Day 12

It is our last full day in Thailand.  We were going to make the most of it.  We started it off the traditional breakfast of noodle soup of course.  They also brought out a big bowl with the bones with the last of the meat on them.  My little bowl was plenty.

First stop today would be to Wat Saket, The Golden Mount.  It is one of the oldest temples, right in the heart of the city.  It feels like an anchor like the Salt Lake Temple is to Salt Lake.  It meant more stairs to climb!  The courtyard of this temple has a beautiful old tree with stones set around it.  Perfect for a sitting Buddha to sit and greet the visitors.

This Wat is built on an artificial man-made hill, the Golden Mount is the area's most well-know temple and landmark and is a sacred pilgrimage site during the week-long worshiping period in November.  To get to the top requires a climb up some 300 steps, which encircle the chedi like a loosely coiled snake.  

Before beginning the climb, you will find an unusual cemetery built into the base of the Golden Mount.  Covered in vines and overgrown trees, it emits a rather spooky out-of-era vibe.  This might be because in the late 18th century, Wat Saket served as the capital's crematorium and the dumping ground for some 60,000 plague victims.  

Approaching the top of the hill, you will be welcomed by a wall of bells and panoramas of historic Bangkok.

A look around the city from the top.  Can you find the Golden Gate Bridge?

 Next we went on a walk about with a specific destination in mind.  The Giant Swing.  A little disappointed when we found it, there is no actual swing!  A pretty iconic spot though, so we are happy that we found it and took some pictures.  The walk there was pretty.  We did well not to get lost and only got stuck in a neighborhood once.

These Buddha's seemed so real to me.

This is Wat Suthat. We didn't go in it, just took pictures of its beauty from the outside.

Off again, this time to the Grand Palace.  We heard we probably couldn't get in, but we thought it was worth it to go and see what we could.

The roads around the Grand Palace were shut down but you could walk down the sidewalks.  If someone couldn't walk, they had motorbikes there to give them a lift.  They also had people handing out food and water and all types of stuff all for free along the path to the Grand Palace.  People did this as a support to the mourners and to show respect for their King.  It was amazing to be a part of.

As we got close, many people were going in.  As we approached the main entrance, we saw the sign that says no foreigners.  This was still within the first week of the King's death and they were reserving the right of entrance to the Thai people.  It was amazing to see so many people there and dressed in black and white.

 Everything in Thailand went to black and white.  The Uber app, any Thai webpage.  Even Google!

After all of that we went in search of a bank to exchange for some Thai money.  It was a Thai Holiday though, so it wasn't easy.  We ended up at a store called Tesco, it is like a Walmart.  They had a bank inside that was open and then we walked around the store and bought a few things to get ready for a long flight home tomorrow.

I found it fascinating that half or more of the cars we were in had the odometer in the center.

Check out the hammer!

At Tesco, some of the things I found fascinating.

 Eggs on the shelf.  Very common in a lot of foreign countries for them not to be refrigerated. 

 Hot dogs in their pastries.  Man that is just yuck to me.  

However their donuts seemed to be just fine.  Couldn't wait for the check out line!

Thai pizza - with salmon and crab!

After Tesco we were able to run back to the apartment for a quick freshen up before we went and met Elijah, Duong and their kids for dinner.  We ended up going to a Japanese restaurant for some hibachi then to Baskin-Robbins after for some ice cream.  Then of course we had to go back and get our final massage of our Thailand stay.

Day 12 = Success