New Years in Bangkok

After our 12 hour over night train ride from the boarder of Thailand to Bangkok we strolled into the Millennium Hilton with style (grungy clothes and backpacks). Upon our arrival we were escorted to the Hilton Honors lounge and given a deliciously scented hand towel, cold tea and a coffee with a cookie while we waited for them to check us in. Since it was still pretty early we were unsure if we would get a room right away but surprisingly we did...we just had to wait an hour for them to clean the room and then it would be ready. Of course we were okay with that since we decided to treat ourselves to there deluxe five star breakfast buffet. Two and half hours later, 6 to 7 plates in we decided to put the fork and knife down and retire to the room. Wow is all that we could say once we stepped into our room. This was such a luxury we were a little overwhelmed but indulged right in...took proper showers with hot water and dried off with fluffy white clean towels and then wrapped ourselves in the complimentary bathrobes. Once we were clean we tucked ourselves in the fluffy, cuddly blankets and stared out the window into the beautiful big city of Bangkok while we drifted off to sleep. After our few hours of rest and still some hours to kill before Heather's family is expected to arrive we ventured out and meet up with our friend Talita (whom we spent Christmas with) on Khoa San Road (Backpackers street and hang out). Before we meet up with Talita we stopped at the internet and Heather received some unexpected news which was that Molly's (sister)passport was expired and that her and her their dad were not coming but that Tamara (mom) and Bonnie (sister) were still expected to arrive. Shocked and sad by the news Heather called and spoke with her dad and he affirmed her that they were still going to try and figure out away to get a new passport and fly out to Thailand. With those words floating in our minds we all spent the next days praying and hoping something would work out. (jumping ahead a few days...it turns out they did make it and meet us in Phuket). After our internet fiasco we finally meet up with Talita and bought some Phad Tai and mango sticky rice off one of the many street venders. The Phad Tai was average but hey it was less then a dollar and manged to fill us up along side with the beer we washed it down with. The mango sticky rice on the other hand was delicious and i could of eaten that everyday but sadly i didn't because it turns out its not that easy to find in the restaurants...oh well. With full bellies the three of us walked the street and looked at all the knock off stuff there was to buy. Since we were expecting the family to arrive within a few short hours we said good bye to Talita and headed back to the Hilton.
By 2am we received a phone call from the reception saying that Tamara and Bonnie arrived in Bangkok and had checked in to the Hilton...so we excitedly waited by the elevator to greet them with hugs and smiles. After a few minutes of chating we said good night and reunited for the breakfast buffet in the morning and celebrated Christmas again. With presents left to be exchanged we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast together and presents. For their first day here we took it easy and just ran a few errands...or so we tried. We took the boat across the river and walked some of the streets but turns out everything we needed to get done was no where to be found so we took the boat back and relaxed at the Hilton Beach Pool. The sun was shining and we were all itching for some relaxation so thats exactly what we did at the beautiful pool overlooking the city of Bangkok. Relaxed and rested, we grabbed a taxi and had him take us to the night market. Before shopping through the night market we had a great Thai dinner and then shopped and got ourselves a foot massage. Tamara and Heather really liked it, but Bonnie and I had a difference of opinion and that was that it hurt. That turned us off from massages for the rest of the time, but Tamara made up for it with her almost daily massages! :)
Upon Tamara's and Bonnie's arrival in Bangkok they managed to book a city tour for all of us through the taxi they had taken from the airport to the hotel. They came and picked us up at the hotel and we drove around and visited Wat Pho or Wat Phrachetuphon also called the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The Reclining Buddha statue is one of the largest in the world, measuring almost 150 feet long and 50 feet high and filling almost every inch of the Wat. This oldest and largest temple in Bangkok was originally built in the Ayuttuya period and has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand. After Wat Pho we visited two other temples, names I cannot remember but still so beautiful in there color and decor. Bangkok is a big city and has tones of sights to see but sadly our days flew past us and we only saw a glimpse of bangkok. Nevertheless we enjoyed ourselves and that night Heather and I took them to China town to see the busy streets and lights of Bangkok and enjoy in some good Thai/Chinese street restaurants. Dinner ended up being very good although one of the dishes had a lot of chili peppers and Tamara accidentally eat one and thought her body was about to explode. Once we calmed her down and got her some chocolate milk, her mouth stopped feeling as if it was on fire we headed to Khao San road to show them where all the backpackers live and hangout.
For New Years Eve and with most everything being closed we hung out at the hotel for the morning and early afternoon and then headed to MBK which is Bangkok's big mall. MBK was crazy....so many people, so many stores your eyes can not concentrate. After a few hours we gladly left and relaxed at the hotel before we got all fancy and pretty for New Years. We had dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel and shockingly the food was not very good and the service was crap. I realize that sounds a bit harsh but its true and you might be thinking that its because the restaurant is busy but it wasn't at all. Oh well we didn't let that spoil the evening because us girls headed down to the main restaurant and crashed the party. They had a music playing and people were dancing so we joined in and danced for a bit. With New Year just a few minutes away we all gathered in the room and watched the zillion of fireworks that were being shot off all over Bangkok. It was unreal...our room was on the 28th floor so high up and we could see fireworks for miles. It was really cool and absolutely amazing to see all the colors and a great way to welcome the new year. Happy New Years Everyone :)