Loooooong day!

Dan warned us at dinner last night that today would be the longest day. Boy was he right. He also jinxed us by saying that we would all wake up at 2 or 3 am and be wide awake. Unfortunately he was right about that too. So I had no problem meeting in the lobby at 5 am for the morning workout at Lumpini Park. Lumpini Park in Bangkok is like Central Park in New York.
I did a 1.5 mile jog around the park and used the rest of the time to wander through the park exploring and sight seeing. Many locals gather for aerobics, tai chi, or to walk or run.

Once back at the hotel we cleaned up, got breakfast (I had dragon fruit for the first time, Yum!) and met in the lobby at 9am to start our tour guided by a local named Kay. We rode the Skytrain to the Chao Phraya River (River of the King) and took a boat tour along the river. Kay told us all kinds of interesting facts and stories (too much to type out). We stopped at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) and explored the temple. It is crazy high and you can climb the steps but they are super tall and very steep.
After our hike up the steps we got coconut water straight from the coconut. The guy selling it had a machete like knife and he chopped the top off and gave you a straw. The girls decided to dress in traditional Thai costumes with headpieces and the cool, long finger things. The colors & fabrics were so pretty. We had a blast dressing up and putting on an impromptu fashion show. Lots of laughs! Thanks to Lya & Tye for being the photographers.
Next we headed to the Royal Grand Palace. On the way we walked through a market and got fresh squeezed pomegranate juice which was very refreshing. It is so hot & humid that you take the chance to drink and cool off whenever possible. I bought some jackfruit to try but didn't get a chance to eat it so I'll try it tomorrow.
At the palace women must wear long skirts or pants the the ankle and your shoulders must be covered. The palace is amazing with many ornate & gorgeous buildings and statues. There is also a jade Buddha. Having Kay guide our tour and explain things was awesome! We learned so much more than if we had just wandered around.
The tour was long and we were hot, tired and hungry so we stopped for lunch. We had Thai food family style, all delicious. The whole group got to have sticky rice with coconut sauce & mango. Amazingly delicious and one of the things I was really looking forward to. After lunch we went for an hour Thai massage which felt awesome and was much needed after the morning jog, climbing stairs, and walking all over the grounds of the palace.
We all took showers and a quick nap before the evening outing for dinner & shopping at Asiatique The Riverfront. The drink I ordered with dinner was served in what looked like a fishbowl (tasted wonderful). It was sort of a mellow night after our crazy busy day. We got back to the hotel at about 11pm so I'm fighting off sleep to finish this post.
I'm having an amazing time! The group is awesome! Everyone is relaxed, easy going and fun loving. We've been laughing all day. The food is awesome! The things we've seen, experienced, and learned are incredible and we're only at the end of day two.
Tomorrow morning is free time and then we check out and head to Railay Bay.
More to come......