May 17: Temples on temples

May 17: Temples on temples

Of course Thailand is known for their beautiful array of temples, so I visited the Grand Palace and The reclining Buddha (also known as Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang and Wat Pho). Here I met Thai residents showing their America friend around they kindly let me tag along. The best part about traveling alone is meeting new people in the strangest places. We met on the sidewalk as we were both walking to the Grand Palace so for the rest of the day they took me around Bangkok and taught me more Thai traditions.

 I also had the chance to ask them about the animal tourism industry, which was extremely beneficial to my project. Knowing the effects and torture of riding elephants, I already have strong opinions on it. However, they did not know anything about it. They said they’ve all ridden an elephant at one time and never knew anything about it.

 Later that day when exploring Chinatown in Bangkok I came across shark fins for sale. I always knew the horrifies of this industry, but seeing it in person was even worse. My Magellan project from last year explored this topic more. It was being sold for 7,000 baht which is roughly $220. The girls I met explained that shark fin was a delicacy and that they never tried it.