Temples, Markets and Food in Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand is a big, busy city with roughly 8 million people and several unique neighborhoods. Located in the center of Thailand, it makes for a good launching point into the rest of the country. Many people head south to the beautiful islands, but our plan is to head north where it is less crowded. We figured it would be nice to spend a week in Bangkok to see some of the city. While it was an interesting introduction to Thailand I'll be honest, it was a little overwhelming. A few days is more than enough.

Not knowing what neighborhood to stay in, I went to social media for advice leading us to stay in Sukhumvit and Khao San, each for a few days. Both neighborhoods are quite distinctive in their own ways providing entirety different experiences. Out of the two, however, I would recommend Khao San since it is where all of the tourist attractions are and a bit more family friendly.

One of the greatest things to do in Thailand, no matter where you are, is eat the local cuisine. It is the best food I've eaten in all of the places I've been. Delicious smells from street vendors tempt your appetite with anything from kabobs and soups to noodles. Day and night they line the streets, or you can head to one of the many markets in the city. Even the local mall has amazing food. The best part? We were able to stuff ourselves for less than $5 for the two of us.

The main attractions in Bangkok are the numerous temples. It's best to avoid the tuk tuks offering a tour, and walk to most of them. Each one was unique and incredible to see. Many are enormous with elaborate decorations and gilded Buddha sculptures. Every corner was a little different with guardian statues, colorful pillars, and tranquil gardens. We visited a variety of them, the two most notable being the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. My favorite was the latter because it was less crowded and just as impressive.

As mentioned before, Bangkok has several markets. Some float, some take place only at night or on specific days, and some are specialized in what they sell. We decided to go to the flower market called Pak Khlong Talat, which was a great choice. Hundreds of stalls are setup in a warehouse near the river where tables are covered in colorful arrangements of beautiful flowers. People are everywhere haggling, carrying bags of flowers, and crafting garlands and wreaths. Just around the corner the market continues on with stalls selling fruits, vegetables and herbs. It was colorful, interesting and authentic. I think we were the only tourists, getting in the way of locals going about their business.

A week was too much, but you might need more to see everything in and around this city. Some things were more entertaining than others. For example: Chao Mae Tuptim aka the penis shrine, and the cannons at the ministry of defense. The city is big, busy and bustling, but has some charm and much different than anything we've seen so far. I am, however, glad we moved onto the much smaller town of Chiang Mai.

Bangkok, Thailand
Hotels:
Sakura Sky Residence: $26/night
New Siam 2: $28/night

Restaurants:
Terminal 21 Mall: 190 baht for 2 people
Street food: 100 baht for 2 people

Transportation:
Airplane to Bangkok
On foot

Activities:
Grand Palace: 500 baht ea
Temple of Reclining Buddha
Wat Po: 100 baht ea
Soi Cowboy: free
Shrine of the Goddess Tubtim: free
Flower Market: free
Khao San Road: free

A Whirlwind Tour of Barcelona, Spain

I'm going to just say it as it is: Layovers suck! Most are stressful as you are trying to go from one flight to another within the right timing. They are uncomfortable as you spend hours sitting in plastic seats, after hours sitting in a pane. They are also tiring as you try to recover from one time zone to another. However, on occasion it is all worth it to see a new and wonderful place. Our layover in Barcelona, Spain was all of these things, and definitely worth the stop. Thankfully, we had a couple of days to take it in. Our route from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Bangkok, Thailand was cheapest with a quick stop in this city, so we thought why not enjoy what we can?

While we didn't have much time, we did see a lot in one whole day of exploring. The main attraction, at least for us, was Sagrada Família, a modernish cathedral with genius structure. Inside and out, this place is incredible and looks different from every angle. Brilliant colors illuminate the entire inside as sunlight shines through the many stained glass windows. There are rainbows in every corner. Light from windows above highlight spiral staircases. There is a vastness to the inside as the intricately designed ceiling rises high supported by immense pillars. It is quite a sight and no pictures can really do it justice.

Not far from Sagrada Família is the Gothic Quarter. This area was interesting enough that I wish we stayed there instead of across town. It is full of winding narrow streets. It seems you can get lost in there for hours walking up and down all of the little alleyways. If you explore long enough you will happen upon numerous historical sites including another architectural marvel: Catedral de la Santa Cruz. It is much older, and just as fantastic. The entrance is incredibly detailed, and the inside is gorgeous with high, vaulted ceilings and gold covered alters hidden behind wrought iron gates. Similarly designed chandeliers hang throughout. It is very impressive.

There is much to see in this city. So many beautiful buildings, and so much delicious food. We even managed to find our way around a tapas bar our first night. However, spending the day walking around, we were ready to relax. What better way to do so than to lay on one of the city's many, somewhat crowded beaches. It was warm and sunny, and it has been a while since we have been on a beach. It was lovely to say the least.

Short though it was, I really enjoyed Barcelona. Also as exhausting layovers can be, I rate this among the best. I'd like to go back and spend more time there, but we had other places to be. On our way to the new and much more foreign place of Thailand.

As a final note: Look a selfie! Carpe Diem!

