With only one full day in Bangkok with the entire crew and an ambitious list of sights to see, we had our hands full. We left the apartment at 9am and hopped on a long tail to China Town. We were tired, hungover and hot - it was about 99 degrees and humid, and made even us native Texans sweat our butts off. But, we were excited to be together in Thailand and were going to make the most of the day, even if it killed us (famous last words).

Our first destination: The Grand Palace. We had heard and read that it's best to go as early as possible to avoid the biggest of the crowds. So true. The Grand Palace is huge and Bangkok's most popular tourist attraction, so its a bit of a hassle, but definitely worth seeing. Get a guide to get the full story and avoid getting overwhelmed - it's cheap, only about 300 baht ($10). The palace was built in the late 1700s and was home to the royal family until the 1920s. It's still used for special events and has a separate estate to house important guests (Obama was rumored to be staying there during his time in Thailand the week after we visited), but most of it is open to the public and operates as a museum. The Emerald Buddha is probably its biggest single attraction, but there are many. It's the Versailles of Thailand (without the sprawling grounds, the GP is right in the middle of the city). Its absolutely beautiful. All of its buildings are covered in gold, adorned with Buddhist history and lore and built perfectly and ornately down to the last detail. Like most everything in Thailand, Buddhism is inherently tied into the art, architecture and purpose of the palace, so it actually feels more spiritual than official.

We were bad tourists and dressed completely for the heat and not for appropriate cultural standards. Our punishment was having to wear the non-breathable skirts, pants and robes provided at the entrance to most sites.

Seeing all the Grand Palace has to offer in the heat and sun with the crowds is a big job and two hours into the tour we were hot and ready to drop. Then, as if by divine intervention, we found our salvation. The smartest vendor in Thailand was selling frozen hand towels to desperate tourists for 30 baht a piece right inside the palace walls. It was life-changing. We rested and cooled in the shade with the ice cold rags around our necks, got our strength back and marched forward.

From the Grand Palace, we headed down the street to Wat Pho, home to the Reclining Buddha, a 45 foot tall half-a-football-field-long golden Buddha, laying on his side, head propped up in his hand. Us ladies dutifully pulled on the provided lime green polyester spa robes - the guys got out of this one as their dress code is a bit less strict. Guys tend to be okay most places in anything that's not a tank top, but women need to have their shoulders and legs covered inside temple walls and in some places (especially more rural) around town. The attire did not distract from the experience at all. The Reclining Buddha is every bit as impressive as the guidebooks build up and the Wat itself is something to behold. Being inside of a temple in Thailand, where Buddhism is as much a part of daily life and culture as food, is something special. You just feel the spirituality of the place. And all that to honor someone who is not recognized as a God, only as the highest example of enlightenment. It's truly amazing and makes you think. As we were regrouping to head on, the clouds came together over the sun in a way that created the most beautiful light. It was like a rainbow without the familiar shape or colors. Or a sunset in the middle of the day with no horizon. Pinks and blues and purples, visible rays. It was enough to render the seven of us speechless for a few minutes as we stared at the sky beyond the Wat's ornate gold trim. And almost enough to make us forget about the heat... Almost.

Exhausted from hours of touring, we hitched a ride with three tuk tuks and raced through the city to our apartment. B, Steph and I were solidly in the lead for the first half, then Rick and Gillian flew past us, followed by Megan and Jimmy who came out of nowhere from a different route. We all fought for position as the tuk tuks bobbed and weaved through Bangkok traffic, neck and neck until the end. I don't even remember who won in the end (probably because it definitely wasn't us), but it was a fun ride.

