Bangkok encompassed

It seems that I finally got around to visiting Bangkok's main tourist attractions: Wat Po, the canals and the Grand Palace.

Wat Po is the city's oldest monastery and it houses a huge Buddha statue reclining on its elbow - really impressive! Just behind the Buddha, visitors could exchange a small bill for small coins and drop them in a row of pots while wishing for something. There were many pots lined up so, even if coming up with the first couple of wishes was pretty easy, coming up with the last ones was a bit of a challenge. My last wish was for world peace so those of you worried about it should be pleased to know that I got that out of the way!

If Bangkok was a house, going on a tour of its "klongs" (canals) would be having a peek through the rear window. I was glad to see how life in the city really is - this was definitely one of the most genuine experiences I had so far.

The Grand Palace, the former royal residence, is now used for ceremonial occasions and, once there, visiting the Temple of Emerald Buddha is a must. I found this to be a fantastic setting and I loved the fact that the combination of the buildings' vivid colours was so carefully thought that nothing but harmony could spring to mind.

But even though I was very pleased for having had the opportunity to see these highlights, I must say that this was not what I liked the most about Bangkok. What I liked most was going back to the same places to get breakfast, check the internet, buy books or have dinner and being welcomed by smiles, which could be saying "welcome back"; it was being part of groups of people who, due to the occasional heavy rains, were stranded here and there; and, finally, it was knowing with each step that I took that there was no rush to get anywhere, that time was on my side.

Be that as it may, the truth is that it is impossible to forget the date stamped on my passport so that is why I got on the night train to Chiang Mai.