Day 23...Bangkok

Hi to all,

Today we ventured to the Grand Palace, which has been one of the most jaw dropping we have seen on our travels so far. Obviously, the day didn't go without a hitch - as it never does, there were people standing outside the palace telling us its closed and they would take us somewhere better, or they would give us a personal tour blah blah blah. After getting through those hoards we eventually got inside the outer gates to the ticket office, no problem, went to the main entrance and got refused as Dom's trousers were not long enough - doh! We had specifically worn long clothes in the blistering heat so we would get in. Anyway, three attempts later to find the building which gives out long trousers we finally got in.

The builidings are very extravagant, reds, greens, blues, mirrors topped off with gold gold gold. In fact in comparison to even the temple of heaven, it was really colourful!! There are a few pictures below to give you an idea. Within the grand palace the main attraction is the emerald buddha which is apparently where hundreds of thousands of people make a pilgrimage too every year. Although its not actually made of emerald and its only 60cm high (could be 30cm I cant remember accurately). This buddha sits on a 9 metre high throne which is just blinging at every angle and there is a ceremony a 3 times a year when they change the statues clothes (something heavy for the winter, something more airy for the summer and a coat when it gets cold). As cynical as I may sound it is very impressive and well worth a visit. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos of the buddha so you will have to google it to see it. Within the palace there are several other temples which we took about another hour to walk around, each one still as impressive as the next.

After giving back the hideous trousers that Dom had been suffering in we went for a well-deserved ice-cream before heading into downtown Bangkok to go to the aquariam! It seems like a strange thing to do we know but why not - it boasts the largest underwater walkway in SE Asia (apparently). After paying an extortionate amount of money to get in (9 Euros) it turned out to be well worth it. We had our pictures taken inside a sharks mouth (unlike the tigers this was dead), watched a shark feeding show and felt like 10 year old kids for the afternoon.

Seeing as it took about an hour and a half to walk to the aquariam, we didn't fancy walking back, but then again, there was no metro that went back towards the direction of our hotel and there was so much traffic on the road that we would make it there before a taxi. Therefore...we put our lives in the hands of a tuk tuk. It was horrifying!! We were not quite sure if he was trying to scare us on purpose or this was just the way of the tuk tuk but we did almost shat our pants. Swerving in and out of the traffic, stopping within an inch of the car in front and almost being squished from the back...but...we made it, and surprisingly in one piece.

Tomorrow is our last day in Bangkok which is a shame as this has been a great city to relax in for the last couple of days. We have seen a ton of sights, areas within and outside the city and most importantly sampled several bars in the area.

Onto the floating markets and Chiang Mai...

Team Domro