First Full Day

Our first full day in Thailand was hot and busy. We are staying in the Banglamphu area which is the oldest part of Bangkok and where most of the best temples are located. Our hotel is the Fortville Guesthouse, which is clean and utilitarian and not too fancy. They’re in the process of building a new cafe downstairs, and combined with their nice rooftop bar, it’s a decent place to stay. It’s about a 10 minute walk north from the games Khao San road, where I stayed 25 years ago.

We walked along the Khlong Saem Saeb (canal) past the Phra Sumen Fort to the Phra Athit Pier. This was Emma’s first try at walking in her Aircast boot, and combined with the heat and jetlag, it was a bit of a struggle. We made it to the pier though, and got on a river boat to take us down the Chao Phraya.

Our first stop was Tien Pier and a visit to Wat Pho. I think everyone really enjoyed this wat, it was the kids’ first look at some spectacular temples up close. From there, we hung out at an air-con cafe for drinks and decided to head back to the hotel to rest. I also needed to contact AirAsia about getting credit for a missed flight (because our trip was delayed a week).

After eating we were going to go to the Dusit zoo but on our way it started to rain. Rain, as in SE Asia rainy season rain. We went back to the hotel and one by one fell asleep for the day/night after a long hot day with jet lag.