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.