When visiting a friend in India this winter, we decided to celebrate New Year’s in Bangkok, Thailand. Though our India trip was long-awaited, the Bangkok addition was rather impromptu. I had always wanted to go to Thailand, although more for my dreamt up visions of the country rather than anything concrete. Hence, I had no true idea what Bangkok would be like and was certainly pleasantly surprised.

The first surprise was the number of malls in the city, especially on the bustling Sukhumvit Street. They were impressively extensive, with multiple floors, above-ground entrances, and even themes. We visited the Terminal 21 Mall, where each floor of the complex represented a different city. The mall also contained a robust grocery store in its basement and numerous restaurants up above.

Other parts of Bangkok felt more traditional. Once we left the main shopping streets, we saw more residential parts. Below, the left photo was taken from an above-ground walkway. The right was our view from a restaurant near the Grand Palace called Supanniga Eating Room, which was delicious and one of my favorite meals while there.

One evening, we ventured over to the Jodd Fairs, a bustling night market with food, clothing, and even electronics. We mainly stuck to the food area, where we sampled a variety of Thai dishes. As busy as the market was, it was quite orderly, with clear rows of stalls and distinct queues. It seemed the majority of the market’s visitors were local teens and 20-somethings, viewing the market as their evening outing. I had been expecting something more akin to the souks of Morocco, where people chaotically scrambled to bargain the best prices and we were pushed and shoved every which way.

We spent one of our days sightseeing. We first visited Wat Pho. The first pictures below are from the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The size of the gold-gilded Buddha was astounding, as were the ornate details around the temple.

To wrap up our sightseeing, we briefly explored the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, shawls were not acceptable forms of coverage, so we could not all enter.

As we learned, a New Year’s tradition is to go to the Erawan Shrine. The shrine is home to the statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. We partook in the rituals, leaving garnishes of marigold flowers and incense sticks at each of the statue’s four sides.

On our last day, we visited the Jim Thompson house, the former home of businessman Jim Thompson who helped revitalize the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 60s. We enjoyed a guided tour of the home and picked up some souvenirs.

This trip was a pleasant addition to my visit to India, and I would love to explore Thailand more. From the vibrant colors of the food and architecture, to the traditional palaces contrasting the built-up city scapes, Bangkok is rich with culture and flavor.

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