That night, we got fancy for a night in the town. We started with drinks at Long Table, a rooftop bar overlooking the Bangkok skyline. The drinks aren't cheap by Thai standards, but they offer buy-one-get-one free deals that make it more affordable if you're on a budget. Although, be aware that the buy-one-get-one in this case is for individuals, not the table. So, my glass of white wine magically turned into two in the thirty minutes we were there. Cheers! And the view of the city at night is pretty spectacular. Next up was dinner at Bo.Lan, a Thai fine-dining landmark. We opted for the all-in, family-style set menu which ended up being about 10 different dishes, including a welcome drink, dessert and everything in between. If you're looking for a fine-dining experience in Thailand, this one is great. Good food, great presentation, cool vibe. But, it's not very wallet friendly for travelers. If you're on a budget, no worries - there is plenty of amazing food out there for you. Our meals at Pla Dip and Sebaijai Kebtawan were both outstanding and only $10-$15 a piece with drinks and the street food promises deliciousness for less than $2 a plate. In fact, the more time we spend in Thailand, the more we see that splurging on food experiences is not necessary - even if you appreciate a nice meal like us. The best food is found on the street and in the small stalls that line it. Find locals, go where they go. It will be good. And most likely $2-$3 a person.

The meal was the final nail in the coffin for us weary tourists and we cancelled our wild night out in Bangkok for some sleep and packing for our trip down to the islands the next morning.

Because a 6' 7" white boy needed to stick out more in Bangkok, Rick decided to buy a hat.

If our first night in Bangkok was any preview of what is to come... We are going to love SE Asia. Our flight landed at BKK just hours after the US Presidential Election results had been announced, and our driver met us at the gate with a celebratory "Obamanos!" sign. Amazing! We drove out to our apartment, miraculously missing Bangkok's infamous traffic. Awesome! And then between the hours of 10pm and midnight, we ate delicious street food and each had our first Thai massage, all for a grand total of less than $10USD. Incredible! To make things even more exciting, our friends from the States were scheduled to start arriving the next two days!

We spent the majority of our first day in Bangkok eating (shocking, I know) and getting a feel for the city. Being from Austin, the black hole for public transportation, we LOVE cities with easy infrastructure. Bangkok has the metro (subway) and the BTS (sky train) and thousands of taxis, long tail boats and tuk tuks. We ended up staying a bit outside of the action in River Side, but there was a BTS stop a few blocks away to take us into town and long tails were always available to head upriver to many of the historical / cultural sights. Not a bad neighborhood if you want a little peace and quiet or a fancy hotel (the river is where many of the the five-stars are located). But, we suggest Sukhumvit, Ekkamai, or Ari for a little more "energy" and in hindsight, would have stayed in one of those areas. We ended day one with a friend of a friend from Austin who showed up wearing a Longhorn hat and took us for an amazing dinner at Pla Dip in Ari.

Completely by chance, our second full day in Bangkok coincided with a Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Praya River to honor the King's 85th birthday coming up in December and to mark the end of Buddhist Lent when the monks return from walk-abouts in far-flung places around SE Asia. The ceremony has only happened 16 times in the last 50 years years and probably won't again for the next decade, so we jumped at the chance to check it out. The royal fleet of 53 traditional long tail barges and their crew of 2,300 men, all decked out in traditional garb, rowed down the river to Wat Arun, one of Bangkok's most well-known and treasured temples. It sounds somewhat boring, but it was beautiful and impressive with the sleek long tails gliding silently through the water at the hands of their crew, also silent, in front of a temple as the sun set slowly behind it all. And, the mostly Thai crowd was so into it that it was contagious - they love their King! Afterwards, we hustled back to the apartment to meet up with the first of our state-side friends, Rick and Gillian, and hopped on the BTS to a music festival we had heard about the day before.

In Bangkok, looking at live kittens isn't quite enough. They must be accompanied by cute pictures on the iPad...of kittens.

Apparently music festival in Bangkok means something different than in Austin, because it was actually a multi-stage rave. B and I were wiped out and Rick and Gillian were jet lagged, so it wasn't exactly the kind of night we had planned. But, we made the most of it and did our best to hang before admitting we are all old and retiring to the night market outside. That part was pretty great. This specific night market (at the old train station across from Chatuchuk) is where the Bangkok hipster set goes, so there were tons of vintage and artisan crafts along with the regular random wares. And, in true Bangkok style, the was plenty of street food to sample. We wondered through the stalls, grabbing bites and beers until midnight when we had to head back to the apartment to greet the second arrival... Our roommate from Austin, Stephanie.

