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Day 7. Rest day today... And our last full day in Bangkok until we return to fly home.
We get up in search of breakfast.... We know already what we are having... Muslie with yoghurt and mixed fruit.. It's lovely and fresh and since finding it a couple of days ago it's been a regular breakfast choice for me which has now tempted Shiree.
We've discovered that uploading a thousand photos a day to the internet is a time consuming task, and I notice that although shirees happy to spend every minute of the day with a camera around her neck, she's less happy to devote anytime at all to the uploading proses so after a few long days and late nights the little ones nearing at breaking point even though I'm usually the one doing the uploading so.....
The remedy we decide is to buy a external hard-drive. In Bangkok it soon becomes obvious that copy right laws are plentiful and every products got one... The only down fall being the Thais interpretation of " copy right " This " coping right " means every thing is available and everything's cheap which is great until you want to buy legit....
After speaking to the staff at our hostel we go off in search of a super market type shop which by luck is a stones throw from where we are staying, and takes us in a direction we've not yet ventured. Most of the roads in Bangkok have good size pavements either side of the busy roads which should and would be great if the shop owners didn't see this pavement space as there's and an extension of there shop and in turn filling it with row after row of shoe, bag, clothing, food, fruit and flower stalls...with only the narrowest alleyway down the middle for people to walk single file, heads down, fixed on the occasional glimpse of pavement that had not been converted into a shop display to place there feet, whilst a barrage of enthusiastic Thais try to tempt you to make the mistake of looking up at the stalls... All whilst under a continuos canvas canopy, gas cooking stoves roaring and extension leads powering radio systems and fridges hang everywhere making it almost impossible to tell one shop from another, let alone find a specific one.... But in the end we found our shop and ventured inside in search of our authentic hard drive.... "It's not in stock" we get informed from a guy behind the counter.. But we can get it in an hour if you leave a deposit.. Great we thought... That's about 47 hours quicker than at home, so deposit paid we jump head first back into pavement seeking for an hour.
Whilst killing time Shiree buys some clothes which push pretty hard on the boundaries of what she's happy to wear, but I think she looks good in what she's bought and the heat here I think will dictate she wears it in the end... Plus I think we are almost in a minority age group hear, there are plenty of older couples around.. Say 40 or 50ish and plenty of youngsters, let off the hook to earn themselves award winning hangovers so dressing young places Shiree closer to the age group she'd prefer to be associated with I think... There are loads here are age, I suppose I just notice those that appear younger or older than I expected to see traveling around.
After checking our new purchase works we have a bite to eat ( beef masaman curry ) and head off for the ferry pier in search of the biggest and most impressive temples and palaces which are grouped together that have somehow avoided our discovery. We know where they are, we've just not managed to get inside them yet, either due to political rioting in the area, resulting in the roads being closed or simply seeing other things in the area and today was no exception to the norm..... We'd left it to late.. "It closed an hour and a half my friend" a local Thai informs us, before finishing off his sentence with the obligatory Thai inquisition about where we were from, where we are going, what we have seen, what we want to see, have we got tickets... Blar Blar Blar...
Its a difficult call..... sometimes you think there just being nice, sometimes you feel there after selling you something and we still haven't really worked to out yet, we've made some very good decisions based on the brief conversations had with Thais that had fine tuned there English well enough to prevent allowing us to talk ourselves away from them easily in the conversation... There polite, but persistent, and they seem to really want you to have a good time... until they've helped you to your ( or there ) chosen destination which can involve walking with you until you've arrived there simply not happy.
So... After being informed the temples and palaces were closed our friend on the ticket gate decided we needed to see Bangkoks old capital.. So before we really new what was happening he'd stopped a passing tuk tuk, given ordered to the driver, agreed a price and we were off... Off in a boat tour we didn't know we wanted...
A few minutes later we arrive at a rather run down industrial looking pier and are met by a small bunch of Thais trying to Shepard us into one of these turbo diesel long boats along with a hefty fee... Thankfully we didn't have enough money, which slowed thing down a little... We weren't against the idea of doing the boat tour but just needed a minute to think it over and whilst walking to the ATM we'd have the opportunity, so directions given, off we go in search of cash.
