Well, China Town turned out to be a bit of a disappointment last night. Although our tuk-tuk driver did not put us in the best of moods before we eve got there! We asked for the centre of China Town and he ended up taking us to the outskirts of the city to a Seaford restaurant! Sounds scary but it wasn't, it was more annoying than anything because it had wasted our time. We made him take us to China Town but as you can imagine, not a great start! China Town was unexpectedly less touristy, and as soon as we left the tuk-tuk we were getting stares and people saying hello. This was nice but also intimidating at the same time as we stood out like sore thumbs! It was definitely an eye opener walking round the hundreds of market stalls selling absolutely everything and experiencing the way that people live; night markets and socialising on the streets seems to be the hub of communities here!We found a nice place to eat (when I say nice I mean the ONLY place we saw where you could sit off the street to eat your food!) where we were served by our first 'Ladyboys'! We still felt a little out of place so decided to get a tuk-tuk straight back to Khoan San.Day 4

Another early start - we went to the Grand Palace this time and ignored the constant attempts to change our direction! The Grand Palace shares it grounds with the most famous Wat in Bangkok; Wat Phra Kaew. This place is gob-smacking when you enter the grounds. Everywhere you turn, there is something glittering, thousands of statues and countless temples to take in; all surrounded by walkways called 'the galleries' where artists have depicted Thai history and myths.

We really cannot describe how unbelievable this place is - and the photos (when we manage to upload them!) really don't do the place justice, as it rained for most of the day! The main temple contained the famous 'Emerald Buddha' which sits upon an array of gold and more Buddhas and monuments. It was originally covered in plaster called stucco and was thought to be an ordinary Buddha, but a priest noticed some of the plaster flaking off to reveal a green stone beneath, originally thinking it was Emerald, hence the name. It later turned out to be made of jade but the name stuck. From Wat Phra Kaew we entered the grounds of the Grand Palace - so grand and elegant it makes Buckingham Palace look like 10 Nelson Gardens! Unfortunately, we weren't able to access the whole of the Palace buildings as they were 'lying in state ceremony' - we think this had something to do with Chinese New Year but we are going to try and find out more.Next stop - 'Temple of Dawn; Wat Arun' a.k.a Temple of Doom as we keep calling it! We think we're in Indiana Jones! We had lunch on the Pier first, more noodles and chicken, even though Lee ordered pork! We've also become quite skilled at eating without the cutlery ever touching our mouths! Our stomachs seem to be holding so far, so fingers crossed! Boat ride across the river to Wat Arun and what seemed to be a monk school. It was very quiet due to the bad weather but it was a good job; I wouldn't like to be climbing the step narrow stairs in the packed Bangkok heat! A few 'Where's Wally' pictures of course, our return boat trip and a long walk later, we arrived back at Lamphu house with a belly full of Turkish Kebab (our first experience of street food; we already want another one!)Tomorrow we are planning to make our way to Cambodia, meaning a 5 hour bus trip, 2 tuk-tuk rides and a taxi are waiting for us at 5.30 tomorrow morning! Wish us luck!