Bangkok -- Day 2 -- Chatuchak Market

Over continental breakfast at Asha Guest House, I met Darren from the previous night's alcohol induced (or enhanced) festivities. Darren is an intelligent, cool guy of 24 years old from Calgary, Canada and just out of school. He had/has a more adventurous backpacking plan than mine, his lasting roughly 4 months. I envy him. This was Sunday and the best thing to do was to visit Chatuchak weekend market, probably the largest flea market in the world. So off we went. We took the Skytrain to Mo Chit station, alighted and saw hundreds of stores all close together selling things that you normally see in flea markets to some that you do not expect -- live animals, mostly pets like puppies, kittens, hamsters, fishes of all sorts, turtles, various birds and so on. The cacophony was overwhelming, not to mention the immense crowds as well as the smells of food roasting, frying and everything in between. We pondered if there was a method to the madness? The short answer is, yes, there is. They have maps that clearly delineate the sections for pets, clothing for pets, antiques, clothing, food court, shoes, accessories etc. You've got to see it to believe it. If you ever run out of anything and need to find it (and of course, if you are in the Bangkok near the Mo Chit Skytrain station), you will find in Chatuchak. Great stuff!

We went to Saphan Taksin Skytrain station, boarded the ferry on the way to the Wat Pho temple, the largest Reclining Buddha statue in the world. A short while before, we walked through the fish markets along the Chao Phraya river and saw dried fish and seafood in varieties I hadn't imagined. We stopped for lunch at a fairly "upscale" restaurant, which catered to the tourists near the Grand Palace and had signs in English. I had some excellent pork satay and fried rice. Darren had pad Thai (he was new to Thai food), and we had coconut milk to go with. The price was about 70 Baht apiece. The temple was breathtaking in its size and the statue was impressive, to say the least. The reclining statue is roughly 150 feet long and completely plated in gold. At the foot of the statue are intricately carved patterns in jade. Apparently, this temple was the birthplace of Thai massage. It is the crown jewel of Buddhist temples and the Thais are justifiably proud of this enormous and ancient temple. Every Thai I met asked me if I had seen Wat Pho. Prepare to be impressed.

We took a cab see the Pasteur Institute Snake Farm near Sala Daeng Skytrain station, but were unlucky to reach it near closing time. The cab driver, Sam spoke excellent English and was a treat to talk to. His knowledge of international politics was amazing and gave a good account of the reasons for Taksin Shinawatra's coup. Of course, like every other cab driver in Bangkok, he was very eager to take us shopping and have us partake of the sex trade in Bangkok. You've got to understand that plying cabs is their vocation, but the real money is in selling the "services" to the tourists. They get a percentage of the proceeds of the "sale". That's how they roll in Bangkok!

We walked many, many kilometers along the Lumphini Park, probably one of the largest green spots in the city good enough for jogging and outdoor activities, and through Sala Daeng and further on to Chong Nonsi Skytrain station. It was too late for the tourist attractions, so we took the Skytrain back to the guest house and stopped at a local internet café for news and email. This particular café was fantastic and had leather seats and a high speed connection -- all for a paltry 15 Baht per hour. An army of Thai youngsters was busy with playing games on the internets (sic). Later on, we stopped at a pub for a few beers of Singha and tried a couple of local sausages. My advice? Avoid them. We tried some local fruits and they were fantastic. The sheer variety of fruits was overwhelming -- and the taste? Intense. Wow! We returned to the guest house for dinner and a few more beers with the house mates. Well, why not? Dinner was a spicy ground chicken curry with plenty of basil and some rice. It was finally time to hit the sack and do some reading. End of Day 2.