Second day in Bangkok and a Saturday.

Got up late and had breakfast (steve ..cut the boring rubbish out and get on with the blogging) and decided to consult the old Lonely Planet. Dont have it with me now as lost the damn thing, but recall it said go to a huge market which is only on weekends, so decided to do that. different type of sightseeing, not buildings, but people in their natural habitat..bit like a zoo really!

Getting there was real fun as it meant getting on the water bus that plys down the main river...it was exciting and reminded me very much of Venice, apart from the poeple were nice. (long story but me and family were arrested on a boat ferry in Venice for not paying the fare and taken to the police station for 3 hours!). Saw a different perspective of Bangkok from the water and got mobbed by a load of oranged clothed monks as they all piled on at one stop. I wonder if they have to pay of whether Buddha has a season ticket?

Anyhow, get down to Central, the start of the business district and looming skyscrapers and onto the Skytrain, Bangkoks overhead monorail system. Very new and very nice. Just like the London underground in as much as fully loaded, no one speaking and no one catching each others eyes.

The Market....well what can one say....I dont know how many stalsl there were but I would have guessed 3000. It was a total maze and stores were sellign everything imaginable...It seemed well organised with little rioad signs for each alley and indeed the vendors were clumped together depending on their wares, so shoes, clothes, you get the idea....It was totally mobbed....clothes areas by tourist like me trying to haggle a T short for 2 quid and then the food stalls etc mobbed by the locals buying food for the evening. It had a massive buzz about the place and was really a good tonic. Walking around seeing so many people rushing about doing business - the place was electric and alive. I only bought some cheap novels (into reading now) and some immitation shades that will most probably last 2 days before they fall apart!

Had to keep stopping to get street food and cold drinks as it was so damn hot in the market...must have been over 40...minimum.

After a few hours it was off and back the way I came. Chilled in the hotel a bit and then went out for a bite to eat. Some simple place whihc had Thai noodle dishes that were really lovely, and watched a movie. english, and then again relatively early night.

All the best everyone

Steve