Our last full day in Bangkok, and it was packed full of adventures. It is a little hotter here than in the north, but it is the humidity that really makes it sticky hot. I've stopped checking the temperatures, but I think that it was around 100. We started early and did a tour of Chinatown. After walking down a market street and past the goldsmiths' shops, we visited the temple of the three friends where the 5 1/2 ton gold Buddha is located. Some years ago there was a very old, small temple in old Bangkok that contained a large but ugly cement Buddha. The land was sold to the government and the temple relocated to a suburban location. However, they didn't take the ugly Buddha and notified the government that it would be left behind. About that time a new temple was being built in Chinatown, and the builders told the government that they would take the old statue. It was transported by truck and lifted by a rope around its neck. When it arrived at the new temple it was left hanging overnight. Some time during the night, the rope broke and the statue fell and broke. Everyone was very surprised to discover that under the cement shell was an 18 carat gold Buddha. I'm not sure the story is true, but it is a charming tale that reminds us that we need to look beneath the surface of things to find real worth.

Next, we walked through a Chinese market . In addition to the usual fruits and vegetables, and exotic foods, there was an entire section selling things for temple offerings. We stopped at one of the stalls selling paper things to be sent to your ancestors. There were shirts, shoes, cell phones, money, jewelry, gold bars, cars, motorcycles, entire houses, and everything else you can imagine, all made out of paper. Panu bought some things to send to his father and grandmother and invited us to make our own purchases. I asked if they had six-packs of beer, because I can't think of anything that John would enjoy more. Despite the wide variety of goods, there was no beer, so I bought a package of 6 gold bars, so he could buy what he needed. We also bought a bag of real tangerines to use as an offering, and then left the market to visit another temple. This one was founded to provide food and shelter to poor chinese immigrants who came to Thailand after the 2nd World War. As the chinese community grew and prospered, so did the temple, but its mission is still to provide for the poor . It sponsors a school and a hospital and regularly gives rice to the hungry. The group made a $100 donation for rice and received a certificate. Then we crossed the street and made our offerings.  
 
Our third temple was Wat Pho, the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. The temple was founded more than 200 years ago, but was largely rebuilt by Rama I when he moved the Capitol to Bangkok. The temple is home to more than 1000 images of the Buddha, but the most spectacular is the gold plated Reclining Buddha. It is more than 45 meters long and 15 meters high, and represents the Buddha entering Nirvana. Because of it almost fills the bot or chapel where it is located and is surrounded by pillars supporting the roof, it was impossible to get a photo of the entire image. So I have shots of the head and the feet, and of most of the body. Because the Buddha is reclining, its feet are in full view. To the Thais it is considered disrespectful to show the soles of the feet, so the Buddha's feet are decorated with mother of pearl inlaid designs reflecting the 108 aspects of the Buddha . In this chapel, you could purchase a small bowl containing 108 small coins, and then drop a coin in each of 108 large containers. Making this offering, is meant to drive away bad luck and encourage good luck. Since I am never one to pass up an opportunity for good luck, I bought the coins, and wishing for good health and a safe journey, I proceeded to drop the coins in the large bowls.  
 
Outside the bot are beautiful gardens filled with carvings and statues. One area contained a number of small stone figures in various yoga poses. Originally they were accompanied by engraved writing explaining the benefits of each pose. Unfortunately, those writings have disappeared, but some of the poses were familiar.

We had one final stop, on our City Tour-- Jim Thompson's House. Jim Thompson was an American architect who fought in WW II, and then settled in Bangkok. His house is a collection of classic Thai teak houses that have been combined to create a beautiful complex blending traditional architecture with some western touches . Thompson is considered the father of the modern Thai Silk industry, and founded a company where traditional silks were woven in his original designs and then introduced to the world market. In 1963, Jim Thompson traveled to Malaysia with friends for a vacation. While the rest of the party was resting he went for a walk in the jungle. He disappeared completely, and no sign of him as ever been found. Whether he was the victim of local animals or humans or chose to disappear for his own reasons remains a mystery. The visit to the house was especially interesting to our group since Jim and Lila lived in Bangkok in the early 1960s and had been to dinner in his home. Unfortunately, Jim was not feeling well, so we didn't have the advantage of his memories of the place during our tour.

On the way back to the hotel, I had to make a stop at the MBK shopping mall to buy another suitcase. With 8 floors of department stores, small shops, food courts and grocery stores, it is an important tourist destination in its own right . It didn't take long for me to find a bag and bargain for a good price. Now, I can leave all of my purchases in the Bangkok hotel until I return from Cambodia.  

 The shopping center stop also let me try one more type of transportation, because we took the Sky Train. Bangkok's rapid transit system is a faster and cheaper way of crossing the city than fighting street traffic. Our ride took about 5 minutes and cost 20 bakht (about 60 cents). The ticketing process and the fare gates are similar to those on the Metro, but actually buying the fare cards was easier. You punch in where you want to go, and it tells you the cost, then you insert coins and get your ticket. The cars themselves are large and clean and it was a interesting experience. The stop closest to the hotel meant that we walked back on the street where the Night Market is held. At 4 pm, the street is closed to traffic and the merchants begin to set up their stalls. By 7 pm they are open for business and the surrounding girlie bars are beginning to attract customers. We had already walked through the area at night and it was interesting to witness the transformation.

Our final event of the day was the farewell dinner. It was held on a rice barge on the river. The weather was pleasant, and I almost saw a sunset. After two previous trips on the river, I could actually recognize some of the places we passed, The Royal Palace and Wat Arun were beautiful with their night lighting. In the last 15 days a group of strangers had become friends, and it was a little sad to say goodbye to Panu and the 6 that are returning to the States tomorrow. However, the rest of us are looking forward to new adventures in Cambodia