We spent the morning planning and re-planning. I had initially planned to take the water route from Cambodia into Laos, but that proved to be both too time-consuming and the one border that did not offer visa at point of entry (Thailand, Vietnam, and China all have open crossing points with Laos - Cambodia, not so much). The new, improved plan was to fly from Phnom Penh to Vientiane, where visas are readily available, but that proved to be prohibitively expensive. After much hemming and hawing, we finally decided to put the water route back on the table, cut at least part of the Buddhist meditation course, and pay a visit to the Lao Embassy in Bangkok. Our taxi driver teased us for wanting to leave Bangkok before the New Year Celebrations (we planned to head into Cambodia on the 30th, but now that's changed too) and tried to convince us that the embassy would be closed. It was not, and within an hour and a half we were in possession of Lao visas. While we waited for the visas to process, we met a very nice older couple who had been born in Laos, but who now live near Denver. They were both human rights workers, traveling all over SE Asia checking up on the community development projects they were running. Their company made the wait much more pleasant, and they had good insights on where to go and stay in Laos.When we finished at the embassy, we strolled over to a nearby street market to get something to eat. This market seemed to specialise in 'meat on a stick' (called Satay in restaurants) . About $2.50 (70Bhat) got us four tasty sticks and a cold green tea from the convenience store next door. Late lunch in hand - by now it was twenty 'till four - we hailed a cab. It took a few tries to get one who would take us where we wanted to go for a fare we could agree on, but in relatively short order we were chugging through the traffic in air-con comfort. (To think, air con being a hot commodity in December!)
Soon we were back at our lovely hostel munching away in the tiny garden out front and watching the koi in our little moat. We weren't sure what to do with ourselves as it was after four, and most of the monuments we wanted to see closed between 3:30 and 5. We decided to take the sky train and river taxi combo into the monument district anyway, just to look at the places from the outside, and maybe see them with pretty lights.
The staff of the sky train and water taxi were quite friendly and helpful, and we found it very easy to get to the monuments, despite a total lack of Thai language skills. Also, the streets were very clean, quiet, and well-lit. From the guide book's description, we had expected Bangkok to be as hurly-burly and intimidating as Delhi. Perhaps we are a bit immune to hassle other foreigners get because Cz can pass as Thai - several times people have spoken to him in Thai and been surprised when he answered in English.
At the ferry terminal near the temples, there was a bustling market with all sorts of tasty foods and fruits. I finally found mangosteen, which I had been wanting to try since coming to India/SE Asia. They look like large, eggplant-coloured persimmons. Inside, the flesh is snow-white, very sweet, and sectioned like an orange. I had intended to save some for later, but wound up eating the entire half kilo while walking to the temples.
The temples were closed, and most seemed to be behind high walls with closed gates. As we wandered about, though we passed an open gate, and I stepped in and paused, not sure if we were allowed to be there. The sign on the wall clearly stated "temple hours 8:30-16:00", and it was well past '16:00'. A friendly guard saw me standing there looking uncertain, waved us in and invited us to look around. It was completely silent, and completely empty except for a few 
conservationists doing restoration work, and loads of slinky cats. The photos don't do it justice. Anything yellow in the pictures was in fact, glittering gold. Behind the silent, white pillars (which also had their share of inlay), coloured glass, gold bits, mirrors, and ceramic all competed for space in shimmering murals. Even the undersides of the porch eaves were painted red with gold leaf flowers. A team of gold Buddhas watched over the complex from their niches along the outer wall. The dark night, glittering buildings, and immense silence in the middle of the bustling city truly made the experience feel almost magical.
When we had tired ourselves out in the temples, we strolled back to the river. Logic seemed to say that if the water taxi going upriver was on this side, then the water taxi going downriver would be on the other. Logic didn't have a chance, as the water taxi had stopped running almost an hour ago. At a loss as to how to get home, and now on the worng side of the river, I asked the ticket lady for the cross-river ferry (still running) how to get there. Ticket Lady told us to go back to the other side and catch bus 1. all well and good, except we had no idea where to catch said bus. On the ferry, I asked the ticket taker if the ferry would drop us near the bus stop for bus one. Not only did he confirm that the ferry would drop us near there, he talked another passenger who was going that way, so we would have an escort. That passenger helped us ask a food vendor and two of his customers where to find bus 1. The vendor pointed us in the right direction, and when the bus arrived, the conductor looked at our map, and made sure that we got off at the right place to catch the sky train home. It was a roundabout way home - the water taxi is the most direct route - but a great introduction to the friendly helpfulness of the Thai.
At the ferry terminal near the temples, there was a bustling market with all sorts of tasty foods and fruits. I finally found mangosteen, which I had been wanting to try since coming to India/SE Asia. They look like large, eggplant-coloured persimmons. Inside, the flesh is snow-white, very sweet, and sectioned like an orange. I had intended to save some for later, but wound up eating the entire half kilo while walking to the temples.
The temples were closed, and most seemed to be behind high walls with closed gates. As we wandered about, though we passed an open gate, and I stepped in and paused, not sure if we were allowed to be there. The sign on the wall clearly stated "temple hours 8:30-16:00", and it was well past '16:00'. A friendly guard saw me standing there looking uncertain, waved us in and invited us to look around. It was completely silent, and completely empty except for a few 
conservationists doing restoration work, and loads of slinky cats. The photos don't do it justice. Anything yellow in the pictures was in fact, glittering gold. Behind the silent, white pillars (which also had their share of inlay), coloured glass, gold bits, mirrors, and ceramic all competed for space in shimmering murals. Even the undersides of the porch eaves were painted red with gold leaf flowers. A team of gold Buddhas watched over the complex from their niches along the outer wall. The dark night, glittering buildings, and immense silence in the middle of the bustling city truly made the experience feel almost magical.
When we had tired ourselves out in the temples, we strolled back to the river. Logic seemed to say that if the water taxi going upriver was on this side, then the water taxi going downriver would be on the other. Logic didn't have a chance, as the water taxi had stopped running almost an hour ago. At a loss as to how to get home, and now on the worng side of the river, I asked the ticket lady for the cross-river ferry (still running) how to get there. Ticket Lady told us to go back to the other side and catch bus 1. all well and good, except we had no idea where to catch said bus. On the ferry, I asked the ticket taker if the ferry would drop us near the bus stop for bus one. Not only did he confirm that the ferry would drop us near there, he talked another passenger who was going that way, so we would have an escort. That passenger helped us ask a food vendor and two of his customers where to find bus 1. The vendor pointed us in the right direction, and when the bus arrived, the conductor looked at our map, and made sure that we got off at the right place to catch the sky train home. It was a roundabout way home - the water taxi is the most direct route - but a great introduction to the friendly helpfulness of the Thai.
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