Wat Po and the Emerald Buddah

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Today we do the tourist thing, as Kev is feeling a bit better so we catch the boat up the river, which is the colour of mud to the Grand Palace. On the way there, we're told by several 'helpful' people that the Grand Palace is actually closed this morning and that we should be going to the Thai Export Factory instead. We chose to ignore them and find ourselves at the Grand Palace. It's doing good business for somewhere that is closed and there are thousands of tourists milling around, looking bewildered and lost like us, it's sprawling!
It's also extremely hot and you have to cover up from head to toe, no exposed arms, ankles or bellies! It is extremely beautiful though and we view the Emerald Buddah, the most important and revered Buddah image in Thailand. I did initially miss it as it's very small and perched at the top of plinth. You're not allowed to take photos as this is considered disrespectul, I snatch a couple from outside. We wander around the rest of the buildings, many of which are being restored. The artwork inside is incredible, every wall is covered in some kind of painting, depicting scenes of Buddah's life. Eventually we'll find a computer with a USB connection and update our photos!
I'm now desperate for the loo and we find some 'toilet' signs. I enter to discover another woman pushing all the cubicle doors, she's looking for a 'western' toilet, there aren't any. Just a kind of floor mounted urinal with foot holds. Surprisingly I manage to use one without getting wet, she's still there looking confused when I leave.
We leave the Grand Palace to look for Wat Po, apparently this is also closed today, but the Thai Export Factory is just around the corner waiting for us, or so the locals would have us believe. Kev does an expert bit of bartering for a parasol, it's getting really hot and I'm suffering. The vendor starts at 500 baht, Kev says 100. The vendor goes back to his offer of 500 but Kev won't change his mind, we start to walk away and the vendor keeps dropping his price, when he gets to 100 we take the parasol, much to the annoyance of the other tourists walking by us who paid 300.
We make it to Wat Po, where there is the biggest reclining Buddah image we're ever likely to see. It's huge and very beautiful. We're not just here for Buddah though, Wat Po is home to the Traditional Thai Massage school. We've waited this long for a massage, but this place is supposed to be the best. We both have the half hour full body massage which is amazing. This place is definitely the best. I've never had a massage that left me feeling this good, Kev's shoulder is much better and I really want to go back and have the full hour.
We walk back to the river through the flower market, not realising how long we've been out and we've both caught the sun abit too much today.
We get back to the hotel to find a rather bizarre guest, in the gardens is the biggest fucking lizard I've ever seen! Huge, just wandering in amongst the zen garden, disturbing all the sand.
He's a monster, at least three feet long. The sky is threatening rain and he disappears among some plants. We check out the hotel restaurants for dinner tonight, Benihana the Japanese steak house looks favourite.
We return a couple of hours later and eat the most expensive meal we've ever had. I had the Kobe beef and it really is everything it's cracked up to be. It has to be the tastiest, most succulent, melt-in-the-mouth piece of meat I've ever eaten. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Kev has the lobster and steak combo. It's all cooked in front of you by a rather entertaining chef. I have no room for desert but plan to hit the Dairy Queen at least once before we come home. Shopping tomorrow...

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