On the second day, Bhudha relaxed

Well, it turns out that most of the people on my tour were hungover. But for those that weren't we were on our way to a boat ride to the Royal Temple.

From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok

But before the Royal Temple we stopped in to see our old friend the Great Reclining Bhudha. It's fantastic, and although not the biggest Bhudhas i've ever seen it is probably the most beautiful.

From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok

Even the feet are carved in with encryptions, of which i am sure each have important meaning.

Nextdoor to the temple housing the reclining bhudha was another overlooked series of temples that were made from parts of Chinese Vases that were damaged on their way from China. They thought that they were so nice that they needed to be preserved, so part of the temple they became.

From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok

Next up we headed across the road to the Royal Palace. We were told again that the temple was closed and that we should get on a tuk tuk but i knew better. Okay i might have said to everyone that there is a possibility that the temple would be closed and that "that guy had no reason to lie to us"... but yeah.. I DID figure it out when i saw the Palace was well open.

The palace itself was pretty cool, and big.

From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok

But the best parts were the golden temples nearby. They were so ornate. Each one is covered in gold and delicate pieces of mirror. The phrase "Tone it down" doesn't occur in Thailand apparently.

From 8-17-2008 - Bangkok

That night we got on the sleeper train.. next stop: Chiang Mai

Here are some more pics from Day 2.