Bangkok, The Capital of Thailand

After two months in Bali, I decided to check out Thailand.

The tickets from Bali to Bangkok were surprisingly cheap. A one-way ticket for the 4-hour flight was just $140 with Air Asia. That is not much more than the $99 flights within Thailand itself.

I was in Bangkok only for a few days, so I stayed in the central part of town.

First, I visited the Pillar of the City – a small Buddhist shrine symbolizing the center of Bangkok:

The Pillar of the City shrine in Bangkok, Thailand

Then I went to the Grand Palace where the King of Thailand and his family used to live. Inside the palace, there is collection of very beautiful Buddhist temples:

This next building is right next to the temples. It is a mix of Dutch and Thai style and is currently the place where meetings with foreign heads of state take place:

My next stop was the Golden Mount – a Buddhist temple that is regarded by some as the most important one in all of Thailand. It is located on a small hill with steps leading all the way up to the top. There are waterfalls and statues in many places as you go up:

Then there is a row of bells about half-way up…

… and finally the temple itself on top:

The view from the top encompasses all of Bangkok:

Here is a picture of one of the river channels in Bangkok and a typical street:

Overall, Bangkok is not too different from other large cities around the world. They do have Buddhist temples and a few Thai-style buildings, but for the most part it looks pretty much like any other large city.