Trains, Boats and Tuk Tuks- Day 2

Our first day out into the city of Bangkok. The sights, smells, and tastes were as various as ever. We started the day by taking a tuk tuk (a 3 wheeled open air taxi with a pick up half bed on the back)to the Chao Phyara River to board a tailboat down the river,to the floating market and our final stop at the Grand Palace (the king's home). The tailboat was wonderful. The river bank was full of houses and shops on stilts and we must of seen at least 5 temples along the way. Also crocodiles and monitor lizards were sunbathing on the banks On a side note, Andrea had to go potty before boarding the boat and she asked for a bathroom and they showed her a half walled hole in the ground that she had to squat down. It was rather funny; for me that is, not so much for her We then visited Wat Pho, a huge temple by the Grand Palace. We walked in and saw the world's biggest Buddha statue, called reclining Buddha. We removed our shoes to enter and Alli had to wear a fluorescent green trench coat to enter. It was an impressive statue but I couldn't help think to myself how sad that Buddhists worship and give their life to this dead, made by human hands God. As we walked around the temple,people dropped money into these buckets in belief that they were paying off the Gods to bring them blessing and favor. After this, we took another tuk tuk to a 8 floor mall, called Terminal 21 where we walked around and I for the first time learned how to use chopsticks. Yes, it took me an hour to eat my lunch but I was rather proud of my new accomplishment and considered this a huge adjustment to culture. By the way, the bathrooms were equipped with bidets and that was an unexpected strange feeling. That is all I will say about that After the mall, we took the sky train back to the hotel and rested for awhile. Then Alli and I ventured out that night to a massive grocery store, Tesco Lotus Superstore, and then we shared dinner together. All in all, it was a great day exploring and learning the culture. My favorite part is bartering with tuk tuk drivers and floating market retailers. You can get some good deals and talk down a good price if you are patient and hold your ground. Pictures are below of our day. Enjoy!!