Travel, Wine & Shoes

I continued on to Thailand for a few days. Sa Wat Dee means Hello in Thai.

I stayed at the Jam Hostel Bangkok close by the Grand Palace. Easy walking distance for me and it was fabulous! Very clean and I had a 4 bunk room with an ensuite. My roomie was a young girl from Vancouver!

I started off my morning walking along the Chao Phraya River and headed towards the Grand Palace. I bought a purple wraparound skirt to wear into the temples and had my orange wrap to wear over my shoulders.

It turns out I actually needed a T-shirt and had to buy one before going into the Grand Palace. I left it at the hostel. So I had my shorts and tank top on with the wraparound skirt and T-shirt over top. Sweltering ☀️☀️

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The Grand Palace is Bangkok’s main attraction and was dazzling! Building began in 1782 and it is divided into four main courts, separated by numerous walls and gates: the Outer Court, the Middle Court, the Inner Court and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It was very easy for me to get lost in there.

I had to take my shoes and hat off a lot. Hopefully my feet didn’t stink and I was drenched from head to toe. My hair looked like I got out of the shower and didn’t put a towel on after.

After coming out of the temple, I was putting my sneakers back on by the guard. There was a young girl taking selfies with her tripod and posing (omg the poses people contort themselves in for “the picture” is hilarious). She took her cover up off and the guard was not happy. He yelled at her and kicked her out of the complex. Very disrespectful on her part.

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Wat Pho is a Buddhist Temple where the Reclining Buddha is. It is one of Bangkok’s oldest temples and believed to have been built between 1688 and 1703. The Reclining Buddha was built in 1832 and is 46m long and 15m high. It was beautiful.

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I found the Hard Rock to get Bryan’s T-shirt and had a tuk tuk ride back to my hostel.

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I planned out my next few steps and I booked a flight from Manila with Air Asia and screwed up the date. I called right away to correct it, but it would have cost more than the original ticket to change it. I wasn’t very happy because it was an honest mistake on my part. So I was off for a quick trip to Manila. It was the only place that Bryan asked me to bring him back something from, so I had to go!

I arrived in Manila, Philippines 🇵🇭 and the Immigration Officer asked me how long I was staying. I said one day and he laughed so I told him my story. He laughed more.

I live in fear of them looking at my country hopping, thinking I’m up to no good and strip searching me.

I stayed at the Hop Inn Hotel and it was very good. There was a full length mirror so I finally got a good look at my tan. I look ridiculous. My legs (3/4 of them) are very brown and so are my arms and shoulders. The rest of me including my feet are my normal pasty white. My legs and feet are covered in fly bites that I’ve scratched incessantly. There’s no fixing this!

There was a film crew outside the hotel filming a TV show. A lot of people around taking pics and they were excited. I grabbed a couple pics myself.

There were a lot of massive casinos around the hotel and I was a few blocks from the Mall of Asia. I got Bryan his Hard Rock T-shirt and some snacks. I got lost in the mall

Starbucks in the Philippines makes Chai Tea Lattes the way I like them and it was so very good!

As I was wandering through the mall, a bladder infection hit me hard. Every single time I’m travelling I get one. I noticed the other day the hostel had toilet paper with faint blue lines in it. I think the dye causes me issues. Who knows. I took a taxi back to the hotel and crashed with my antibiotics stash and a lot of water. My antibiotics stash is dwindling due to my episode a few weeks ago with the make up removal wipes. 😳🤣 Hopefully this is it and I have no more bodily function issues. My Dad tells me I talk about peeing a lot. I’ll try not to mention it again.

So I didn’t do anything in Manila other than go to the mall and lie in bed and suffer.

I am now in Cambodia 🇰🇭 and feeling great! I am so excited to be here. I have always wanted to travel here and to Vietnam 🇻🇳.

I know I’ve missed a lot of cool things to do in Thailand and the Philippines, but I want as much time as I can get in Halong Bay.

I’m at the Envoy Hostel and it’s wonderful! I’m going to relax here for a while.

I’m going to The Killing Fields tomorrow and I’m preparing myself emotionally for another Auschwitz experience.

Happy Travels

Cambodia Philippines Thailand