Day 1 Our first sightseeing tour! We got up really early ( still feeling the effects of the jetlag & the thai lager!) Danny came to get us in his nice airconditioned people carrier and we were off! First stop was the river, where we got on a long tail boat and went for a nice cruise up along the main stretch (saw the big famous hotels) and then down the smaller side canals where we saw all the little shanty type houses all crammed next to each other, washing hanging out and kids swimming and playing about in the water! Then we went to the temple of dawn - which is huge temple all decorated in pottery, also saw where the monks live and study - extremely hot by this point and in dia need of some water! Then it was on to the temple of the emerald buddha and the grand palace - these were both totally amazing - more bling than you could shake a stick at! They really are beautifully decorated, lots of mirrored and coloured tiles. Apart from the temple where the buddha ashes are as this is completely covered in gold! Jody liked it so much, she managed to bring half of it back with her! The emerald buddha was wearing his summer attire (his clothes change with the seasons, there are three in all) Which is nice for him as when we went into the temple to see him we had to have legs, arms and shoulders completely covered! Sweating like a pig doesn't even come close! As soon as you enter the temple you must lower and sit down as a sign of respect, the buddha is regarded as lucky and can make your wishes come true, so therefore we all made our own little wishes to him! On the way out we also sprinkled ourselves with the holy water with a lovely flower, also a sign of good luck and happiness. Then it was on to the grand palace where the thai royal family live. We got to see the changing of the guard and the lovely buildings and gardens. By this time we were all in need sleep, water and more water! So we called it a day and went back to the hotel via the train station to pick our tickets up for monday and went for a little afternoon nap! Later that evening we went to look at the night market and a pizza! Then it was on to our 'local' Gullivers for the footie and nice cold singha!