkok in November so of course I was walking around in shorts and a tank top. Thankfully all the major temples have coverings for you to wear before you enter. At Wat Pho I got to wear a very stylish lime green robe. I think I rocked it don’t you?

There were also plenty of interesting statues and stupas on the grounds around the main hall where the reclining Buddha hung out.

The roofs of all the buildings were also quite ornately decorated and were constantly shimmering in the hot afternoon Thai sun.

THE GRAND PALACE

The Grand Palace sits at the heart of Bangkok and is comprised of a large and complex arrangement of buildings. It has been the official home of the King of Thailand since the late 1700s (when construction began), though the current King lives elsewhere and now uses it for official events and ceremonies. While mostly open to the public as a museum and tourist attraction, the Grand Palace still holds several royal offices inside.

The palace is a vast and slightly daunting place, and everything seems to be made of gold and sparkling colored tiles.

Statues stand guard at the doors and outline the perimeter of almost all the buildings.

And the roofs are just as ornately decorated. Just because it’s not at eye line doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. None of the roofs and overhangs in the palace lack for an air of fancy and intricacy.

As with Wat Pho, before entering the Grand Palace I was required to acquire coverings for my shoulders and knees. They are offered by the palace for a deposit which is returned to you upon giving back the garments. Though not as bright as the fluorescent robe at the Reclining Buddha, I got to sport a sexy shirt and button up shirt over my clothes.

After a hot afternoon of walking around Bangkok, Babs and I found a little market with plenty of street food to enjoy some lunch before jumping on the riverboat taxis to take us back to our hostels.

It was so wonderful to be able to meet up with with Babs for a third time! She’s a great travel partner and so much fun to hang out with.

On my long walk back to my hostel I found myself on the outskirts of one of the giant malls in Bangkok. Being close to Christmas, the outside was decorated for the holidays, but what the obsession with Snoopy was I still have no idea.