goodbye sweat/sand/spicyfood

it's been beautiful and fun but it's time to get moving to the next stop, next city, meet some new people.
had a great time since my return to bangkok thursday. spent the whole of friday morning battling through the scammers outside the temple walls adamently advising us that the temple was closed but for a small price they could take us to one that was open. we took the water route as a well, and were vastly amused by the boat as it went under the lowest bridges. it would look as if it were impossible to pass through and then the roof would start to sink around us as the boats top collapsed and we crouched down laughing at how odd it all was. saw the palace and the emerald budda. all of those guilded towers and shiny stuff, colored mirrors etc. made me salavate. unfortunmatly it was blisteringly hot, and very humid. not that i should expect anything else from thailand but still, it made the enjoyment of such beautiful structures more difficult. however we did amuse ourselves by competing to take the most funny and unflattering self portrait possible, and many were taken making faces at the statues in the halls and from odd angles. became quite silly really but if you can't make fun of yourself then that's eliminating a lot of good times. we also visited the massive reclining budda and marveled at his stature and serene gaze. and the fact that his feet were taller than me. now looking at the prospect of leaving thailand i wonder what i have gotten from this place, other than a deep love of rum spritzers and chocolate almond ice cream bars and the wonderful fun to which they always seem to lead. an apreciation of odd foods, acceptence of how sweaty it is possible to become (and stay) i suppose. seeing how much one can be thankful for small things like soft toilet paper and a cold drink. as well as a belief that one could find anything in this city with a bit of pacience and a good deal of bargining. over all i feel that i have just scraped the surface of what this country has to offer and know that i must come back to uncover more of it's delightful secrets. because there is always something new hear right around the corner. you just have to look