Kelly's Asian Adventure 2.0

Probably my favorite thing about going to school at the College is its extensive opportunities for travel.  I went to Honduras the summer after my freshman year with Students Helping Honduras, a fantastic organization founded right in Williamsburg.  Last Spring, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Mumbai, India.  This year I topped everyone else's Spring Break plans with my epic trip: Kelly's Asian Adventure 2.0. 

I was lucky enough to make the cut for the International Relations Club's team for the World Model United Nations conference this year, which took place in Taipei.  One of the many perks of being chosen for the team is that every year the team gets to go on a side trip -- this year we went to Bangkok, Thailand, and I couldn't have been happier.

The best day in Bangkok was when we took a river boat up the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun, or the Temple of the Dawn, and spent a few hours mulling around the Buddhist complex.  One vendor sold beautiful etchings made from water buffalo hide; after some intense haggling I got a stunning recreation of the temple itself as a souvenir.

The one day we left Bangkok was a welcome relief from the overpowering pollution that was irritating all of us Williamsburg residents.  Ayutthaya was home to about four different temple complexes, as well as the famous Reclining Buddha, elephant rides, and one very tame year old tiger that you could take a picture with for 50 baht.  The temples ranged in preservation from decapitated heads lying around a courtyard to the perfectly preserved Buddha statues with offerings in front of them and golden robes draping over his figure.

Of course the first thing that I thought about when I heard that I was going to Thailand was the delicious food!  Street food in Bangkok is like no other -- kanom krok, the grilled coconut pancakes, gai ping, the sweet and spicy chicken kebabs, the abundant star fruit, and the drunken noodles had me satisfied throughout the week long trip.

Finally, one of the most interesting parts of traveling in Bangkok is going to the night markets.  These tourist traps have jewelry galore, cheap clothes and knick-knacks, even more outstanding food selection, and some questionable morals.

Despite its exotic spices and elephant rides an hour out of the city, Bangkok really is just another city, comparable to New York City . . . Except that it has gardens everywhere, is clean, has more Buddhist and Hindu statues scattered about, the food is better and the people are friendlier.