images of Bangkok.

from top to bottom:
1) all the buddhas in a row at Wat Mahathat. It's a working temple and I arrived there first thing in the morning... the only westerner in sight. The female monks in their white robes welcomed me into the grounds... smiling and telling me to look around all I wanted. I peered in the door of the room housing the big golden buddha, as a monk sat on the floor practising her yoga stretches and grinned at me saying, "it's ok. please come in. you can take photo!". I took my shoes off and wandered into another building, where an elderly monk came up to me and gestured for me to take a seat and join everyone there. He was so friendly looking, and it took me a few seconds to realise that it was a room for buddhist teachings and services. Also didn't realise that the nice monk who smiled so widely at me and led me to my seat was clearly some very revered monk there as everyone ducked as they walked past him, so that they would be lower. And he wandered around chatting to people as they sat there praying and listening to the teachings that I couldn't understand because they were all spoken in Thai (obviously). It was so unbelieveably welcoming and peaceful. Not to get too new-agey but the vibe in that place was amazing...

2) Khao San road. It's crowded. It has a McDonalds, a Starbucks, and a Boots chemist. *shakes head*. Well I guess you kind of have to see it, since it is such an iconic road... but really after having been so immersed in Thai culture on my own wanderings I found it kind of tacky and not that nice. Full of european and aussie tourists sitting in bars watching tv and looking 'cool'. Hmm. The photo captured the chaos well though...

3) a monk stands and waits for the Chao Phraya ferry at Banglamphu. I was jumping (literally) on and off ferries all day once I worked out that it was the cheapest way to get around and see the place. The ferry piers in the old part of town are such interesting places anyway.... I liked just sitting down there and waiting for half an hour, just taking it all in. What you can't see in the photo is that the monsoon season rains are rolling in behind the ferry and about 5 seconds after this photo was taken, it started to POUR. I hopped on and decided to see if it would take me home, but the rain started lashing in sideways as the ferry lurched down the river and I was completely drenched for the 2nd day in a row by the time I got there. The monks were all toasty dry on their side of the ferry in the special 'monk reserved' area. Divine intervention perhaps?? At least it wasn't as bad as the day before when a busload of Thais actually leaned out of their windows pointing and laughing at me as I squelched down the road at Tha Tien after the rains stopped as abruptly as they started and I was left looking like I'd dived in a pool with all my clothes on. It was, as I am prone to say... a movie moment...

3) The HUGE golden reclining buddha at Wat Pho. I mean HUUUUUUGE. It is seriously awe-inspiring.

there are more photos to come. But I kind of like doing them in small bits. Noone likes a long night of 'images from holiday'!