Missie Hills | Grey Eye Studio

Bangkok, Thailand: The King’s Grand Palace

by Missie Hills | Feb 21, 2015 | Asia, International Adventures

This adventure starts as 6 friends come together to explore the wonderful country of Thailand. We are 3 couples who have each settled in our own little corners of world far apart from each other. 3 couples who have waited far too long to reconnect. Yes, 3 couples who decided to reunite halfway across the world.

Derek and Gaby made their way from sunny Miami, Frankie and Kyra from cold Chicago, and Jason and I left our beloved city, Houston.

And we all met up in the bustling city of Bangkok ready to start our adventure.

And we didn’t have time to spare, so as soon as we gathered, we headed back out the door and made our way to our first stop on the full agenda, the King’s Grand Palace.

The Thai people love their King. There are photos of him and the royal family EVERYWHERE, at the airport, on the street, on the walls of every establishment we walked into, EVERYWHERE. We were warned multiple times to be very careful not to criticize the King. It is not easy to offend the Thai people, but that is a surefire way to do it.

So, we all knew we had to see this Grand Palace of the King. When we arrived we were immediately ambushed, not so politely, by the locals, with warnings that we were dressed inappropriately, but we came prepared. The ladies quickly covered their shoulders with scarfs and Jason de-convertiblized his pants. I bought some fresh pomegranate juice, excited to get my first street vendor purchase out of the way.

And off we went. As we approached the temples the crowd began to get a bit crazy. The King’s Grand Palace is one of Bangkok’s top attractions, and we came on a very busy hot day. But because we avoided getting sucked into a tour group, we easily walked right up to the ticket counter and got our tickets.

As we waited in line to enter the palace, two very nice American girls informed us that after waiting in line for quite some time, they were turned away because they used scarfs to cover their shoulders just as we were doing. I guess we were not nearly as prepared as we thought. We needed t-shirts. So the boys remained in line, and us three girls went back to the street to find appropriate attire. We rummaged through tourist shops until we found three cheesy matching Thailand t-shirts. So now properly dressed, we were ready to enter the palace.

And oh my, it was worth it. Millions of gold tiles and fancy embellishments glistened in the sun covering every surface in sight. The multiple temples were surrounded by interesting characters that looked like they jumped right out of fairy tale books. The sight was like nothing I have seen before.

It was hot though. All the gold tiles seem to amplify the heat, and the extra t-shirt didn’t help. It was nice welcome to the Thailand heat.

Before we could see Buddha, we had to take off our shoes. Jason and I blessed each other with holy water (not really sure if we were doing it correctly), and then we walked into the small temple. It was very crowded so the “holy” atmosphere wasn’t really there. And it smelled like feet. But the tiny jade Buddha sitting atop all the presents did shine brightly.

After crossing “seeing Buddha” off the bucket list, we left the crowded palace (trying not be blinded by all the reflective gold) and made our way out to street to find lunch. The famous Khao San Rd was only a 15 minute walk away….

Until next time,

Not all who wander are lost.

by Missie Hills | Feb 19, 2015 | Tips and Advice

It’s good to be home again. Ok, not really. Really, I would rather be back in Thailand right now, drinking a Mai Tai somewhere on the beach. Instead, I’m in my tiny apartment forcing myself awake to fight off this jet lag. Two weeks isn’t really that long, but it was long enough to let me believe for awhile that I was living the dream. And now that I am back in reality, it’s kinda a downer. Let’s face it, work tomorrow is going to be a bitch. But I will make it through and then, maybe then, I can say, “It’s good to be home again.”

During our two weeks in Thailand, I met a fellow traveler that was living what I call “the dream”. For most of his life, he has been traveling the world hopping from one spot to the next just looking for a place to settle down. He has traveled and lived all over the world. I starred at him in awe and exclaimed how much I wanted to be more like him. Most of you that know Jason and I, know that traveling is our top priority in life. He looked at me sadly and explained that, in all his travels, he has met many people just like him, and none of them had wished for the life they led. Something really bad happened to each of them that forced them into a life of exile causing them to wander the world just looking for a place they fit in. I have thought about this for awhile now. And the more I think about it, the more it sinks in.

I have a wonderful life! Yes, I may not have seen even a quarter of this beautiful world. And I may live in a perpetual state of wanderlust. But not all who wander are lost. And all in all, my life is close to perfect. I get to travel and see amazing things, eat amazing food, and meet amazing people. And then I have a HOME to come back to! I have a family and friends waiting for me. I have a job that I love to do. I have a city where I fit in. And I have people in my life that I love sharing it with. Vacation isn’t quite vacation without a home to come back to.

So when Jason and I finally made it on the highway heading home after a full 24 hours of travel time, my face lit up when I saw the Houston skyline. There is my city. There is my home. Then we both walked into our tiny apartment, passed out in our own bed, and dreamed of our next adventures.