Shopping and Sight-seeing...Bangkok style

It's day 3 in Bangkok...we're off to the Weekend Market. The Weekend Market runs only Friday-Sunday (obviously), so we ventured that way to check it out. It's huge and has everything your heart desires. It was so hot though, that we didn't last more than an hour or so.

After the Weekend Market we went to the Jim Thompson House. Here's a little background on Jim Thompson courtesy of Lonely Planet: "Jim Thompson was an American business man who single-handily turned Thai silk into a successful export business. He bought a piece of land on Khlong Saen Saeb and built himself a house. It wasn't however, any old house.

Thompson's love of all things Thai saw him buy six traditional wooden homes and reconstruct them in the jungle-like garden. Thompson became one of the first Westerners to embrace the traditional Thai home as a thing of beauty...he adapted his six buildings, joining some, to create a larger home in which each room had a more familiar Western function. Today, the house operates as a museum for his Thai collection and Southeast Asian art". He disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 and hasn't been seen since. Some conspiracy theories state he was in the CIA and was killed, others say, he just wanted to disappear. Nonetheless, his home was beautiful, and I loved seeing all the teak and beautiful silks.

That night we checked out an Italian restaurant to give us a small break from all the Thai food.

Another great day. Do I think you should visit Bangkok if you ever get the chance? Absolutely!

xx,

Lauren

Historic Bangkok

We woke up on Boxing Day and caught a long-boat to take us to the Wats. (Wat=Temple). Long-boats are everywhere along the Chao Phraya River, and $20 will allow you to avoid the crowded public ferries. The public ferries are only $1, so we only took two long-boat rides during our stay. It was one of my most favorite parts though....It was a big V8 engine on the back of a wooden boat!

Here are some shots as we traveled up the river.

In order to enter the Wats, you have to be appropriately dressed (no bare arms, shorts must be to the knees, and you must take off your shoes when going inside). Michael was inappropriately dressed, so he got to borrow a pair of fancy pants.

We first went to visit Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace (all in the same "complex"). Wat Phra Kaew is the temple of the Emerald Buddha, and although he's actually made of jade, we still payed the 66 cm Buddha a visit. He sits so far above worshipers that really you have to squint to see him, but there were fans in the building, so it was a nice reprieve from the heat.

We then went to Wat Pho to see the Reclining Buddha...the longest reclining Buddha in the world.

We walked around Wat Pho for awhile taking in the sites until the heat got the best of us.

We made our way to the Wat Pho Thai Massage School and got an hour massage for $10. It wasn't the classiest looking place, but the massage was great!

That night we met our friends from Hong Kong, Nina and Nick for a dinner river cruise. Nina and Nick were also in Bangkok for Christmas and we overlapped for a few days. The river cruise was great and the Thai food was delicious! After dinner we went out to Patpong. Patpong is described in my travel book as "the world's most infamous strip of go-go bars and clubs running 'exotic' shows". My mother would be appalled if I went into more detail about our little excursion, so that's all I'll say about Patpong.

We had a great day exploring historic Bangkok. Hope you all enjoyed your Boxing Day!

xx,

Lauren

Welcome to Thailand!

We landed in Bangkok on Christmas Day around 11:00 am. We got off the plane and quickly realized the weather report was not kidding when it said it would be 90 degrees. We grabbed a taxi, headed to our hotel, and decided to spend the rest of the day lounging by the pool. We kept saying how crazy it was to be in bathing suits on Christmas... A far cry from the 30 degree weather our families were experiencing!

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, and with a population of 10 million, it's a city that is rich in culture, history, and food. The traffic is horrendous, but transportation is cheap, and if all fails, you can always catch a tuk tuk.

 Before leaving for Bangkok, I heard lots of mixed reviews...some people loved it, others didn't want to stay more than a day or so. I must say, I loved Bangkok. In many ways, it felt like Venice---the riverfront, transportation by boat, the friendliness of the people, and the rich history.  Here are some pictures from our
our Christmas 2009.

xx,
Lauren

Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's Christmas Eve in Hong Kong, and a blustery 70 degrees! We had our Christmas tonight when Michael came home from work.

He got a shiny new guitar (as his others are in the POD), and some new shirts. My gifts weren't as fun to photograph, but I'll enjoy a day of pampering at the Four Seasons Spa, some personal training, and a few foot massages! We did pretty good, don't you think?!?

We went up to the Peak for dinner and spent some time overlooking this magnificent city. We're off to Bangkok at 5:00 am, so I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas a tad early. Sending hugs to you and your families!
xx,
Lauren

A little taste of home

Yesterday, I decided to teach my dear British friends a thing or two about Christmas Cookies. When Hayley exclaimed she had never heard of a Hershey Kiss, I about fell over. So, we searched out a few grocery stores and finally found the kisses (hazelnut kisses, but they'll work).

I put Hayley and Ripa to work. We made Peanut Blossoms and Sugar Cookies (because they didn't know what a sugar cookie was!)

We had a great time and I now feel like I have done my part in introducing them to a favorite baking tradition. I told them, they must now teach me how to make Minced Pies!

Did you make your cookies this season? What is your favorite kind? I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Hug those you love tight, as we're missing our families now, more than ever.

Merry Christmas!

Lauren
 ps...thank you sooo much for the Christmas Cards! The past two days, our mailbox has had several cards in it. Your faces and sweet notes are all throughout the apartment.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

It's Official!

Our great friends, Mark and Kendra Hendrix, and Jeff and Katie Hendrick are coming to Hong Kong!

Michael and I are THRILLED they're spending their holiday with us. They'll be coming from April 28-May 9, but we'll be spending the 5th-9th here...

We're going to Phuket, Thailand!

How lucky are we to have such amazing friends to travel around the world for us? I know they're so excited about Thailand, but I'm hoping they'll love Hong Kong ALMOST as much!

Come visit us, and we'll take you to Phuket too! Any ploy to get ya'll over here...

Hendrix's and Hendricks, we couldn't be more excited for you to get here. April can't get here soon enough!

xx,

Lauren