BANGKOK Monday, April 13th

Monday, April 13th, day two in Bangkok

Our guide met us in the lobby of our hotel this morning and wanted to talk with us about the current political situation. She recommended that we skip going to one of the Temples as it was too close to the protests, however, she did not feel that it was too dangerous to go out for the morning, insuring us that the driver would keep us safe and away from the danger. She also recommended that we only go with her for the morning tour and to return to the hotel for the afternoon. I must admit, that I am getting a little nervous about the situation here even though we have not seen any problems, just what we see on TV and read in the paper each day.

Our morning was uneventful. We visited the Temple of the Golden Budda but we were unable to see the actual one. This Budda is made of 5 tons of gold and has been moved to the new Temple which is not yet opened. She gave us some history of the Temples both old and new and we were able to visit each of the buildings of the old Temple and just view the new one from the outside. The streets are practically empty of traffic due both to the three day New Year celebration and also because of the political unrest. Our driver had to go a long way to avoid being in unsafe areas near the Government Center. Since we couldn't go to the next Temple which was on our itinerary, we were taken to a wholesale Flower Market which was extremely interesting. This market had the most amazing flowers, from beautiful orchids to marigolds and roses. There were huge piles of flower petals which are strung for use as decorations or floated in pools of water at hotels, restaurants, etc. Another section of this market was filled with amazing fruits and vegetables. Another area had many stalls selling skewers of chicken, pork, shrimp and beef and woks filled with pad thai, different rice dishes, etc. All looked wonderful and smelled fantastic but we had been warned about eating street food, so we had to pass on it and settle for a purchase of bottled water. It is in the 90s and I am very glad that I brought a little battery operated fan with me. Our guide carries an umbrella to keep me, not Lenny, out of the sun. Our' big purchase so far has been two Thai outfits for Hannah and Mariah's Barbies.