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How to use a toilet
How to use, and how not to use a toilet! A helpful sign on the Malaysian Jungle Train Right, where was I?
So after we were positively scammed, we had a look at the aforementioned swing, in the process walking along streets that seemed dedicated to selling royal merchandise (pictures of the king and to a lesser degree the queen are inescapable here - roadsides are adorned with pictures of the royal couple looking thoughtful, meeting rural peoples, and one with a big drop of sweat dripping off the King's nose!).
That evening we indulged in a bit of retail therapy and the haggling that goes along with it, and had some fried noodles from a street vendor. We then went to a bar in a road that was a lot less backpackery, with a predominant Thai populace singing along to songs we'd never heard before. The beer had an adverse reaction on me and withing minutes i was slumping against the table, inches away from sleep, so it was time for bed.
The next day we returned to our new favourite eatery (well mine anyway - this place was incredible! Shitake mushrooms, cashew nuts, tofu, many different types of vegetable, all in sauces that i'd never come close to tasting before, for the equivalent of a pound
a dish) and had a late breakfast of the most face melting curry ever, i really was in pain afterwards, as the worker there we had gotten friendly with looked on with alarm, steam pouring from my ears, sweat pouring from my face!
We set off for the grand palace, take 2. The biggest tourist attraction in Bangkok apparently. On the walk there we were stopped twice by over-zealous men who looked aghast at our apparel, informing us that we could not enter, or even continue on this road to the palace, as there were monks there, and we could not enter, even if dressed appropriately, until after 3.30PM. Well, they were bad men. liars. And very rude! One had a rant at Sarah as she walked away: 'you listen to me! You don't believe me!'. Well too right. He was a scammer. But we continued, slightly downbeat from our encounters with these idiots, and got into the palace (open to the public until 3.30!) and went (along with 99% of the other visitors) to the free hire room of clothes to cover our unsightly knees and shoulders. Sarah had a small rip in her trousers which was unthinkable for the palace guards, so we had to make a second visit to the hire room. And she hadn't worn trousers there out of choice! It was very hot and humid walking there!
But the palace was worth it. It was incredibly grand. Many building that varied greatly in style but were all breathtaking and intricately ornate. The place was packed with tourists, but it was worth the trip. There we saw the Emerald Buddha, a small statue above an incredibly ornate throne, not actually made of emerald, but jade (i think). This small buddha statue has it's clothes changed three times a year to reflect the seasons.
After this we went to Wat Po, to see the reclining Buddha, a huge golden statue of the/a (?) Buddha lying comfortably on its side with a big grin on its face, with mother of pearl feet! We had a wander around the grounds, but unfortunately all the other buildings were covered in scaffolding, so we headed back to our hostel where we were due to take a 16hr bus journey down south to Krabi, where we could access some typically beautiful Thai islands. I led us on the picturesque route, first in completely the wrong direction! But we saw some interesting Thai streets (thanks Mum and Dad for the compass at Xmas, it's really coming in handy! although Sarah hides in shame when i get out my compass and the map to navigate our way!). Back at our hostel we sat on the step with one of the ladies who worked there, anxiously awaiting our bus which was late, and we weren't even sure would come up the alley our hostel was located in, and the two dogs who lived there (including a Tilly dog). Finally a lady arrived, stuck a sticker on our chests and led us through the streets to a large double decker bus that was to be our accomodation for the night. We were heading for Krabi, where we would hopefully connect to an island, which island we weren't yet sure, we would see when we got there. And that was our Bangkok adventure. Not as wild and seedy as many might expect from a visit to this notorious traveller haunt, but interesting none the less. We squeezed in the typical cultural/tourist visits but had had enough of the six lane roads and the relentess smog and petrol fumes, and felt it was time again for some seclusion and salt water.
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Andrea
non-member comment
whoops
Did I forget to tell you about the scammers, sorry. Next time your in Bangkok go the the weekend market Chadachuk (JJ) north on the skytrain to the last stop its great!