Thailand Day 3

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Once again our day started slightly later than we'd had hoped, I tried putting it down to let lag but I it was more down to a really comfy bed.
The Park Plaza isn't ideally situated being a fair way from the Old City our destination for today. After a quick Metro underground ride we then endured a 15 minute walk to a Pier on the river which then took us to (within walking distance to) the Grand Palace!
It would seem (or possibly not!) that there was a 'private' ceremony to celebrate the Buddhist New Year and we couldn't go in until 13:00 (yep, that old chestnut)! Which left us to enjoy our first Thai Tu-tu trip! Our first stop was to see the Standing Buddha, at an impressive 35 meters it was worth the detour, this was quickly followed by the Giant Reclining Buddha, think the Standing Buddha just being lazy and laying down, that said, it was still quiet remarkable. Even more so however was the temple area surrounding it, this place was totally Blinged Up!
The next 90 minutes were a farcical blur, initially attempting to find the Thai Massage School (not where or what we had expected), followed by a long walk around three sides of the Grand Palace (it could be called that purely on it's foot print!) before we eventually found an entrance that would let us enter... We'd previously ignored the other entrances as they had once again said it was closed (we'd been warned about this previously). Just our luck though, it really was shut! We got in but everything was cordoned off, the earlier (yep, there actually was one) was still going on and a Prince of Thailand was within the main Temple! we pretty much got to see two hundred yards of the Palace!
So undeterred we grabbed another Tu-tu and negotiated another round trip which included the ubiquitous 'shop' stops! The first couple of stops were fine, we did the usual and spent 5 minutes nodding before politely leaving empty handed! We were then dropped off at our penultimate destination the Golden Mount. This was were the surprises started!
Due to the New Years celebration the market around the Mount had swelled considerably meaning the Tu-tu parked up a five minute walk away, the market was great we browsed, I picked up some Sushi and we had our way to the Mount, this was probably the best stop so far, the Mount was reached up about a hundred steps winding it's way up, but the views were breathe taking! We then ambled our way back to the Tu-tu's only to find ours had buggered off! Fortunately you pay at the end of the route, so I can only guess he got pissed off waiting and disappeared! Our third Tu-tu then headed for China Town. Wow, what a place, manic, crowded and vibrant! We headed down the smallest of alleys to fully immerse ourselves and still managed not to get lost! Dinner was 'interesting' partly do selecting a place in the heart of China Town where we were pretty much the only westerns, but mostly due to ordering Fried Sea Cucumber! Not the most appetising dish I've ever ordered. Large slices of gelatinous glop an inch think which had very little taste, ah well, you said adventurous eating would be tasty!
To finish of a very busy day we grabbed a taxi to the Banyun Tree hotel where on the 59th floor is the Vertigo Bar, a posh roof top bar and restaurant. So posh in fact that I couldn't get in with my sandals, but fear not (or words to that effect) said bar host as he returned with a pair of slip-on patent leather shoes! The bar was fantastic and gave 360 degree views over Bangkok! Equally mind blowing was the 1030TB (£25) bill for a glass of wine and a cocktail!
So with a sleepy head we returned to our hotel room to prepare for tomorrows flight to Chiang Mai.

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