Sorry that I was so short in my last update, the clock was ticking and I was trying to beat it. Well, I think that I pretty much covered the fact that I love Bangkok! It is such a wonderful city. It is a strange combination of beauty and ugly. The area is so pour but the people are wonderful. The pollution is bad but the streets are clean. The streets are loud and busy with the worst traffic I have ever seen, but the atmosphere is so exciting. You have to be careful of contaminated food and water, but the safe stuff is so yummy! I had a fantastic evening yesterday after I left my Thai massage. Katelyn and I walked through some of the city markets and practiced our bargining skills. I am not really good, but I feel that by the end of this trip I will be much better. We met our group last night and discussed our trip for the next month. We all had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. Then we all got pulled up on stage to sing karaoke. It was hillarious, we sang "Eye of the Tiger" to a room full of Thai people. They clapped along and laughed at us for the rest of the evening. Then we spent the rest of the evening drinking some beers and just hanging out in order to get to know each other. Today was another wonderful day. We began the day by taking a boat ride up the Chao Phraya River. The ride was pretty thrilling because the water was so rough. We passed some really poor areas along the way. It was a real eye opener. We had a guide who explained the buildings and areas that we saw. Then we went to Wat Pho. This is the site of one of the most famous Thai buddas. The Budda was covered in gold and was 46 meters long! Words can not describe it. The other budda at this temple was a more spiritual one. We saw the temple grounds and all of the tombs. Everything was covered in beautiful porcelin. Then we split up but a few of us went with our guide to the Grand Palace temples. Tomorrow is the King's 60th year since his accession, so there is a huge celebration happening in Bangkok. The entire city has been getting ready. We were lucky to be here this week to see the flowers, banners, shirts, flags, etc. going up for the king. Also, the attractions had free admission all day. So we were able to see the most sacred Temple of the Emerald Budda for free. The temples were even more amazing than the others. The king had the one for the Emerald Budda built in just two years. Surrounding the temples was a paining on the wall that depicted how the Rama became king. It takes two hours to see the entire thing. The Emerald Budda is made from one large jade stone. The stone was covered in plaster for protection for hundreds of years, then one day it was cracked by lightning and they found the jade underneath. They never knew it was there. The guide gave us a load of information about the previous Thai kings, the customs, Buddas, the religion, and the buildings. I found all of it so fascinating! Their religion is quite different. We headed out for another great Thai meal near the Grand Palace, getting bothered by every street vendor along the way. Later David and I got picked up by a driver and went to see my clothes that I ordered. Everything was so beautiful. I had some adjustments made and then I have to pick it all up when I return to Bangkok in July. We are leaving later today to head north. I can't wait. Hopefully, I will be able to update ya'll with pictures and stuff, but I am not sure how the technology will be as we get away from the city. So, till next time...