Barcelona, Spain
Hotels:
Ibis Barcelona: 97 euros/night

Restaurants:

Transportation:
Airplane to Barcelona
Bus to beach: 1 euro ea
Metro to hotel: 3 euros ea
On foot

Activities:
Sagrada Familia: 20 euros ea
Gothic Quarter: free
Basilica of Santa Maria: free
Beaches: free

South American Cities from Chile to Argentina

At times we are crazily moving from place to place trying to see and do everything an area has to offer. Occasionally, we get a breather and stay in one spot for a while to relax and enjoy a city. After the mad scramble across borders from Peru to Chile to Bolivia and back to Chile again, taking a break and going slow has been nice. Our goal for this part of the trip was to see two of the biggest cities in South America: Santiago and Buenos Aires.

We had one of the easiest flights yet, going from Calama to Santiago in Chile. Once we got there, the hustle and bustle of a big modern city was quite a change from where we've been recently. Although it is enormous, we were able to explore some of the nearby neighborhoods, as we were fairly centrally located. It is a city of big skyscrapers mixed with old architecture and throngs of people. Graffiti decorates most walls and can range from simple spray painted scribbles to elaborate murals. An enormous library was within walking distance, where we spent nearly an hour exploring the many rooms, including one of wood that was lined with balconies of books. Near the center of downtown is a hill. On top is an old fort called Santa Lucía slightly resembling a castle. From the top, you can see much of the city on a clear day.

Santiago is a very large city with many neighborhoods. While we weren't there long enough to see them all, we were able to visit a couple good ones. One of my favorite neighborhoods was the Bohemian influenced Bella Vista. It's kind of a grungy part of town where nearly every building has amazing art. It is a residential area interspersed with clothing shops and cafes.

While we liked Santiago, we were really excited about Valparaíso, which is a much smaller city about an hour away. Nestled in a bay, the small port town twists it's way up from the water with narrow winding streets to the top of a series of seven hills. From the top of any of them gives you a fantastic view. Boasting a community of artists and self-proclaimed hippies, the city is completely filled with art from the murals covering every building, to the mosaics embedded in walkway and parks, or the many street musicians jamming on corners or marching through the streets. We weren't prepared for how much we'd like this town. In fact, our plan was to stay three days, and we ended up staying a week.

The great thing about not making concrete plans well in advance is flexibility. Our original idea was to go to Mendoza, Argentina from Valparaíso. Unfortunately, the passes closed due to snow, and there was no way to know when/if they'd open soon. As sad as it was to miss it, we were able to get a great flight deal directly to Buenos Aires from Santiago. Thus, we have had the time to relax and not move around for a while in the very beautiful city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chile is modern, it is colorful, has lovely architecture, but the food lacked. Buenos Aires is not as colorful, but overall a wonderful place to be. We have been staying in a wonderful little boutique hotel close to everything called Del 900 Hostel. Like Santiago, it has a mix of modern and old buildings, but it is a cleaner city with an abundance of culture. Just in the central part of the city there is so much to see and do including seeing the many historical buildings and sculptures, going to the marketplace or weekend craft fair in San Telmo, visiting the many bookshops or the theater/bookstore El Ateneo, watching a tango show, strolling the enormous park in Palmero, and stuffing yourself with amazing Argentinian barbecue and chimichurri sauce.

One of the best sites we visited in Buenos Aires was the Recoleta Cemetery. It seems to be a city all on its own with numerous streets filled with ornate mausoleums, some as big as houses. It is an incredible sight, and takes time to wander through. Some were so intricately decorated, and the occasional flower only worked to enhance the beauty of the place.

One of the few other things to do while staying in Buenos Aires is to take the short train to Tigre. It was easily done in an afternoon, and we thoroughly enjoyed a boat trip up the river and canals. It's a strange town that I feel is more lively in summer months. There are a few European influenced building in city center, but much of the best part of the town is in the countryside. It sits along a river near the coast where many of the residents live on a series of delta islands with the only mode of transportation between is boats and occasional rickety bridges. The houses range in styles, but nearly all are built on stilts with a long wooden dock on the edge of the property. It's almost like a city whose streets were sunken: canals are the alleyways and the river is the highway. It is a quiet, and interesting town.

We leave Buenos Aires in two days for an entirely different part of the world. Southeast Asia, here we come! I'm looking forward to it.

Santiago, Chile
Hotels:
Plaza Paris Armistar: 31,000 chilean pesos/night

Restaurants:
Majestic Indian Restaurant
Bocanariz

Transportation:
Bus to Calama: 12,000 chilean pesos ea
Airplane to Santiago
On foot

Activities:
Cerro Santa Lucia
Barrio Bellavista: free
National Library: free
Plaza de Armas: free


Valparaiso, Chile
Hotels:
Casa Violeta Limon: $50/night
Casa Violeta Limon Hostel: 18,000 chilean pesos/night

Restaurants:
Altamira Brewery
Cocina Puerto

Transportation:
Bus to and from Valparaiso: 3,000 chilean pesos ea, each way
On foot

Activities:


Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hotels:
Hostel Del900: $32/night

Restaurants:
Las Cholas
La Continental
Freddy’s Choripan

Transportation:
Airplane to Buenos Aires
Train to Tigre: 24 argentinian pesos ea
On foot

Activities:
Puerto Madero: free
El Ateno bookstore: free
Barrio Recoleta: free
Recoleta Cemetary
Barrio San Telmo: free
Floralis Generica: free
The Pink House: free
Feria de San Pedro Telmo: free
Obelisk: free
Tango Porteno: 405 argentinian pesos
Take train to Tigre, boat trip: 100 argentinian pesos ea