Greetings from a hot and steamy Bangkok. I am writing from an internet cafe just off the famous Khoa San Road (for those of you who saw "The beach"). Our first two days here have been a mad, crazy adventure in what has to be the most 'mind blasting' city I have been to. This place is craziness on steroids! We had barely put down our bags in our guest house, when we were suddenly on board a tuk-tuk and speeding down streets and side-streets to visit giant buddhas and lucky buddhas. Bangkok is packed to the rafter with people, cars, tuk-tuks, buses, dogs, cats, shops, shacks, houses etc. It feels like every corner is crammed with a house or shop, which itself is stuffed with clothes or hundreds of mini buddhas or row upon row of chopped up wood. Its astonishing. You cannot walk more than 50 yards before someone comes up to you offer help, assistance or suggestions. I keep on thinking these are scams of one sort or another, but nearly all have been local people just eager to be helpful. Larna thinks its because they are all buddhists so believe in Kharma. Either way its quite overwhelming, especially for someone who is content to meander and find his own way. There are so many experiences to write about in just two days, its hard to know where to start.
Yesterday, we took a long boat down the canals (the boat's roof lowers under the low bridges, which I found out when the roof hit my head!), to the shopping district. You whizz past houses of all shapes, sizes and stages of disrepair. Some are slanting so much, I wonder how they can stand up at all. And there are people in every nook and cranny, cooking, eating, sleeping, talking to each other. Nearly everyone waves at you! Very friendly people. We took another long boat today along the river and another section of canal - again houses of all kinds (some mansions too) and shacks. What I found amazing was how many of them had pot plants hanging, which seem to be made out of the bottom's of coconut shells. The water though is filfthy, rubbish everywhere and we saw at least two floating, swollen, what looked like dead dogs.
Today we also visited "Watpo" which houses the "resting buddha" - an enormous golden buddha resting on his side. I will try and upload some pics if i have enough time tonight, otherwise when next at the net cafe. The heat and humidity are overwhelming though, so we had to retreat for an afternoon nap. Yesterday we meant to have a short nap at 7pm, ended up sleeping right through the night. So far we have learnt a few words (which i keep getting wrong): "Sawaddee krap" (hello/goodbye) and "Kap kuhn krap" (thank you) - yesterday i told the cab driver "Swaddee" instead of "kap kuhn krup" which Larna thought was hilarious ("hello" instead of "thank you".
Yesterday, we took a long boat down the canals (the boat's roof lowers under the low bridges, which I found out when the roof hit my head!), to the shopping district. You whizz past houses of all shapes, sizes and stages of disrepair. Some are slanting so much, I wonder how they can stand up at all. And there are people in every nook and cranny, cooking, eating, sleeping, talking to each other. Nearly everyone waves at you! Very friendly people. We took another long boat today along the river and another section of canal - again houses of all kinds (some mansions too) and shacks. What I found amazing was how many of them had pot plants hanging, which seem to be made out of the bottom's of coconut shells. The water though is filfthy, rubbish everywhere and we saw at least two floating, swollen, what looked like dead dogs.
Today we also visited "Watpo" which houses the "resting buddha" - an enormous golden buddha resting on his side. I will try and upload some pics if i have enough time tonight, otherwise when next at the net cafe. The heat and humidity are overwhelming though, so we had to retreat for an afternoon nap. Yesterday we meant to have a short nap at 7pm, ended up sleeping right through the night. So far we have learnt a few words (which i keep getting wrong): "Sawaddee krap" (hello/goodbye) and "Kap kuhn krap" (thank you) - yesterday i told the cab driver "Swaddee" instead of "kap kuhn krup" which Larna thought was hilarious ("hello" instead of "thank you".
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