Saturday in Bangkok: Grand Palace, Thai Massage and dealing with the heat...phew :)

Susanne back at the keyboard:
it is 6:27 a.m. on a Sunday morning and the morning sun is brightly shining in the window without curtains. The beds are pretty hard and we are not used to any time changes yet, so we have little choice but to be wide awake and doing computer stuff and packing a bit before breakfast. We are going to try to squeeze another Thai massage in before heading off to the airport to catch our one-hour flight to Cambodia. We are all looking forward to breakfast already which is awesome at the hostel here. Thick toast which comes with a good jam. Instant coffee (whatever works), then there is a rice dish with corn, some kind of cold noodle dish, small bananas, and a fruit which is a bit like kiwi, but has a shell with white fruit on the inside and what looks like poppy seeds in it. Yum.

Yesterday was another hot day in Bangkok. the 6 of us headed to the Grand Palace which brought some `dress code considerations` like covered shoulders, shoes and covered knees. We took our TukTuk`s over which are really cheap and a neat way to see the city and starting walking around in the heat. We took a lot of pics of the amazing temples, Buddhas, ornamental roofs, gold covered roofs and statues. Bonsai and other trees were paid out on spectacular grounds. It is well worth the trip.

The afternoon Michelle, Chelsea and myself took a TukTuk tour of some more famous places and, as a way to get tourists to certain businesses, the cheap TukTuk price also meant that we had to stop a visit a few jewelry places and fabric places where you could get tailored suits made. As soon as we would enter one of these places, we would have a flock of people around us. In one jewelry place, Michelle and I could not help but have the giggles as we literally had a flock of women follow us through the store. Wherever we went, they also turned the corners around various shelves or counters. Neat idea, though,if the TukTuk drivers take you to these places, they get Esso gas. they must also get a kick back on the purchases as Chelsea made a purchase and had to tell him how much she maid for something and he disappeared for a while. He was a nice guy, though, and for about 40 Baht, the couple of hours did not cost more than about $1.50 for the three of us.

After getting back, we took our now habitual afternoon nap. The sun takes all energy right out of you. It is likely mid 30`s with a humidity factor about about 2000% :)
...it is sticky and the sun and warm air stifling. We had heard from Nancy about a massage she got the day before, so that Kevin and the three of us walked up the street from the hotel to a massage place at suppertime. One hour of a Thai massage was 160 Baht, or just over $5. what an experience. You had to lie down on a mattress, put on what seemed like hospital PJ`s and get changed on the mattress with only flimsy curtains separating our mattresses from one another. A few of us put the pants on backwards by mistake, and even though a giggle and some pointing caused a couple of us to realize our mistake and change the front to back, Michelle`s masseuse decided just to pull them off her. ok :) So then you lie down with your PJ`s on and wait for whatever will happen next. The person giving you a massage basically then is on the mattress with you and works from toe to head around you, using elbows, feet, hands...whatever worked to systematically work through the various muscle groups. As much as we were likely all a bit nervous about exactly what would happen next, it was awesome! we all loved it. The curtains were open to one another, so that it was not a private kind of affair and after Chelsea finally stopped giggling on another mattress in our ``line of mattresses``, you could actually get into a relaxed mind frame. Cold tea followed as a thanks to us and we were on our way back for showers as there was some kind of oil and tiger balm used. Needless to say, it was an experience.

Dinner was in the same area again. Various stir fry dishes, my beloved squid with a salad and a few cold Chang beers which we are starting to really get a liking for. The night was topped off by another visit to the night market where most picked up a few cheap things. Hundreds of little stands and stores catering to the tourists here. And there are tons. Hostels everywhere, more taxis than regular vehicles (not yellow like NY, but many pink and orange ones), tons of restaurants, internet cafes, massage places and other places catering to Westerners. Busy, busy city!

Helen flew in last night from Edmonton, so she is also traveling with us to Phnom Penh today, our little convoy is up to 7 and we will meet the rest of the team later today. Exciting! :)