Julie Smith Travels

BANGKOK After our drive to New Orleans, we had a 45-minute plane ride to Houston, short layover, then a 12-hour flight to Istanbul.  We had enough time during our layover to stretch our legs before our 9-hour flight to Bangkok.  Our driver and guide, Nat, met us at the airport and took us to our hotel, Chatrium Hotel Riverside in Bangkok.   We had a beautiful view overlooking the Chao Pharya River and the city.   We got to our room around noon and took a 7 hour "nap" (Thank you jet lag and the 12-hour time difference).  After our "nap" we had dinner at the hotel.  Our first meal in Asia and Julie orders a hamburger, but in her defense, she didn't know if this would be her last chance! After dinner we walked to a night market, Asiatique.  There were tons of shops with a huge ferris wheel, Mekhong.  It was HOT!  We found some hard ice cream type treats that looked like a pastry.  Trying to ward ...