Wednesday Jan 14

Well, nothing is perfect, and today was that day. I signed up for a 6 hour tour of "The Floating Market" of Bangkok. It included a dragon tail boat ride, which I had read about.

I visualized floating gardens as in Mexico City, or Vietnam. Nothing of the sorts. First it took 2 hours to get there, by minibus. Not my idea of a Bangkok attraction. We did get a 20 minute boat ride. They are called dragon tail boats, because the shaft that is attached to the propeller is 6 feet long. The boats are narrow, only two seats, but long.

This took us to the market, which doesn't float, and is right beside the parking lot for the buses. The boat ride is unnecessary, except for the experience.

The market is nothing but tourist trap stores, along a canal. For an extra fee you can have a local paddle you up and down the canal. There are vendors in some of the boats selling food and fruits, and souvenirs.

I doubt the authenticity of the wares. They were selling what looked like 4 ounces of saffron for 4 dollars. That would be the bargain of bargains if it were real saffron. I doubt it.

We had a couple of hours to walk around, and then another 2 hour bus ride back.

The only saving grace was the cost, about 8 dollars. I don't know how they make a profit.

My body is starting to adjust to everything. I had my first full meal, a nice Pad Thai for lunch, off a street vendor for a dollar. When I make Pad Thai it is quite an operation. This lady had it all done in a few minutes. Tasted good though.

One of the interesting things about Thailand is its government. Theoretically it is a democracy, but there have been several coups, and uprisings. The army plays a large role, behind the scenes.

The constant throughout has been King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He is truly beloved by the people and has been a steadying force throughout all the problems. He has reigned since 1946, and is the longest reigning monarch in the world. Even beats Queen Elizabeth.

You can't go very far in Bangkok without seeing some image of the Royal family. Down the main road there is a series of huge pictures of the King showing him at various stages of his life. They are about 50 m apart, and there are about a dozen. Most temples have shrines dedicated to him. There is a small shrine in my hotel lobby.

It is against the law to criticize or ridicule the king. Thais can get up to 7 years in jail, and foreigners are on the next plane out. They take things seriously.

Another example is the story of "The King and I". Thais are so upset about how their King is portrayed that neither the book nor the movie has ever reached the public here. Both are banned.

I have enclosed some photos from my trip today, and also one of the shrines, dedicated to King Bhumibol, along the street.