Southeast Asia - Part 2 -First stop, Thailand!

It was a familiar feeling getting off the airplane at Bangkok's International airport and jumping on the Skytrain into the city. It was another familiar feeling getting into a cab and being taken in circles to the hotel....ugh! It's great to be back in Thailand! Bangkok is a city that always has a lot to explore, so as I hit many of the tourist highlights last year, I decided to start of my first day wandering the city to see some of the other sites. Another familiar feeling returned as I walked around the Banglamphu area, it is HOT and humid here. I grabbed lots of water and took a few breaks on my walk. I went to the golden mount, a wat (temple) with a good view of the city, then found quiet refuge in Loha Prasat, a quiet wat away from tourists. I walked down closed down streets where demonstrations were previously held and past the National Assembly. The hotel pool was a well deserved break after that day!

Loha Prasat Wat - a peaceful spot to just sit and enjoy the quiet

Walking down the Golden Mount and taking in the city views.

Former protesting area in Bangkok, now quiet, but the sandbags and barbed wire are still in place.

Loved the contrast of the flag with the sandbags!

The National Assembly

My second day, I met up with Rose, a local girl I met last year. We took a bus to Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam during the 1400-1700s, it was destroyed by invading Burmese and the capital moved to present day Bangkok. The town is scattered with ruins, so in the scorching heat, we rented bicycles to check out the sites. We only survived about 3 hours of touring until I was at the "way too hot" point. Fortunately, we found refuge in a KFC. Apparently I will eat anything for some air conditioning. Rose and I got back to Bangkok and did some shopping on Khao San road, big benefits shopping with a local Thai :)

Ruins around Ayutthaya

Buddha - head intact. Most were chopped off by the invading Burmese.

Rose finding refuge in the shade

Getting really hot now!

Shopping on Khao San Road

My last day in Bangkok, I contacted Follow me Bike tours and organized a tour of the green space in the city. I did a 1/2 day with them last year, which was a highlight of Bangkok. This time it was a solo tour, good exercise, but the other route was definitely better. After some good exercise, it was off to Railay.

Cruising the alleys of Bangkok

My Guide Peter on the river

Jungle Biking!

Railay is located near Krabi, only accessible by boat, it is the Thailand climber's paradise. Perfect for me and my love of climbing....ha! But it is absolutely stunning karst scenery and I enjoyed a day out in the boat exploring white sandy beach islands and hiking around Railway beach. 

Using my waterproof camera while swimming

Long Tail boats in Hong Island lagoon

Islands around Railay

Sunset on Railay

Thought I was doing the lookout climb solo, but I had some company follow me up

Sweaty viewpoint shot!

Climbing on Railay

It was now onward to Khao Lak to meet up with some more people I met on my trip last year and to start diving!!!!