Thailand was the first step on our tour of Asia, Good flights and and easy place to start.

Bangkok

The place every tourist has to visit is the Grand Palace. I have never been so hot and uncomfortable in my life to the point it was hard to appreciate this amazing place. Bangkok has to be the most humid city in the world. That day it felt like every tourist in the country was at the palace. But it is amazingly beautiful.  The dress code is very strict you must wear long sleeves and cover your legs with no tight or see through garments. It was first built in 1782 for the kings of Siam. It followed the design of the old capital at Ayutthaya and was made of wood but gradually the bricks from the old capital were used and the wood was replaced. The Chinese warrior is one of several stone statues. The gold painted monkey demons guard the golden chedi (stupa).

Just a few minutes away is

Wat Pho

Wat is the Thai word for temple. This one, maybe because it was the first we visited, was spectacularly good.  The Temple of the Reclining Buddha as much quieter than the Royal Palace. The buddha itself is forty six metres long and fifteen metres high. The feet are five metres long. You must take of your shoes to visit. At the entrance you can buy a bowl of small coins to drop into the row of one hundred and eight bronze bowls. The money supports the temple, and of course, brings you luck.