Thoughts from the ride to the hotel:
- Bangkok is HUGE!
- Bangkok is VERY modern.
- the city is greener than I would have expected
- there is quite a bit of Western infiltration here - starbucks, 7-11, au Bon pain, subway, ect.
- upon a glance, bangkok doesnt feel all that foreign
So turns out Bangkok IS huge. There are 65M people in Thailand. 15M of those are in Bangkok! There are many more cars and much fewer motorbikes here.
So after a quick checkin - we are staying at the Sofitel. It is gorgeous! Very nice, however annoying with the Internet. Anyway, we grabbed a great lunch at the hotel buffet - finally, sushi!! - and headed out for a tour of the Grand Palace and of Wat Po.
The palace was a photographer's dream, but also FULL of tourists. We explored the grounds and saw the famous Emerald Buddha.
By the time we left there we were drenched I'm sweat and dying of thirst. Oh, did I mention that it is HOT here! Its in the 90s here and very humid.
We powered on though and went to check out Wat Po, which was the first university in Thailand - a school for massage. There are three main things people come to see there - the GIANT Reclining Buddha, the Golden Buddha, and the Gallery which is full of replicas of the Golden Buddha.
I liked this place much more!! It was quieter and way fewer tourists. I enjoyed wandering around and taking pictures, and loved spending time I'm the temple praying to Buddha for luck for me and my family.
Back at the hotel I fit in a quick workout (I've managed about three so far, but I feel FAT! we are eating so much good food all the time!
Speaking of food. After a quick cleanup, Kelly, Vanessa and I headed out on a hunt for our first Thai meal. As soon as we stepped onto the street we were stunned by the transformation!
As soon as the sun goes down in Bangkok, the streets and sidewalks come alive with vendors selling everything imaginable! From knock-off goods to handicrafts to electronics to handcarved soaps. Watching the man carve the soaps reminded me of watching my grandmother craft her famous wedding cake flowers!
Anyway, we made our way down the street and finally found the place we were looking for down a little side street. It was called Mango Tree and even though it is now sort of a chain, this was the original - tucked in an 80yo traditional Thai house. The food was fantastic - we had satay and noodles and left feeling great about Thailand!
Unfortunately, we then had to head back to the hotel to work on our Thai Stock Exchange project.
Our days in Bangkok are a whirlwind with 2 meetings a day and evening events as well. This morning was with the American Chamber of Commerce. It was interesting to learn that due to a treaty from the late 1800s, unlike other foreigners Americans are not restricted from owning a majority of businesses in Thailand. It is quite easy for an American to do business here and as such, there are very many doing it!
This afternoon we are visiting CP Foods - they are one of the biggest frozen foods companies in the world! They apparently are trying to grow their business of frozen shrimp in the US. A group from my class will be presenting on this topic - should be interesting!
Later is the alumni dinner with 10 Texas MBA alums. I'm looking forward to seeing how many are expats and how many are Thai nationals.
If it sounds like we are busy, that is because we are. I was just remarking to Alex that as great as these trips are - and they are amazing. The business opportunities are incredibly unique. But as great as they are, it's really difficult to really experience the cities. Between all the events that we are attending it can be hard to find the energy to go out and explore. I feel like I need to come back and spend a bit more time really absorbing. One day! In any case I am spectacularly lucky to be here. This kind of trip can never be replicated! I'm just trying to experience as much as I can while still taking care of myself so that I don't get sick (like half of my class!!) One other reason I'm lucky? I'm not the girl on the India Global Trip that is had to have an appendectomy in Mumbai. Wow.
On that note, one week from today I will be back in Austin and back in class. Amazing! Happy Monday y'all!
- Posted on the go...
Location:Bangkok
you can buy a 10-pack of CP shrimp wanton soup at Costco in Austin!
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