Monkeys, Temples and Rice, Rice, Rice!

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Sawat dii ka!! Still having lots of fun here in Singburi, exploring around the place and visiting temples

The things you get used to but feel strange at first are;
1) Walking around a lot bare footed...especially around the eco house...kind of makes your feet very dirty though!!
2) Cold showers...hard to get into at first but then refreshing
3) Gecko's - lizards that are on all the walls around your room and bathroom - suprisingly I am fine with it!!
4) The rituals at the temples...(explained later)

The things I am seriously NOT getting used to are;
1) Rice and vegetables for every meal with varying sauces
2) Pineapple and Watermelon for every meal dessert - and pineapple is my favourite fruit so it's a shame I'm getting sick of it!
3) How cheap everything is out here, I'm worried I'm spending money like it's going out of fashion...it's like going into Ikea and thinking 'wow it's cheap' and piling it all into the basket and then getting to the checkout and being shocked at how much you spend.
4) Asian tolets - really not a pleasant experience! need not say more!!

After my last entry we went for our BBQ that evening - we were all looking forward to this prospect after already being sick of rice...let's just say the meat eaters were pleased anyway...the vegetarians amoung us were given egg fried rice!! oh joy!!

The next day we went to a few more temples and a museum...we laid flowers on one and all had our picture taken together (minus 7 who had decided to go to the full moon party)
We are now getting used to the rituals of the temples...take a flower, a candle some incense sticks and gold leaf paper from the entrance, remove your shoes of course and pray with the incense sticks and then lay the flower near a buddha and stick the gold leaf to the buddha...got it now. That evening we went to a lovely restaurant that was just by a lake just as the sun was setting...an ideal photo opportunity!! The food was okay but it was more rice and more pineapple and watermelon!!! argh!!!

The following day was to be in the lop-buri province...we visited a town that was literally over-run with monkeys...they were everywhere and we got to feed them which was nice but there were times when it was a bit scary. We also walked around the old ruins of the town and the kings palace. Another meal out in a resaurant and yet more rice and fruit...yipee...however the owners wanted a picture of us all as they want to advertise the restaurant and Oliver said we are gong to be in a Thai newspaper so that might be quite funny. In the afternoon we visited one of the most beautiful temples so far called Wat Pra Phutthabat and there were 3 sets of steps leading up to the temple. The ritual is you run up the left hand steps for happiness, the middle steps for love and the left hand steps for wealth...the catch is you have to do it whilst holding your breath. Difficult when there are many steps, you are unfit like myself and it is something like 38 degrees! However, I managed it and I had chosen the happiness steps!! Oliver chose love which was sweet!! Oh another temple ritua is you ring the bells when you have finished at the temple...they have rows of big bells and you walk along and bang each one.

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Comments

[Mum]

Great stuff!
Lovely to get back from weekend away and catch up with latest installments and photos, you seem to be having a great time - rice is very healthy! Anything you've started longing for - maybe the lemon meringue pie we never made?! Love and hugs, Mum xx