After more than an entire day of travel, Kristy and I made it to Bangkok! Our first big stop the next day was a treat — Wat Traimit, the Temple of the Golden Buddha. This buddha statue is sculpted of a solid 5.5 tons of gold! Apparently, the statue was constructed in the 13th century and at some point, covered in plaster to hide its true value. As time passed, the Golden Buddha was forgotten, and the temple in which it was located was abandoned in 1931. the secret was rediscovered in 1955 when attempting to relocate the plastered buddha, and it was so heavy that the lines lifting it parted, chipping away the plaster and revealing the gold beneath!

Next stop, Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. This statue towers at 15 meters high and 46 meters long, one of the largest buddha statues in all of Thailand! Reclining Buddha represents the Buddha’s entry into Nirvana.

The temples at Wat Pho were magnificent!

Wat Pho’s grand landscape extends 20 acres and is considered the largest and oldest in Bangkok. It was actually constructed 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand’s capital!

Kristy and I enjoyed the variety of teas and coffees we tasted while in Thailand and were so spoiled that we even got unlimited cappuccinos for breakfast at the Amari Hotel in Bangkok.

I loved all of the food! We were able to find the most delicious street-side food, which usually cost less than $2 USD!

Although, sometimes it was difficult to know exactly what you were ordering, even if the menu was translated to English…

Yes, I tried rat. And yes, it tasted like chicken (although slightly more gamey). The rats, along with snakes, are caught in the rice field. After just 5 minutes on the grill, you have a cheap and tasty rat barbecue!

This is arguably the best crepe I have ever had! And the price can’t be beat either — at less than $1 USD. The woman making the crepe worked impressively fast, usually creating two crepes at once! Each was filled with an egg, sweetened condensed milk, spoonfuls of sugar, and an entire banana. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Next stop was one of Thailand’s famous floating markets. The best part of this was the boat ride to get there, which took about 20 minutes of tight maneuvering through winding canals. The boat’s rudder stuck out about 12 feet behind it (a full boat length), making the tight turns even more impressive!

When in Thailand….go to an elephant sanctuary! This one was called Taweechai Elephant Camp in Kanchanaburi.

The most exciting, fast, and cheap method of transportation is by moto taxi…This is if you are willing to put your life in the hands of a crazy driver, that disobeys any and all traffic laws. Fun fact, Uber Moto does exist, and you even get a 99 Baht discount the first time you give in to your curiousness.

Kristy and I were surprised to learn that it is illegal to purchase any merchandise, display as a decoration, or even have a tattoo of a Buddha head. It is considered a huge disrespect to the religion.

One of the most unique beauties we came across was the Buddha head in the roots of a Banyan tree at Wat Mahathat, which is located in the ruins of Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was once the capital of Thailand, and it is thought that the head was leaft behind after the Burmese destroyed the temples in 1767, during their takeover of the city.

On our way back to the States, our 8 hour layover in China happened to give us the opportunity to visit The Great Wall on a 1 day visa that you can obtain at the airport.

Visiting the Great Wall was an unexpected treat. It was the cherry on top to an already perfect adventure across the world!