Writing as of today, in 2006, I was twelve or thirteen or something or rather when I was last in Bangkok. It was a trip to indulge our senses in touristy activities such as sightseeing, discovering our Buddhists roots, and getting conned by Thai tourist masterminds into going to a seedy jewelry store in an even more seedy alleyway in the quiet guts of bustling Bangkok. We visited The Grand Palace, the most important landmark in Bangkok and probably the most visited tourist hotspot. In the same compound is the magnificent Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand's most sacred Buddhist temple which houses the Emerald Buddha - a statue of the Buddha carved out of a solid block of pure jade. The Emerald Buddha is also clad in outfits made of pure gold that is changed three times a year by the King of Thailand. I can't quite describe the overwhelming feeling and sense of belonging as I kneeled and bowed my head down in front of the Emerald Buddha. Having grown up in a Buddhist (but not incredibly religious) family and with minimal temple visits, there is something most divine about paying your respect to a 'materialised' Buddha, and one that is so sacred to so many people. My visit to The Grand Palace was rather out of the ordinary. I wore a pair of fairly short shorts, not totally short short, but it was above my knee. This was not allowed in the grounds of the palace as it was seen as disrespectful. I had to purchase a sarong! And thankfully I wasn't wearing a singlet top either because then I would have to buy a T-Shirt to wear on top of it. So guys, a heads up, no revealing clothes because it's seen as disrespectful. Also, it's also advised to generally not wear revealing clothes in South East Asia. The (wo)men are taunting. Another place of worship we visited was the Four Faced Buddha at the Erawan Shrine. This is not so much of a tourist spot, but one that many locals come to pray and pay respect. It is so holy that you find many Thais bowing their heads in the direction of the Buddha when they are across the street. My parents truly believe in the powers of the Four Faced Buddha and say that their prayers have been answered countless times every time they visited there. It is said to be a ritual that if your prayers are answered, you must go back to pay your respects in gratitude. I assumed that's why we were there. Whilst hanging around and checking out the scene, a 'doctor' approached my father and asked where we were from. There was lively banter for about ten minutes as we thought he was a nice fella. We were about to go shopping at a mall just opposite Erawan after finishing up but he suggested that the place was far too expensive and that we should go somewhere else. He told us that this 'somewhere else' had everything we were after and half price. Sounded cool. So we left and said good bye. We crossed the street and some man was being utterly friendly and helping us cross. He told us that he was a policeman off duty for the day. He asked us where we were heading and we said this shopping centre some guy was telling us about. Immediately he recognised what it was and said "Oh that place is great! Let me help you get there!" He hailed a Tuk Tuk for us and made a deal that we only had to pay 4 Baht for the trip. 4 Baht! That's like... 12 cents Aussie. The rest of the trip was fairly secular - checking out busy markets, the floating market, street markets, markets in general. In fact, we visited so many markets that I didn't think departmental stores or air conditioned spaces even existed. The markets, as interesting as they are, are incredibly exhausting. And as a 13 year old being dragged around busy, humid, and sweaty areas... you don't tend to appreciate things too much.