The final stop of our amazing three week adventure was in Bangkok, Thailand at the Lamphu Tree House Hotel.  In Thailand, we lost considerable money when converting from Indonesian Rupiah to Thai Bahts.  Compounding this issue was the fact that our bank card did not work in Thailand.  From what we had left we set aside enough money for a cab ride to the airport and went on with our adventure.

Not having much money and not ready to deal with crowds after three weeks of amazing travels, we opted for some quiet, cheaper options. The Grand Palace was large and expensive leaving us to look through the gates.  After this we visited the smaller, quieter Wat Pho located behind the Palace.  Wat Pho is a temple with beautiful gardens and the famous Reclining Buddha statue.  We also found some inexpensive and what we took to be highly authentic Thai food.   Another of our budget outings was a peaceful long-tailed boat tour.  This is a highly recommended way to see this busy city.  We were able to see both famous landmarks and local life along our ride.

For our final day in Bangkok, we explored the city by foot and later tuk-tuk, visiting markets and wandering the streets.  One place we visited was Lumpini Park where the recent  civil unrest had unfolded.  All we saw was one burned out vehicle juxtaposed in front of many people spending time exercising and relaxing in a beautiful park.  We weren’t sure if the area had cleaned up that fast or if the media had exaggerated a bit.  Either way, we felt very safe, that is until we saw the disturbingly large monitor lizards roaming the grounds.

Having saved enough money for the cab ride to the airport, being completely exhausted and ready to be home, we made our final stop in Bangkok be the mall.  In this large multi story building, we found a hodge podge of stores ranging from high end electronic outlets to inexpensive fabrics in a flea market setting.

We bought a set of pillow cases with bikes on them as a way to remember the mall and celebrate bicycles.  After our extravagant purchase we found a nice food court that finally took our credit cards!  Having a few hours before we needed to leave for the airport, we decided to see a movie.  We were issued tickets with seating assignments.  Once the lights dimmed everyone stood and a song began playing.  We realized it was the Thailand national anthem.  Understanding the severity of disrespecting the King and Queen we stood at attendance with every one else.  After this prelude we enjoyed our popcorn with sugar, not butter, and New Moon!  Honeymoon finale….

With just enough money to get to the airport, we looked for a cab.  Of course, the price had gone up from when we first inquired.  We convinced the driver that we really only had a certain amount and he accepted.  Now we were ready for the two day trip home!