Bangkok to Rio

In the brief period when we weren't eating (previously documented) or fighting through crowds of Thai teenyboppers in the mall (sadly undocumented), we saw some of Bangkok's amazing Buddhist temples and monuments.

The most impressive was the reclining Buddha:

Half the length of a football field, the Buddha is plated in gold except for the bottom of his feet, which are covered in mother-of-pearl inlays.

Alms bowls in the temple

The King of Thailand is incredibly popular. His official royal color is yellow. Every Monday, everyone in Thailand shows their support for His Majesty by color-coordinating. We had to use some spy tactics to get this photo -- they never suspected a thing.

A new friend.

We've been traveling for a week now and have seen, done, and eaten some amazing things, but here in Phnom Penh, the gritty capital of Cambodia, we've pretty much just seen the inside of the internet cafe where we sit now.

We started in Bangkok, where we ate Thai food, visited temples, ate Thai food, and also ate Thai food. We also spent an inordinate amount of time in shopping malls trying to buy pants. And we ate Thai food.

Bangkok is the sort of place where you have to fight the urge (often unsuccessfully) to buy pre-lunch on the street on your way to lunch. Here's a sampler:

This lady across the street from our guesthouse made some tasty chicken with holy basil and chilies. I think this was a pre-lunch or post-dinner.

Noodle soup at the night market

Plenty of options...

Prawns & crabs in Chinatown

In Chinatown, street vendors roast chestnuts in a huge cauldron filled with thousands of hot black pebbles. Delicious.

More treats in Chinatown

Giant prawns straight from the tank to the grill...

...to our table. Beth wouldn't eat the heads, but she did pretty well with the giant claws.

Stay tuned for a much briefer post on our non-food-related activities in Bangkok.