Bangkok Round 2
Trip Start
Jul 05, 2008
1
19
30
Trip End
Aug 30, 2008
Bangkok,
Thailand
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Let's see, yesterday we went to see even more wats. Because clearly we haven't seen enough. But, these ones were pretty cool. We saw a giant reclining Buddha at Wat Po, easily 3 stories tall and nearly twice as long, with feet elaborately engraved with mother of pearl (SEP http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertra/171182617/), pretty cool. There is a long line of small collection bowls along the wall, and they will change 20 Baht into half baht coins for you, and you walk along the line dropping a coin in each bowl. It's a donation to the temple, but also fairly meditative... step, clink. step, clink. step, clink. step, clink...
I took a billion pictures, to add to the gabillion that I already have. I filled up an 8G memory card days ago on my camera, and have since been trying to clean house and delete all the crap. Don't worry, I won't innundate you with a slideshow of stuff you don't understand just to gratify my photo lust... or, will I?!?!?
We walked to Kho San, which is basically drunk-backpacker-land here in Bangkok. I could barely stand it. First of all, it was hotter than Hades and we'd been walking all day. Also, Kho San is just like backpacker land anywhere in the world, there's almost no point in going there unless you for some reason like people hawking the same cheap t-shirts and sunglasses and hippy pants at you again and again. And behind the stalls it's basically bar, bar, bar, as far as the eye can see. I can picture Koh San going all out frosh-week every night when the sun goes down. I've done frosh week 3 times, no need to relive it Thai-style, not my scene now.
But, we were there to search out this travel agent who is reported to be able to achieve the holy grail which has thusforth elluded us... a Chinese Tourist Visa (que singing angels). We found them, Aaron handed over his passport, flight e-tickets, hotel bookings, left kidney, and nectar of ambrosia, and they told us to come back in one day to see if it went through. I don't know what kind of rickety kick-back scheme this agency has going with the embassy, and I don't care either, as long as the thing goes through. Fingers crossed!
We took a hot sweaty boat home and had a shower to wash the sweaty sunscreeny scum off. Seriously, I drink about 3L of water a day and never need the washroom here.
Today was more of the same, aside from the first scam of our travels. We were going to see the royal palace, and one of the "security guards" told us that it was closed for a ceremony, and suggested another site for us to see until the temple opened at 3pm. We get in a tuk tuk and went to see a very impressive 105foot gold buddha. Cool, great, super. Then the tuk tuk driver starts to drag us around to tourist traps, including a gem shop and tailor. He wanted to take us to 6 more places (!!!), but we said no, and went for lunch then to the Royal Palace. And it was closed. We think that the "security guard" told us completely errroneous information so that we could be dragged around by this driver for commission. Now, since we are leaving for Cambodia early tomorrow, we will never get to see the Royal Palace of the huge Emerald Buddha inside. I want to find that guy and then slap him, then find his friend and slap him too, then find both their families and give them a good scolding in front of them about the importance of decency and the Golden Rule. Sigh. In the end, I'm not much of a slapper.
Okay, out of time on this... coin operated internet computer... wierd.... byebye!
