We had an early morning flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok, leaving us the afternoon to explore the city. Kirsten was the only one who hadn't been before, as the rest of the family had visited 10 years ago as part of their Nepal trip.

We wanted to visit the Grand Palace and were able to arrange for the guide who picked us up at the airport to take us on a guided tour that afternoon. After a very quick check-in and lunch, we headed out into the terrible Bangkok traffic to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace Complex was built in 1782 after the ascension of King Rama I to the throne. It contains the royal residence and throne halls as well as many government offices and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The entire complex covers 218,000 square meters so it was handy to have a guide who had been many times and wanted to share his favorite spots with us.