Well not an ode.... but after going to the East you definitely can understand why it is sometimes considered a "Throne."

Today I figured I would be a good little tourist and go see some of the most major sights in Bangkok. I only got to 3 of the major sites, but that still meant four hours in the midday sun... it was an absolutely exhausting experience but rewarding nonetheless.

Since they are all kind of clustered next to each other I decided to visit Wat Po, Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. My first stop was Wat Po. To get there I took the Skytrain to the Chao Prahya river. Then I took an expressboat up to Pier 8. And even though I had already gone I had to go to the bathroom and so was forced into my first encounter with the infamous Eastern "squat toilet." For those who do not know... this is really just a small little ceramic hole in the ground, usually with a bucket of water next to it. No TP in sight... but ah hah! I remembered to bring my own. It cost like 5B (shouldn't peeing be free?)... this was supposedly a "maintenance" charge, but it didnt really look like it had been cleaned in a while. Anyway, have some precarious balancing and not falling in, I emerged from my first squat toilet victorious... and with a new appreciation of the "thrones" of the west.

Well after all that, I did eventually get to Wat Po. This is reportedly the biggest and oldest Wat in Bangkok. It is also home to the mammoth "Reclining Buddha" as well as numerous other buddha. I had a great photo of me w/ the reclining buddha's feet but half of my pictures didnt turn out! Bah! I think it was the Xrays at JFK. My guide explained some of the postures.. there's buddha in the forest, calm buddha, peaceful buddha, victory buddha, happy buddha and on and on and on. If you can think of it, there is probably a buddha somewhere. Then after my tour I went to another part of the temple to get "blessed" by a monk and given a buddha amulet. I am not sure that was worth the 300B but atleast I was giving it to a monk.

Then, b/c I didnt realize I was right next to the Grand Palace I crossed the river to Arun Wat... temple of the Dawn. Really not as awe-inspiring as I would have hoped. It looks a lot better on the postcards... up close it is kind of rundown looking. oh well. so then I came back across the river and headed to the Grand Palace. If you are a Farang (foreigner) going to the Palace be sure to be dressed "politely".. ie. long pants, long sleeves and full shoes (not flip flops). If not, you can rent clothing for free at the entrance. The Palace was quite beautiful even though I couldnt appreciate it much at the time. It is also home to Wat Phra Kaew the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which though jade is supposed to be one of the most spectacular in Bangkok. Which was why I was pissed that it was closed for renovations. Anyway, by then I was wanting very much to lie down and pass out from exhaustion. The midday sun had pretty much sucked all my energy out. I couldnt even eat, but I was drinking lots all day. Water, not Singhas. I even tried a coconut. It was interesting, but the OJ here is much better. Tropicana and MinuteMaid ain't got nothing on this stuff.

In between all the sight seeing and finishing off a roll of film, I started to do some shopping. Everything is so cheap, you can't NOT do it. I bought little buddhas and little elephants and a sarong... and my bag is going to way so much more if I keep this up. But I think i am going to buy some more stuff tomorrow and then mail it all home before I leave Bangkok. I might even mail home some of my western clothes. Though Columbia calls my zipoff pants "lightweight"... they feel like snow pants over here. I didnt really believe the peolpe who told me that you should just buy a good bag (and you can get the knockoffs here) some sturdy shoes and whatever else you need you can get here. Who needs durability when pants are sub $4?

So tomorrow I think I am gonna find a legit tailor and have some stuff tailor made and then by Tues or wed I should be heading towards Chang Mai up north. I think I might take a massage class there. I was gonna go south and get my PADI certification (SCUBA) , but I hear its still raining.. so that will be later. Well this has been long enough. Gotta shower, sleep and rest my tired bones.

Cheers!