Once there we decided against the trip due to the cost. Having made the decision not to go we look round for a bearing on our location and another Thai voice pipes up offering help.. This guy worked for the construction company that was doing work next to where we were, they were digging to put a new under ground line in, and his English was excellent. He told us a little about the kings birthday whilst we walked and asked us about our trip, and if we'd seen certain points of interest or not. He highlighted a grass park area which was going to be used that evening as a place of celebration which would involve singing, traditional thai dancing and fireworks.... "Fireworks " Shiree said.... Oh we'll have to see that then....
We asked the guy about the boat tour we'd been offered and decided to go along.. He walked us to the pier and saw us in the boat before returning to his own journey...
The tour was not as good as hoped.... We had basically lift it to late, 30 mins earlier and it would if been fine, but as the sunset became evening twighlight our sight seeing boat trip became a boat rude in the dark. We did get to see the general idea if the tour though... The tour took us into the now less populated side of the river and off Into a lock controlled river complex with used to be Thailands capital before the king at the time moved it to its current location. This was done because they had simply run out if ground to house people and from our tour boat it was clear that many of the houses were built on stilts over the river and in some cases at lest three houses deep before land could be seen.
There were temples everywhere as every new king has a new temple. All the temples vary in size, but all seem to follow a similar design.. That of a Chinese style with lots of hold and impressively sculptured wood and large over hanging roofs decorated red and gold.. The gold catching the light at night silently glinting at you pass...
Once off the boat we wonder in the direction of the grass park land which quickly fills with Thais whilst we are there... They have really gone to town.. The Thais are very proud of there king and have really pulled the stops out for his birthday celebration tomorrow. Tonight's events are all in a day before " the actual birthday " and are impressive in there own right so it's a shame we are not going to be here tomorrow night to see it.
After around an hour of watching various songs prayers and dances we leave, looking for food and before getting out if the pack we find some.
There are a number of stalks selling good food around the park entrance continue on towards a large group of mainly men gathered around something that we can't initially make out, all shouting and cheering.
I order something similar to egg fried rice and get pointed towards some sauce pots with huge wooden spoons, having had there rices dishes before a pour to spoonfuls of a brownish liquid with green and red things floating in it over the rice... I choose this sauce because its watery and the rice can be a little dry
And as I finish pouring the second spoonful it dawns on me that I should ok maybe checked the sauce first... The red & green things were cut up chillies so it just goes to show... You really will eat anything when your hungry... It's wasn't that bad after your mouth went num so I continued eating whilst going to investigate when all the noise was about them the group we noticed...
They were all cheering some Thai kick boxing. It was women's at this stage in the night, I assume the men's starts later. It is an impressive sport to watch and the crowd of really get behind the fighters in the ring, every knee or foot that made contact with the opponent I can only assume was felt by the whole crown judging by the gasps, ooh and arh's that were coming from the crowd.
I'd of liked to of stated to watch the men's fights but the night was getting on so we wondered off leaving the crown to enjoy the sport they clearly loved. We found a Tuk Tuk as soon as we got to the road and jumped in.. The driver setting off to the khao San road area again... The driver was a older man and small even by Thai standards. he had obviously been and seen some of the kick boxing himself... Which I gather he'd enjoyed from the broken english conversation we were having whilst he was trying negotiate the busier than normal roads of Bangkok... I say "trying" as the guy had clearly popped to many go-go pills that night... He was struggling... Weaving here and there, we cut pretty much across 5 lines of slow moving cars in one swift move, surprising even himself I think that know body hit us, and after convincing him we didn't want to be taken to another kick boxing club we ended up back at khao San road, safe and sound where I have to remind him how much he quoted us... We pay up and walk off.... Never so grateful to hear the musical assault on our ears from khao sans pubs....
We head into Gulivers Bar for a few drinks and observe the comings and goings of local girls with forgiven guys and enjoy a few to many drinks whilst watching a dance off between a Thai guy and a English girl before heading off home... It's now 01.45am and to late for us... We get collected at 7 tomorrow morning so we are in for a short nights sleep.
- comments
mum c Your wonderfully deatailed account of your day is great ,you should have gone for A level!!! keep up the good work.
Nikki You have certainly got an A from me in essay writing. Wow weee. I read about half way before I looked how long it was but to be fair couldn't stop.
clarke I always thought a short poem you wrote as a child was copied but your writing is expressive detailed and humorous an excellent narrative I now think its real.