was fully clothed. They pressed and squeezed the muscles, not like the pressure rubs that I have had before. This man used his feet and legs as well as his hands. He put my legs in different positions while he put his feet against my legs and pulled and pushed. It certainly was different. There were times it hurt and I know that it can at times, but I was very relaxed. He worked my legs, arms, back, and neck. The last thing that he did was put his fingers in my ear and held it and pulled out. It was quite the experience.
I walked out of there feeling like a rag doll. We walked through Wat Pho and looked in some of the buildings. The last building we walked in was where the Reclining Buddha was. The Buddha is about 46 meters long. I don't know much about Buddists, but they seemed very spiritual and religious. They bring offerings, I think, everyday.
From there we walked towards the hotel. I started looking at some shirts because I didn't see a place to do laundry. My shirt from yesterday has dried clay on it and the one I wore today--well--all I can tell you is it was a very hot and sticky day. I wanted something else because we were going to a show tonight. It was called the Calypso Cabaret. It was with transexuals. Nancy, our guide from today, picked us up and took us. The show was great. Now I am too tired for anything else.
April 17, 2003
Today was a busy day. After breakfast the first hour was spent on the internet. From there it was to the post office to mail home notes and then on to the Grand Palace.
The Grand Palace was established in 1782 and it houses the royal residence, government building, and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The complex is very large. It was built for King Rama I. Now I don't know a lot of the history even after hearing some of it. The names are too big and there are many Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princess. So I will keep it simple. Rama I is the first one in 1782 and now it is up to Rama IX. He has been king for the last 50 years, I think. The Thai people honor their king with passion. The streets have several life size pictures on cement walls at certains major areas.
Laurie and I rented an audio cassette tape and it gave very good information about the buildings, structure, purpose, history, and design. It is amazing some of the work that was done back them.. I can appreciate the beauty and workmanship. Many of the buildings have porcelain tiles shaped to form designs. There are beautiful marble floors, mother of pearl designs and murals depicting history and legend. The temple here houses a small Buddha made out of jade. It was discovered in 1434, but not brought to Thailand until 1778.
When we were done with the Grand Palace we wanted to head to the Vimanmek Mansion. We had a pass to go to it from buying the Grand Palace ticket. The only thing is, the place was across the city. I found out what bus to take and we ran over to the bus stop. Luckily the bus I wanted was waiting at the bus stop. People are so helpful here. Sometimes they don't speak English and I just show them the map and show them where I want to go. Then they will write in Thailand. I just show the bus driver. The bus cost about 5 cents each. You wouldn't believe how cheap everything is here. We got to the mansion, had a quick bite to eat and then we went to a traditional Thai dance show. The costumes are so colorful and the dances so graceful. The dance was free to watch, but if you wanted to take a picture, it would cost 20 baht, which is about 50 cents. I quess they have to make money somehow.
From there we went into the mansion. We had to leave our shoes off and put our stuff in storage. The mansion is the largest golden teak wood mansion. It was built for King Rama V. The house was beautiful. A lot of the furniture is new because the Queen had to redecorate some of it. All of the rooms have attendants to make sure nothing is touched. For the most part, I thought all of the rooms were tastefully done. The guide told us a lot of the history but it is just too much to follow.
After the mansion, Laurie and I wanted to take the Sky Train. It is only a year old and it is a train above the city that transports you through the city like our subways. To do that, we had to get there. So after talking to a few people and walking around, we found the bus that would get us there. I feel like I am on that TV show--The Amazing Race--I think that is what it is called. We got the bus and then made it in the Sky Train after several questions asked on how to. Once we got off the Sky Train, we needed to get another bus to the part of the city that we are in. It is actually the old part of Bangkok. I stopped at an information booth and when I asked about a bus, he told me to go by the river ferry. We decided, why not? We got to the place where the boats are. Laurie asked if this was the boat to Banglamphoo. I didn't think he understood, because he said yes. Once we were moving I asked a young girl next to me and showed her my map to see if this ferry was going in the right direction. She didn't understand, but some man helped us. He said "no" that it was not the right one. Luckily we were only going to the other side of the river. We just stayed on and went back. I asked someone else and she told me how and when. We just had to wait about 15 minutes. We had to rush on when it came. The boat doesn't wait. It practically is away from the dock when the last person boards. The ferry had several stops. This is a common mode of transportation for several people
We got off the ferry and now we had to make our way back. We asked how to get where we wanted. We ended up going through back alleys. The backs of people's homes which are exposed. There were some people cooking, some people bathing their kids in tubs in the ally and some just hanging out. This is such a neat place to see because it is so different from what I am use to. To get to the road we wanted, we ended up going up some stairs--through some bar and down stairs on the other side. There are so many bars, cafe rooms and stores down these alley ways. You would never know they were there. They use there space to the fullest. We made it back to our hotel. I was still having some trouble orienting myself, but I think I have it now. It figures, just when I am about to leave.
Laurie and I got pizza for dinner. It was at a place that seemed like Pizza Hut. The kids are so respectful. We ordered "Take Away". They gave us something "free" to drink while we waited. Also, since there wasn't a place for me to sit, they brought me a chair. They then thanked us, put their hands together with palms facing each other like a prayer and bow their heads.
We got to our room and I needed to go to an ATM and I had to find a place for laundry. They don't have laundromat, but they have places to do our laundry. It cost $1.25 to have then do it. The laundry place was in a hotel down some alley way off of Khao Sun Road. This road is known as backpacker haven. We are just a street away. Tourists come just to look at it. People are out there filling up the streets, luckily not too many cars go down there. A bunch of people sitting in chairs having their hair braided or made into dreadlocks. The bars and cafes are open to the streets. People are selling their wares.