Day three was long, but one of the greats. Rick and Gillian had to work, so Steph, B and I hopped in a long tail and headed to the floating market up river. On the way there, we went through neighborhoods built on a canal system, somewhat tired and run down, but with the occasion glimpse at the simple Thai lifestyle - women cooking, men fishing, kids jumping into the water (not sure if we would do the same, it's pretty polluted). The floating market turned out to be one big food fest, so we gladly pulled up a chair and chowed on some amazing fish and noodles.

Back on tierra firma, it was off to China Town for some exploration and a visit to Wat Mahathat, a lesser-known Bangkok where the monks are especially open to questions from curious Westerners. We almost gave up when we couldn't find it, but Brendan saved the day with his iPhone and we escaped the hot, crowded streets in the quiet walls of the temple. The highlight of the day came next. We were sitting on the steps of the temple, planning our next move (mostly, how to get home) and this woman walked up and sat with us. She (Marisa) grabbed our map and started showing us all the "to-dos" in the area, complete with times, distances and prices. A tuk tuk driver would stop, show us where to go, wait for us and then take us to the next spot and eventually home. All for 60 baht ($2). As much as we hate to admit, we were immediately skeptical that she was trying to sell us on something else or just straight up scamming us. But, before we knew it we were on our own private tuk tuk being shuttled around the city to the Marble Temple and other sites we never would have seen otherwise. And, at the end of the day, the driver dropped us off at the apartment, collected his 60 baht and left us safe and smiling at what had just happened. We didn't get scammed. We didn't get robbed. We weren't in a ditch. And we got exactly what was promised. It was an unbelievable act of kindness from a local and just one example of how amazingly warm the Thai people are.

From strangers to friends twice-removed, we headed to the BTS to catch a ride into town for a dinner with Debbie and her daughter Leila, who we had been put in contact with through a friend and work colleague back in Austin. What a meal! Debbie and Leila took charge with the ordering after a few questions about our preferences and dietary restrictions (haha) and in moments, plate after plate of amazing food and a two-liter water cooler of beer showed up at the table. Pla Duk Fu was a highlight for us - shredded and then deep fried catfish with a spicy mango salad on top. Yum! If the meal wasn't already memorable enough, we piled into Debbie's car and headed to their favorite Bangkok street food area (Soi 38 on Sukumvit or the Thong Lo stop on BTS) for dessert. We had what we'll call "Ice Soup" that was pieced together from picking any of dozens of "toppings" with a choice of "base liquid". It was definitely something we never would or could have attempted on our own, but luckily Debbie and Leila expertly pieced together a palatable bowl. It wasn't our favorite, but it was interesting and full of surprises. Down the road, we stopped for some Roti, a delicious crepe stuffed with fruit and topped with sugar and condensed milk. The Roti vendor saw us watching in amazement as he expertly flipped the paper thin dough and offered to teach us how to do it ourselves! Leila said she had never seen that happen in Bangkok, so we gladly took advantage. It was much harder than it looked and after some failed attempts, we gave our respect to the vendor and left the flipping to him. The banana roti was delicious and perfectly prepared.

Full and exhausted, we dragged ourselves back to the apartment to meet the third and final installment of our Thailand crew... Jimmy and Megan. It was only midnight, which in Bangkok is equivalent to 8pm, so we did the only logical thing and went right back out for food and drinks. The night ended at 3am, we passed out at the apartment for a few hours and regrouped with the crew at 9am for a day of serious sightseeing.

The crew fully assembled on the other side of the world. Let the party begin!

Power Sightseeing in Bangkok

No Rest for the Wicked, Especially in BANGKOK