Thailand- part 5

My last day was a whirlwind tour through the city of Bangkok. We arrived on the sleeper train just after breakfast and were both flying out that night, so we decided to rent a cab for the day to share and see as much as we could in the time we had. We ended up seeing quite a bit I think. We made it to a couple of the big temples there in Bangkok- Wat Arun and Wat Po- we saw the largest reclining Buddha in the world along with many other smaller Buddhas, climbed the stairs to the top of one of the temples to look out over the city, and dropped our 108 coins into the 108 receptacles to mark all the kinds of suffering one must overcome to attain enlightenment in Buddhist belief. The temples were gorgeous. Some richly decorated with gilded Buddhas and detailed artwork, others decorated with broken bits of table china artfully arranged into various mosaics and friezes but equally beautiful in its own right. I could have stayed much longer in Bangkok if only to see all the temples there. We also made it down to one of the floating markets where vendors line up along the canal selling goods and cooking snacks and meals all from inside their little boats. There was a program going on the day we were there so we were able to see all the local school children dressed up in costumes and homemade masks getting ready to perform for their families and neighbors. The last place we stopped was the big sprawling street market that Bangkok is famous for. We rambled through the alleyways looking for jewelry, sandals, and curry spices to bring back home with us. I was even able to find a Thai cookbook to help me learn to make all the wonderful foods I had while I was there. Now I just wish I could get fruit like that where I am now :) It was time then to head off to the airport, so we packed back into the taxi and moved on. We had a bit of time left once we got there, so we had some dinner in the airport cafeteria which was surprisingly good and then headed up to Starbucks for a quick game of dominoes and a final chat before checking in for our planes and flying back to our respective parts of Korea. A wonderful trip and one I would love to do again someday!