Day Three--A blessing just to be!

It's lovely to awaken and smile at the mere pleasure of your surroundings. Huge king bed, pressed, monogrammed sheets, the sun peeking in, and the promise of an adventuresome day. It's taken me awhile, but my room is finally working for me. I always have to "nest" a bit and have decided to ignore the scale (actually, it appears to be broken as I weigh a mere 75 lbs--no, not kilos...) and I've found the perfect lighting for the makeup mirror--a necessary element in wedding-guest preparation.

First order of the day is breakfast, naturally. I'm not usually a huge breakfast eater, but here...it's a shame not to enjoy the food, as well as the ambiance. This morning soft jazz played as I sipped coffee and nibbled on watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe and drank my own combo of guava and pineapple juice. I rounded out the first course with homemade mango yogurt. Delicious.

Members of the Hellie group began showing up and the second/third/fourth breakfast courses ensued. Great marmalade on croissants, an omelette, yummy chinese buns (tasted a bit like angel food cake), a bloody mary bar, myriad Thai dishes and more exotic fruits: dragon fruit and langan. The dragon fruit reminded me of kiwi and the langan--one peels it to reveal the fruit which is sort of the consistency of a grape. You don't eat the seed, however. Actually, it's a lot of work to unearth that fruit to enjoy the delicate flavor. So interesting.

Finally--the parents of the groom appear.  Hellies with the Wieses — Finally--the parents of the groom appear. Hellies with the Wieses

Later: The ever-growing group split up with some going to find tailor-made suits, jackets, shirts, or dresses. I and three others (Lee, Laura, and Bev) decided to Über over to the Grand Palace, despite the predicted 96+ heat. Laura and Bev had covered shoulders & knees, and Lee and I made sure to bring scarves to cover our bare shoulders. Without a cloud in the sky, the sun shone and heated us quickly; the cooling wind of yesterday absent.

Our driver dropped us at a point near the palace and indicated we should walk "200 meters" to the entrance. Well, naturally, the 200 turned into 400, then 600 and 30 minutes later we finally made it to the palace complex. Because the traffic is so horrific, we thought it might be so very adventuresome of us to take an express river ferry back to the Central Pier and then find the elevated train, which would take us to the park we'd visited yesterday. A 15-minute walk would then bring us back to the hotel.

The Grand Palace was nearly sensory overload. Gold, mosaic, statues galore. Our 500 Baht ticket brought us to the entrance queue and with my wrapped shoulders, I was allowed through into the palace complex itself. Bev was right behind me..but Laura and Lee? Lee had been halted, told her leggings weren't appropriate, even despite her shawl covering them. The solution? Rent some pants. So with Bev and me inside the gate, Laura and Lee turned around to find the area that "rented" pants.

So...what do Bev and Jane do as Laura and Lee are pant searching? For over 20 minutes we linger comfortably in front of a fan near the entrance. We enjoy watching the people, and with the number entering the palace waning, one of the officials notices my scarf-wrapped shoulders, stomps over, flips the scarf off to reveal my shoulders and after stamping my hand to indicate "alread paid," orders me to find another top. Naturally I protest that I'd already been cleared to enter, but to no avail. There's a tourist shop 10 feet from the entrance with an array of t-shirts. 200 Baht later I have a cotton t-shirt snug over my lovely (though sleeveless) top, and I'm good to go.

Laura and Lee show up with Lee's scarf still wrapped around her waist as if she were wearing a long skirt. The staff at the clothing rental place disagreed with the staff at the Grand Palace entrance: the issue was really her shoulders, not her leggings. So with her shawl draped now as her "skirt," and a rented work shirt (complete with stains), she was approved and told she could enter. As Lee admits, she was just too sexy for her shirt. Both she and I looked like a couple of ragamuffings touring the palace.

Those "too sexy for their shirts" wear rented stained workshirts or swiftly purchased t-shirts

One online site gives the background of the palace:

" The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the King of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadei (Rama IX), resided at Chitralada Royal Villa in the Dusuit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand."

One thing we enjoyed was a display (air-conditioned, mind you) of information regarding the late king--his ascension to the throne, as well as his family, etc. It is clear he is (was) so beloved because he was a monarch who understood his people. He worked with and for them, as well as the country, to better all things. The photo of sweat dripping off his nose while working tirelessly to help the Thai people, has become a revered photograph.

Famous photo showing the sweat of their king at work for them

Exiting the palace, we threw caution to the wind and decided to attempt the water-taxi/train method of going back to the hotel. What transpired in the next 2 hours was nothing short of a crazy, heat-infused frenzy through back streets and alleys to find the proper pier to the Express Boat. We tromped over cobblestones and curbs, through back kitchens, markets, and shops. Each person we asked gave us conflicting advice about where to find the "express boat." Back and forth, up and down, in and out...we carried on like the feral cats who stalk the streets.

A unique bike rack--these are parked, hanging on a fence covered in vines

But it's tourists helping tourists that got us on the right track. Apparently the pier we needed was being renovated and the Express Boat wasn't allowed to dock there. A knowledgeable American finally took pity on us and explained we needed to ferry across the river, then find the temporary pier for the "express boat," which would eventually take put to the Central Pier and to the adjoining train back to the park region Lee and I were familiar with that led to the hotel. Crowded ferry to the opposite shore (4 Baht), then a trek along the river to the Express Boat pier (no...no THAT boat! That's a tourist boat...). Obviously we were sweating by the time we found the proper boat and 40 Baht later, the fact it was jam-packed mattered little to me. I knew I could swim ashore if we capsized--something that didn't seem so off the mark at that point.

Miraculously we arrived at the Central Pier after 4-5 stops. Clambering off, we followed the crowd to the train, manipulated our brains to find the price we needed for a ticket, and climbed the steps to the proper platform (direction National Stadium). Woohoo! We were nearly home. When the train rolled in, we all stepped on, so thankful for the air-conditioning. I sort of smiled as I saw the halted traffic four lanes wide on the freeway as we whizzed by high above. Heck, we'd just maneuvered back to familiar territory all by ourselves. An adventure it was! And the beer that we guzzled in the hotel bar, even before going to our rooms, refreshed us. We decided the four of us were now really, truly "sweat-sisters."

The 5:30 gathering on the rooftop lounge found a wonderfully eclectic group meeting and greeting one another. Naturally most were from the US, but others had arrived from Korea, Germany, and Budapest. Leave it to the Hellie clan to assemble friends and family from across the globe for such a wonderful event.

Old friends--no, rather "long-time" friends

Several cool drinks later, we all trekked the 10-minute walk to dinner. Alex and Tak, Dan and Irene had arranged a delicious Thai feast for us. From appetizers to a final espresso, we enjoyed Thai delicacies bursting with flavors--some spicy, which we cooled with beer or wine. The long table under the stars was a perfect setting to celebrate Alex and Tak’s marriage, as well as the blessing of friends and family.