The Big Mango

Sweaty, hustling, modern, flowering Bangkok. Feels like a non-descript Asian city, posters of cheese smiles, weird blobby characters. Advertisements for whitening skin cream, lemongrass fizzy drinks and computers that roll up to be carried like a yoga mat, the city doesn't scream Thai, until the Grand palace.

The Grand Palace was the Palace of King Rama 1 to 3. The most opulent buildings, an entire gold mosaic building, ones with evil monster men made out of colored mirrors, the emerald budahh sitting high. Praying chicken women and delicate flowers. It was overwhelming, we were glad to have a tour guide, although our time was too short. I could have spent at least 4 hours. We had 1.

The next temple we saw was the reclining Buddha, durian head Buddha. From elbow to head, as tall as the entire temple. The whole time with little metal dinging noises, a sort of calming or sound. As you walk along the front of the Buddha, he is intterupted by ceiling to floor pillars. Golden with long legs. The toes are inlaid mother of pearl, whorl prints. When you get to the other side you can see where the metally tintibulations are coming from, little mettal orbed pots hanging in rows that you walk along and put a 1bh coin into. The sound is incredible. The reclining Buddha site is also home to the first ever school in Bangkok to teach massage. There are drawings of people and pressure points all around.