Fifty-Two Weeks of Adventure Link-up Adventure #2: Visiting Bangkok

I can’t believe it’s already time for my Week 2 adventure! If you didn’t catch last week’s introduction to my fifty-two weeks of adventure project, go check it out here. Also, be sure to check out Brenda (the original creator)’s blog about her week’s adventure and the blogs that were added to last week’s link-up (you can find these by visiting last week’s post and clicking on the button at the bottom of the page). Like last week, this is a link-up. If you have an adventure to share, you can add your link by clicking the button at the end of the post. You can also see other people’s links by clicking that button. You can add your link here even if you didn’t participate last week. There is no pressure to do all fifty-two posts.

So, on to Adventure #2. This week I got to visit Bangkok, Thailand for the first time. We have two weeks of vacation from school right now and wanted to travel somewhere warm and exotic and cheap. Thailand wins on all three counts.

One of the first things that struck me about Bangkok was how strange it felt to be in a place that was both tropical and a big city. I’ve been to places with a distinctly tropical feel (like Bali) and I’ve been to plenty of big cities (Seoul for example) but I think this was the first time I’ve been to a huge city that also has such a distinctly tropical feel.

While in Bangkok we got to meet up with a friend of Jonathan’s from high school who has been teaching in Bangkok for the past few years. It was great to see a friendly face and get some inside advice on what to see and how to get around.

with Rachel in Bangkok

Our first night in Bangkok we actually found a restaurant that had s’mores you could cook at your table. I know – it’s weird that we went to Thailand to get s’mores – but Jonathan and I realized that our experience traveling there as expats is so different than it would be if we’d come from the US. Because we live abroad and don’t have access to a lot of familiar foods and other things, finding some of these things in Bangkok was a treat. For example, I freaked out when I found a Sephora at one of the ENORMOUS malls that are a huge attraction in Bangkok and wanted to buy everything, but restrained myself to two Nyx matte lip creams and two of their butter glosses – if you haven’t tried these, get them. They are the best! And only like $6 in America. (Also, OK, I admit that I only restricted myself to two because they only had two colors in stock…)

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S’mores over hot coals with homemade graham crackers, bananas, strawberries, apples, chocolate sauce, and butterscotch sauce. We ate every single bite.

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Don’t worry, we’ve also been eating loads of pad thai and curry and all that good stuff.:)

We finished the night with a trip to the Red Sky Bar, one of many rooftop bars at the top of some of Bangkok’s tallest buildings. It was kind of surreal and totally beautiful.

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While in Bangkok we also checked out some of the main tourist attractions – namely the Grand Palace and Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn). We traveled by boat to the Grand Palace and then took a ferry across the river to Wat Arun for a mere 10 cents.

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Wat Arun, an incredibly old temple with a terrifyingly steep staircase.

Wat Arun, an incredibly old temple with a terrifyingly steep staircase.

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Aforementioned steep staircase

Aforementioned steep staircase

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Made it to the top and struck a pose.

Made it to the top and struck a pose.

Yesterday we traveled to Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand, so next week’s adventure will take place here and [spoiler alert] will likely include elephants.

Jonathan and I keep looking at each other and asking, “Is this real life?” The travel we’ve been able to do from Korea has been such a gift and we are truly, deeply thankful for the opportunity.

What fabulous adventures have you been having this week?

*To participate in the link-up simply write your post, mention that you are joining this link-up and add a link to THIS post. Then use the button below to add your post to the link-up. This link-up will be open for one week.

39 comments

    1. Really enjoying your blog posts Lily, I’ve been living in Bangkok since August, it’s nice to find other blogging expats! I noticed that you’re teaching? My husband and I are working in an International School, what age/subject do you teach? Looking forward to hearing about your adventures around Chiang Mai, we spent Christmas there and then travelled through Laos for 3 weeks during our break.

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      1. That’s so cool! Yes, my husband and I actually teach in Korean public elementary schools (different schools). I teach English to 3rd – 6th grade students. I’m so glad you reached out – we are actually really interested in moving into the international schools sector in the future (probably a few years away still) and I’d love to hear more about that. What do you teach? Chiang Mai was fun – we are down in Krabi now enjoying our last few days here. We only get 10 days of vacation so we have to cram in a lot in a short time. 🙂 Hopefully I’ll be able to share a post an1d some pictures in the next few days

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  5. how wonderful. I am living through your adventures and loving every bit of it. thank you for sharing.
    that stare case looked crazy ridiculous. I think my face would have looked the same way. 😉
    when Michael and I drove to the top of pikes peak I had my head between my knees the whole time. it was wretched. we said that the next time we would take the cog train. yikes

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    1. I would be shaking like a leaf on the drive up Pike’s Peak. I am so freaked out by those steep, windy roads! Plus the carsickness of course. Thankfully this staircase wasn’t all that high, it was just reallllly steep. 🙂

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    1. I know! I was so surprised! The homemade graham crackers were delicious. They had a similar flavor to the honey maid graham crackers, but they were thicker and the texture was a bit softer – more of a hard cookie than a cracker if that makes sense.

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  11. I love this post. Bangkok can be very ugly, but also very exciting!! Glad you liked Wat Arun! It’s one of the most beautiful landmarks I think!! And yes, Huge malls with water parks and amusement parks on the top floors . . . did you see any of those? I’m so glad you’re having a good time. You make me miss the place. Oh! Did you drink Coke in a bag???

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    1. We are having a terrific time. In Chiang Mai for the rest of the day and flying to Krabi tonight. We’re doing a Thai cooking class this morning. I didn’t actually see a coke in a bag place while in Bangkok, but we were only there two days and may not have been paying close enough attention. I’m sure the photos and everything make you feel very nostalgic. Have you been back since you left in 1996? I wonder how different you’d find it.

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  14. This is the second time in a row that I’ve seen a post on your blog about something I’m experiencing at the moment. After living in Medellin, Colombia for 6 months, I went out on my first adventure in quite some time last week. I really needed it! I went to Bangkok years ago as well, absolutely loved it! Great post. I linked my post about my adventure, hope it worked.

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    1. Cool! I’m really glad you could relate. 🙂 And yes, your link came through! You should be able to see it (along with the others) if you click the button at the bottom of the post. Thanks for participating and I’m so glad you are having adventures too. 🙂

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  15. Pingback: Fifty-Two Weeks of Adventure Link-Up Adventure #3: Elephant Riding and Island Hopping | Such Small Hands

    1. I would love that! Not sure if we’ll get more travel time before leaving Korea (our contracts are very strict about when we can take vacation) but I hope to get there in the future! Thanks for the recommendation!

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  19. I love to read your Asian trip 🙂 so much fun. You should try to visit Indonesia, not just about the rich culture, the beaches, sunrise up in the mountain have spectacular view and many more you can explore.I am a new blogger. I’d love to write in my blog some of my domestic vacation.

    X Dilla
    dilloww.wordpress.com

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    1. Thank you! I’ve actually been to Indonesia before, but only to Bali. I loved it though. I would love to go back and see more parts of Indonesia. You should definitely write about your vacations. It’s a great way for readers to see and learn about places they’ve never been!

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  20. Pingback: Fifty Two Weeks of Adventure #52: And So We Come to the End | Such Small Hands

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