What's it Like to Live in Bangkok?

Sawatdee Kah!

I haven't done a post in 3 weeks, oops! When we first got here I was all about the tourist life but lately we've just been relaxing and living more like expats than tourists. I have to remind myself that this isn't a vacation so I don't need to fit every attraction into a couple weeks! That being said, we just got a TENTATIVE plan (as I am learning all plans are where Boeing is concerned) to leave Bangkok in early to mid October. As in 2-3 weeks! We have been anticipating our assignment getting extended here much longer so this was a surprise. We still have no clue where our next adventure will take place which is fine with me because I still have a Bangkok bucket list to complete that looks sort of like this:

• A couple nights in a beach hut on Koh Samed Island 
• Klong Latmayom Floating Market (google images this, it's cool!)
• More Temples! Mostly to see the famous Reclining Buddha and Golden Buddha statues
• Dinner cruise on the river running through Bangkok that is lined with gorgeous temples 
• Meditation class inside one of these temples probably with a Thai massage to follow ;) 

Thai massages are awesome, sometimes. Other times the 5 foot tall woman weighing all of 100 lbs makes you want to cry. It's a little like doing a restorative yoga class while having said tiny, mean lady beat on your muscles until they relax and release whatever toxins they were holding on to. It feels good afterwards, I swear.

Since I haven't done anything awesome like ride an elephant to show you pictures of I thought I would post about regular life here in Bangkok starting with the view we get to wake up to.

And here's our pool! Me and my Kindle have been spending a lot of quality time here working on a "100 books you should read before you die" list. 5 down 95 to go haha!

Most days the weather is partly cloudy and hot as hell but it is the rainy season so every 3rd-ish day we get a big thunderstorm with lots of rain but it usually doesn't last too long. This was one of the more exciting ones, poor Alex was stuck in traffic because of the flooding. 

The skytrain here is super easy and convenient to use. Seattle needs to get on board and make their light rail more like this! I'm starting to worry that I've totally forgotten how to drive. I ride on the BTS system almost everyday. There's also about 20 enormous shopping malls attached to the train stations that sell anything from Prada to knock off contact lenses so I have obviously spent some time exploring those! 

Street food vendors and mini sidewalk restaurants are everywhere, making every walk smell either really good or really weird. The food carts usually sell meat on a stick, sticky rice, and fresh fruits and veggies. At night the little restaurants pop up which have full menus, including beer. 

Coconut water- nature's Gatorade!

Mr. Mango Tango and I! Mango sticky rice is a Thai dessert and we happen to live around the corner from one of the more famous stalls that sells it in Bangkok. Lucky us :)

Flowers are important in Thai culture and they're sold everywhere. Garland made of flowers are given as gifts or used as offerings in temples or spirit houses like this one below. Thai people are very superstitious and believe these mini houses or temples will provide spirits with shelter so they won't cause harm to the people living on that property. 

The best thing about Bangkok is that there are so many little hidden gems and surprises. I'm convinced you could live here your entire life and never stop discovering new places to go. Today we explored Siam Square which turned out to have a bunch of tiny alleyways full of stalls selling clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, and all sorts of trinkets. I scored 2 cool headbands for $1.50! Which reminds me- I need to be on the lookout for some more luggage...somehow I have acquired too much to fit in what we brought. I know you're surprised :)

The electrical lines here are out of control. We've lost power twice in perfect weather and I blame their wiring!

So yeah, living in Bangkok is pretty cool. The people are great, they actually call Thailand the "Land of Smiles" because people seem to be really happy and friendly. Plus, it's a Buddhist country so people are generally pretty non violent and I always feel safe roaming around by myself (maybe because I'm taller and bigger than 90% of them too!). It's also a lot more modern than I think people in America picture it to be, but pictures of the fancy malls and restaurants are boring to me because you can get that stuff anywhere. What you can't get everywhere is a pedicure by tiny fish in a tank who snack on the dead skin on your heals! Should I add another item to the bucket list?? Haha!  

Thanks for reading! I promise to post again next week with at least 2 Bangkok bucket list items checked off! 

xoxo, Jenna