China

After gorging for several days in Bangkok, I finally made it to Jinghong, China - one of the few areas of China that is generally warm year round.  Jinghong has very little to offer for the typical tourist but for me, that was just fine.  The botanical gardens, foreign scenery, random peacocks that wandered up during breakfast at the hotel, and most importantly, my grandfather were enough for me.

Land of Smiles

Land of Smiles. Thailand's fitting nickname. I will be back, but for now, goodbye to:

Palm trees galore.  Not quite like LA.

The view from my hotel's (Hotel Muse) rooftop pool.  (Hotel Pros: rooftop pool, the view, speakeasy bar, cleanliness; Cons: slow wifi, dark motif.)

Jim Thompson's house (and the many silk scarves in the gift shop).  

Anti-government political rallies in support of the king. 

Nighttime views of the bustling city.

Sa-wat-dee-Kah and Kop Kun Kah (Hello and Thank You)

The best of Bangkok? The food, hands down. My favorites:



Fresh (raw and baked) coconut juice everywhere, from the streets to the amazing MBK Food Court ("granddaddy" of food courts with vendors selling food from every corner of Thailand).




Papaya salad, also everywhere. Something I rarely find done right in the States.

Spicy dishes served in banana leaves.

Awamphu River Market.  Not like anything I've ever seen.

Sorbet and ice cream (whipped up from coconut milk instead of cow milk) flavored by fruits more readily available in Thailand (longan, lychee, mangosteen, jackfruit, papaya, rambutan, gooseberry).  Flavors photographed: red bean and green tea, cherry lemon, and longan.

Not just day but night food stalls with freshly caught seafood, fried and spiced up on the street.

"Nahmaste"

A few of Bangkok's bests:

 

Nahm. Touted as the best restaurant in Thailand and top three best in Asia.  Did not disappoint.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Wat Phra Kaew.  The detail!

 

 

 

Temple of the Reclining Buddha.  Wat Pho.  A Buddha actually relaxing.  Namaste, indeed.

Bangkok Streets

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to embark on a journey halfway across the world to see my grandfather.  As a child, I remember weekends at my grandparents' house and holidays with them at a designated cousin's house.  After my grandmother passed away, my grandfather lived with us for a short while only to move to China permanently (despite never having lived there). 

Overcome with an overwhelming sense of missing him after realizing that I had not seen him in eight years and understanding that he is likely not going to be around much longer (since he is 91), I decided it was time to visit.  The only problem was that with age, he needed consistently warm weather, which meant traveling to a more rural part of China (Jinghong).  While I knew it would be a trek, I had no idea that getting there and back would require four layovers, three cancelled flights, three delayed flights (one of which was delayed 24 hours so I had to sleep at the airport), and over 85 hours spent at airports or on airplanes.  There are few things in this world that are worth it but seeing my grandfather was one of them. 

Given the multiple stops necessary to get to him, I decided to stop in Bangkok for a few days.  The next few posts will capture the worthy moments of my trip, beginning there!  Enjoy, and thanks for reading the more than usual text.

First stop in Bangkok after traveling for 26 hours: the largest market in Thailand, Chatuchak Weekend Market, where:

 

Crowds are serious...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and street food is delicious, diverse and plentiful - from coconut ice cream to skewers to fried shrimp to mini soda popsicles to quail eggs to marzipan desserts.