There’s that magic number again

The following day I got up early – still wanted to see some of the city but I had to check out of the hotel some time during the day.



I headed out to the “weekend market” (a.k.a. Chatuchak or Jatujak) – this market is so big that there’s a map of it...



You can find anything in this market. Really, anything... clothes, food, dogs, fish, alligators... anything...



After roaming the market for a while I was on my way to a different part of the city when I was stopped by policemen and soldiers. When one of them approached me I was already imagining the headlines in ynet but it turned out all he wanted was to give me the flags of Thailand and France – it appears Jacques Chirac was on a presidential visit to Thailand and his motorcade was about to go through the avenue I was trying to cross. The street was lined with Thai’s holding the two countries’ flags. I was trying to decide how to take a picture of the whole thing when one of the Thai women in the crowd noticed me and started laughing. I wanted her to turn back around but she talked to her friends and they all looked back and started laughing – there was no getting out of it now – a group photo of flag waving Thai’s was the inevitable result :)



I finally made my way back to the hotel and checked out. I still had several hours before my flight so I went to several air-conditioned sites in the city. When I finally arrived at the airport I wasn’t very surprised to find out that my flight back home was to depart from gate number... you guessed it – 56...

Wat are you talking about?

I’m back! Had a couple of very…. interesting days in Bangkok. After I finished my business stuff I had to change hotels. There was a whole mix-up with the hotels so I ended up being upgraded to a business suite. Ahh, the good life :)



After settling in I headed out to see the temples of Bangkok. This city is full of contradictions. There are road everywhere, going in every imaginable direction. On top of that you have elevated highways and a sky-train. In the midst of it all you can find some canals which used to be the main transportation means in the city. There are people everywhere, and lots of smells and noises.
And then you go into a temple (Wat).
Here everything is quiet, and the outside mayhem is all but forgotten.
If I could just get rid of those pesky tourists… The settings are amazing; it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Gleaming spires and golden statues are everywhere and unlike the Christian equivalents it feels respectful, rather than awe-inspiring.
The one thing I did notice is the inexplicable lack of benches! The place is steaming hot (90% humidity when I was there) and there aren’t enough places to sit down. Usually I’d just sit my behind on the floor but in a temple it didn’t quite feel right.



At this specific temple (Wat Poh) they have a huge (and I mean huge) Buddha – it’s like 30 meters long. But for me, that wasn’t the interesting part. At the back I found a little school. I just happened to be there when there was a Thai boxing lesson.



After a long (and hot!) day I went back to the hotel. I was relaxing on the sofa when the sky behind me erupted with fireworks. I could see the launch boat just beneath me in the river and the fireworks were exploding right out my window… I couldn’t make up my mind – get the camera or stay and watch – oh, what a dilemma!



There’s more to tell here but I still haven’t developed the photos, so you’ll just have to wait.

One night in Bangkok

Ok boys and girls - no one's been posting here. You people suck! ;)
I'm now in Bangkok but I only arrived today so I still don't have much to say - hold on to your pants.