Travel Stories | Expat Life
The rest of our time in Bangkok was spent eating, seeing the Hunger Games and a little muy thai, meeting up with Molly and spending too much time on Khao San Road. We even booked a trip to a floating market…and then decided to sleep in a few extra hours instead.
Then we headed back to Abu Dhabi.
So close to being done posting about this trip.
xo, jill
Today’s photo from the hip comes from Sarah, my good friend and former co-worker. I’m still not sure how I would have survived those long and crazy days teaching without running down to her room during breaks.
Sarah submitted this photo that she took at a park in Istanbul, Turkey. I love how the little boy with the trumpet/bubble machine is setting some ambiance for the couple sitting on the bench.
Thanks, Sarah!
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
You know how when you’re exhausted something that’s a little bit funny can seem incredibly hilarious? That seems to happen a lot while traveling.
Mike and I had a really good laugh over these statues at Wat Pho.
Everyone’s struggling to hold up the pillar.
And then there’s this guy:
Funny, but not that funny.
Do you have a similar story?
xo, jill
When we were trying to decide what to do in Bangkok, Mike kept asking me if I’d been to the temple with the reclining Buddha. I kept replying, “Maybe. I can’t remember.” Thailand has A LOT of temples. It’s hard to keep them all separate in your mind.
Mike felt pretty certain that if I’d been to Wat Pho, I would remember. We headed over there to check it out. He was right. This temple is not easily forgotten. First, it’s huge (80,000 sq meters). Second, there’s a giant indoor reclining Buddha (43 meters long).
The rest of the temple was lovely as well. We did our best to explore shady parts of the temple. It was a hot day. So hot that the temple was kindly giving out free water to visitors.
I have to say, I was not excited to return to Bangkok. Mike and I had both already explored the major sites in the city on previous trips. What were we going to do with two and a half days? I was beginning to feel tired and not really in the mood to navigate a loud and bustling city, which made it difficult to want to leave the hostel. But since you can’t squander travel opportunities, we ventured out on a walk.
That’s how we came to visit Wat Traimit, home of the Golden Buddha.
The Golden Buddha is believed to have been made in the 13th or 14th centuries. At some point in time, the statue was covered in plaster to disguise it from raiding enemies. Unfortunately, the disguise was a little too good. For approximately 200 years the true value of the statue was forgotten. It was only in 1954 when the statue was accidentally dropped that the inner golden Buddha was discovered. What a nice surprise.
I suppose it’s a little like when you hide your Christmas presents just a little too well… and discover them the following year…except a lot more exciting.
xo, jill
Today’s photo from the hip comes from Elin at Taste of Slow, a travel + vegetarian food blog. What a great combination!
Elin submitted this photo that she took at a fishing village in St. Louis, Senegal. I really like the powerful contrast between the blue and yellow colors. And that car. Between the passengers inside and the load on top, I’m impressed.
Thanks, Elin!
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
