A very hotday today as we spent the morning having a long tail boat ride through the klongs (Bangkok has over 1500 of these canals. We stopped by a temple to feed the catfish.It was like jaws with all the fish thrashing about to get their share. It is supposed to bring you luck. A dead fish floated by and our guide said that the monitor lizards that live hear eat them up. We saw one lying against a tree,very camouflaged so difficult to spot.We moored up to visit the reclining Buddha in Wat Po.a large royal temple with wonderful frescoes telling various Buddhist stories. As usual there were loads of other Buddhas to see. For lunch we had a green chicken curry and a cold beer to set us up for visiting the Grand Palace. An extraordinary collection of temples,throne rooms and mausoleums all decorated in gold or porcelain tiles and semi precious stones that shone in the hot sun. In one hall a small jade Buddha has pride of place atop a pile of golden statues and offertory artefacts. It is known as the emerald Buddha due to a mistaken identification centuries ago and to Thai people it is the most revered one in the country. A hectic taxi drive through the chaotic traffic and one way system brought us back to our hotel for a quick shower before boarding the overnight sleeper to Chiangmai Mai,a 14 hour journey. A far better experience than the Indian sleeper train with a restaurant service delivering a curry to your compartment.