Wat no hassle

Okay - big day planned......off we go.

Breakfast inc - hurrah. Toast yum (but am now back into traveller mode and was slightly disappointed not to get Thai omelette and rice) but hey, free breakfast so who's to argue. It came with butter and jam too - double yummy. Also even better, we got double rations as we didn't want tea or coffee - 'speci dea jus fo u coz u no wan t oh coffee' was the message. I can't even manage 'please' and 'thank you' in Thai and be understood yet - its all a bit embarassing really but I'm working on it!

Then off to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, walked down there and arrived at about 9am, just in front of the multitude of tour buses. Decided on audio tour having practiced 'no thank you' to all the touts along the way in - feeling very proud! Really good little tour. Much better than the one for Windsor Castle which has so many entries you are brain dead and stand no chance of ever finishing them all. This had 34 little stations and was just enough in 2.5 hours (although we did realise at the end that we had missed out one museum). Highlight of this part is apparently the Emerald Buddha. Its not emerald, its made of Jade and is 66cms high and 46cms wide and sat on top of quite a tall pedestal. I spent a good 10 minutes wondering where it was until I looked up (how embarassing!)

Wandered along to the river for a break after that, headed to the wrong pier and had to walk a bit further so bought pineapple in a bag for 50p to sustain us along the way. Got to right pier, bought two tickets for the grand total of 15p and scooted across to Wat Arun. Climbed some VERY steep steps, took some piccies, looked at the smog layer lying across Bangkok, decided Thailand must suffer serious issues with keeping their crockery and mirrors in one piece - all the temples are decorated with broken bowls and mirrored mosaic. Very clever shaping etc and they use bowls to get the curved bits they need.

Back across river to Wat Pho where we finally found a bit of space. Oh and a giant 46m Buddha as well - much more easy to find than the Emerald Buddha!!! Had read that this temple was the favourite for a lot of people and I have to say it was very nice to find a bit of a temple where you could wander and only come across maybe two other people, and a cat. Nice chance to breath a bit from the 'fast like instant noodle' chaos that is the Big Mango.

Am already really looking forward to China (not that we weren't in the first place). The Chinese influences here I hadn't expected for some reason. I'd got the India influences but hadn't realised the Chinese had impacted this far over - was kind of expecting that a bit more in Vietnam. There were some great Chinese statues with big beards and the like today.

Left Wat Pho and headed back to hostel for lunch - felt the need to use discount voucher. Tom Yum Koong soup, very nice - definately getting into the swing of local food etc again now and banana fritters for pudding. Am planning more adventuresome street food meals from now on though as we are nicely back in the swing of asian travel again.

Martyn has mastered crossing the roads. I just cling on blindly and occassionally close my eyes - being a pedestrian out here is clearly not the done thing. Even market stalls on wheels take precedence over pedestrians and thats on the pavement! Did breath a sigh of relief though as we found Th Kao San today - and it was pedestrianised (well as pedestrianised as roads probably get here - they'd blocked off one end of it!!!)

Anyway, after dinner wandered around Soi Rambuttri and along to a fort, view of the river from a park and then on to the Democracy Monument which bought us back to Th Kao San.

Back to hostel suitably exhausted and ready to sit down with guide book and review the history bits that I really should have read by now!

Feeling proud - wat no hassle from 'wily gentlemen' as we were warned against by a sign outside Wat Phra Kaew! Although the woman selling food for the pigeons was quite tenacious and followed Martyn down the street for a good few paces!