Upon arrival in Bangkok, we easily got on public transportation and arrived at our hotel, The Continent Boutique Hotel in Sukhumvit. We were lucky to get checked into our room in the morning and had the day to explore. The first thing we did was set off for Wat Pho and its giant reclining buddha. The compound includes a number of other temples and lots of statues, so we took a while to wander around and enjoy the atmosphere.
After Wat Pho we walked up past the Royal Palace complex but opted not to go in. We weren’t dressed fully appropriately, and we decided that we’d had enough of temples anyway. Instead, we had lunch at a lovely tiny restaurant along the river and then found a riverfront bar to duck into out of the rain. The view of the river and Wat Arun on the other side was beautiful.
Although we slept a bit on the train, we were pretty tired after a few hours of wandering around in the heat, so we headed back to the Continent. Their rooftop pool / bar / restaurant setup offers a great view of the city, so we spent a couple of hours hanging out at the pool, enjoying the relaxation and a pretty sunset over the city.
On day 2 in Bangkok, we decided we’d had enough of the usual touristy stuff, so we headed to Lumpini Park to enjoy a bit of green space. The park is pretty small, but has a nice little lake in the middle that was filled with monitor lizards. It was fun to see these cool creatures just hanging out and swimming, despite all the people around.
After the park, it was just a short walk away to 100 Tonson Foundation. This nonprofit supports local artists and has a small gallery that is open to the public. We were delightfully surprised by the exhibit that was there. It was all about engaging with the viewer, and invited us to play ping pong and mini golf, add to a collaborative painting, and listen to vinyl records while decorating golf balls. We were the only two patrons there that day, and even though it was only 2 rooms we spent over an hour playing and creating in the space.
For our last night in Bangkok we decided to eat a fancy dinner at The Continent’s rooftop restaurant. We’d read good things about it, and we figured we were staying there, so why not check it out? It was a fun night with delicious food. They do a take on Thai street food, and we ordered a number of small plates to try. So delicious! It was a great way to end our time in Thailand.
