Miriam and I finally arrived in Bangkok late on Friday night. Nadine had recommended a guest house called Shanti Lodge where she had stayed on prior visits to Bangkok. It was just what we needed for our two days in the city, cheap, clean, in a good area and with a great restaurant and bar area. http://www.shantilodge.com

We were still very much on island time and weren’t really in the mood for rushing around the city doing loads of touristy things so we opted for a few choice activities combined with leisurely breakfasts, frequent coffee/shake/beer stops and some general pottering around.

Miriam and me.

Thai breakfast at Shanti Lodge.

Blogging in Bangkok at Shanti Lodge.

Tuk tuk style!

• The Grand Palace – Hot and heaving, but a must see for first time visitors like Miriam. We didn’t spend that long there, just enough time to get some photos, bump and jostle with lots of other sweaty tourists and take in the key landmarks.

Inside the Grand Palace

The Grand Palace…well a bit of it.

More of the Grand Palace.

Miriam grabbing 5 mins in the shade in the Grand Palace.

A little busy in the Grand Palace.

….more of the Grand Palace.

….more Grand Palace.

Hot and sweaty selfie in the Grand Palace.

Wise words – a sign outside of the Grand Palace.

• The Queen Sirikit Textile Museum – Miriam is a costume designer and was keen to visit this textile museum next to The Grand Palace. Although a relatively small exhibition it was well set out and informative. It was also nice and quiet with air conditioning so a welcome respite from the craziness and heat of the Grand Palace. www.qsmtthailand.org

• China Town – We spent a few very happy hours browsing through the markets, taking photos and buying lots of very yummy sweets and buns.
  

  Miriam strolling through China Town.

  

  China Town sweet treats.

  

  Pork scratching heaven?

  

  More sweet treats in China Town.

  

  Where to now? Miriam consults the LP.

We ate alot of these!

• Lumpini Park – One morning we got up just before sunrise and headed to Lumpini Park to practice some T’ai chi and to join the public yoga class that’s held there every morning at 7am. By the time we arrived the park was already busy with city residents getting their morning exercise fix before the heat of the day. We happily stumbled upon the yoga class which was held next to the main lake and laid out our sarongs on the damp grass. The class lasted for an hour for 200 baht (£4) and although the yoga teacher didn’t speak any English we managed to just about get by without embarrassing ourselves too much.

Morning yoga in Lumpini Park.

• Thailand Festival – on Sunday we went to a food and arts festival in Lumpini Park and basically ate are way around the Thailand’s provinces whilst being entertained by local dance and music acts.

Dancers at the Thai Festival in Lumpini Park.

Dancers at the Thai Festival in Lumpini Park.

Flavoured sticky rice cooked in bamboo canes.

No idea what these were called but it was a thin pancake filled with coconut and spices and very delicious!

Lunch…well part of lunch!

We queued for about 15 mins to get a bagful of these delicious roasted nuts with chili and fried herbs.

More food from the Thai Festival in Lumpini Park.

Miriam’s flight back to Berlin wasn’t until the early hours of Monday morning, so on Sunday night we had one last curry together, a few Changs and another teary farewell.

Tuk tuk selfies!