Although I woke at around 8am I had so many photos and so much blog to catch up on that it wasn't until 1pm before I was finished and ready to try and find an internet cafe nearby where I could could my laptop to send my mails.
There was a show in town that I was interested in going to see, as they say that it has the largest stage and number of performers in the world, but when I tried to book the tickets online you can only book a minimum of five days in advance. I am not sure if you can arrive at the gates or phone up and try to get in on the same day but it is quite far out from my hotel and for around 2,000 baht it is something that I must be sure I want to do before booking it.
From my last couple of days touring I still have yet to see Wat Pho, where the most famous of Thai massage schools is based and also the worlds largest reclining buddha, Wat Srakes and the Golden Mound and also to experience some Thai Kick Boxing.
Being already early afternoon I set out to visit Wat Pho first as the other two places of interest to me today were nearby and also the kick boxing would not start until around 6pm.
The walk there took me past some of the major attractions and I was glad that I had my fan with me as I could use it to shield me from not only the sun but also the taxi and tuk tuk drivers who were waiting eagerly to ensnare a fare.
Arriving at Wat Pho I was surprised that it was only 50 baht entrance if you wanted to see the reclining buddha, which is worth a look if it is a quiet time of day but as the pillars are so thick that surround it there are only really two locations in the entire hall that give even a half decent view and so of course those places were crammed with tourists all trying to get photos and often they were very pushy about it.
Outside of the central temple it was much easier to get a photo and I found myself wandering from one inner courtyard to another with hardly another person in sight, so the only tricky part was finding the best vantage point out of the sun and although I didn't mean to I must have spend an hour just wandering around enjoying the peace, tranquility and timeless beauty that was Wat Pho in Thailands February hot sun.
As I have always been a fan of massages I decided that here would be an ideal place to get a genuine massage, but when I got to the room I found that all the flat beds were already taken and booked in advance so I could either wait, have a foot massage or come back another day. At 360 for a 45 minute foot massage, it wasn't the cheapest I had seen but then it wasnt the most expensive either and so I chose to have a foot massage and further destress from the hussle and bustle of bankok with its tuk tuks, taxi drivers and dodgy temple guides.
The technique they employ here was certainly different from any other place I have been to and with their calm and praticed ceremonies I felt that in future I would probably be able to tell instantly if a so called masseuse qualified from the Wat Pho school was indeed bona fide or just gambling on the fact that very few people in the world could tell the difference.
Apparently you can also have a massage outside surrounded by the temple walls and statues but in this heat and humidity I happily chose the air conditioned option as did a whole room full of other tourists, maybe because it was cheaper or maybe they too were escaping the temperature.
From there I knew that it was a short tuk tuk or taxi drive across to the Golden Mount, so after sharing one with S' and her busband yesterday I felt confident enough to haggle for 50 baht with the tuk tuk driver to take me there, only for him to agree right away and sped off with me in the back, meaning no doubt that my offer was too high and I should have come in at a lower bid to start with.
By around 5pm the traffic in Bangkok centre starts to get a bit chaotic again and so my tuk tuk driver was weaving in and out lanes and revving the hell out of his mount like it was a kawasaka racer and not a three wheeled passenger vehicle, but even this didnt prevent us getting caught up a few times when the few traffic lights that the city does have all seemed to be stacked against us.
When we arrived I realised why he was in a bit of extra hurry as the entrance was only open to the public til 5:30 and so if he got me there too late then I might well have refused to pay or demand to be taking somewhere else, neither of which would be good news for him.
The walk up to the top of the mount was pretty scenic but it was the view from the top rather than its own image that really makes this temple special for me, as it had a glorious view overlooking miles around in every direction. Being so close to closing time I managed to wander around for a few minutes without anyone asking me to pay a entrance fee for the very top, so I just took some photos and then slowly walked back down again.
I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do next, as it was just that awkward time for a tourist where its too late to get in the day trip tourist attractoins but its too early to think about food or night clubbing and all the cities cinemas are closed for renovations in the quiet period. I wandered around for a few minutes in a sort of loop til I thought that I would wait for something to grab my interest and when it happened I was glad that it did as it was a sign for the Thai Kick Boxing stadium just a few minutes walk down the road.
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