Tiger Temple, elephant sighting and dinner atop a 61 story building

David and I are winding down our magnificent trip to Thailand. We've got 3 more days left in the Bangkok city and then we head back to South Korea. I was thinking earlier today about how strange it seems to miss Korea because for so long I've simply been missing home (as in the USA). It will be nice to get back into the swing of things: the long waits for our apartment elevator, our weekly grocery trip to E-Mart and countless hours playing with cute and cuddly Goguma.

Still though, we're soaking in every last second of our time here. I uploaded about 200 or so photos onto my Fickr account (still haven't edited them..it will take ages!) so I'll narrate via visuals:

**Photos are not edited.

Changing of the guard at the Grand Palace

I love the look on this guys face - great smile! :)

Feeding birds in the park! A woman was (practically) forcing passers-by to take the bags of corn she was selling. A rather photogenic moment, however.

Flowers at a cute cafe down the street from our hostel. I am going to do a business feature on them for Miseducated.net and probably post something on my blog - stay tuned for some cute-orific photos!

A statue outside of the Siam Paragon mall (which is grandiose, to say the least).

An outdoor restaurant that David and I ate at the other day. We ordered stirfry with sticky noodles that was scrum-diddly-umptious (word?)

Perhaps it was rather boorish of me to scratch my head and ask what this was...I really should have known better but I'm telling myself I was just verifying. :)

FYI: It's an offering for the Buddha Lord.

World-famous bridge over River Kwai

This thing was so statue-like it took several walks past it to even notice it was there!

Me and a Tiger. The tiger pictures were taken in Kanchanaburi province near the border of Burma (Myanmar). It's a Buddhist temple that serves as a refuge center for tigers and houses 13 of them, I believe. The reason they appear so docile is not due to drugging but instead likely due to their nocturnal nature, the hot heat and perhaps a splash of buddha magic?

This woman was coming to tell me not to lie down. I laugh in the face of danger (or cuddle with cute-looking Tigers).

David hanging out with one of his favorite animals ever (he had the biggest grin on his face the whole time...how I adore him!)

Gorgeous, right?

A baby tiger

Christmas card material.

This photo was taken at Chatachuck Weekend Market at Chatachuck Park. It's the biggest open-air market in Southeast Asia and home to thousands and thousands of vendors. You can find everything you'd ever dreamed of (and things you hadn't even begun to dream of), including flowers, vintage-wear, hand-painted shoes (I bought a pair), jewelry, pottery, textiles, fluffy puppies, fighting cocks, animal clothing, etc. Insane!

Freshest olives I've ever tasted! (Chatachuck)

I love this color pallette. (Chatachuck)

The building furthest back is called The Banyan Tree Hotel, a ritzy, top-notch joint that boasts the best views of Bangkok. It's only fitting that there's an al fresco restaurant perched on top of its whopping 61 stories. It used to be a helicopter pad but is now a 5 star restaurant that is easily one of the most romantic locations in the world!

David and I paid a visit right before sunset and ate our delicious dinner as the sun faded away. It felt like we were on the set of a movie. The food was divine (I had Lobster Bisque soup and honey-lavender icecream for dessert) and the view was even better. Here are a few photos:

Later that evening we were walking down the streets of Silom when we happened upon a large creature...an elephant!

To end our romantic evening, we grabbed drinks at a nearby sit-down restaurant. I ordered a "Bangkok Dream" (what else?!).

Like I said, I haven't had time to edit the photos, but hopefully these whet your appetite for more to come! :)

Until next time, Wendy City