Day 2 - Temples and Buddhas

Today we had a very contemplative day. We visited many Buddhas and temples.

... So, that was the short version, but of course there is more to tell. After a breakfast consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables and fried rice, we decided to take a taxi boat and do a hop on hop off tour, trying to visit as many attractions as possible. So, we got on the boat wearing shorts and t-shirts. First stop: the Royal Palace. But since beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away last October and a year of mourning was declared, we couldn't visit the palace in the morning... unless we wore black from head to toe. Unfortunately, we didn't have this 'color' packed with us. Well, in the afternoon the palace should be open for tourists again. However, only if we wore long pants. Hmpf. So, we bought ourselves a pair of long pants first. Then the plan was to continue with the rest of the itinerary. But a nice Thai person suggested that we could pay 100 baht (2.60€) to be driven around the city for an hour and then be dropped off at the palace in the afternoon. We should have been suspicious. Anyway, besides the giant Buddha and other temples that our tuktuk driver took us to, we also happened to visit a tailor. They immediately caught our attention, showed us brochures with beautiful dresses, skirts, and suits, and haggled with us to get custom-made outfits within a few hours. Well, Vera was quick to decide. She always wanted a yellow dress and now she could choose the exact design and everything, great! I took my time and negotiated a bit, but eventually also ordered a professional suit. We selected the color, the exact design, and the quality of the fabric, and we were told to come back in the evening for the fitting.

From there, the nice tuktuk driver, who was beaming from ear to ear due to his commission, brought us back and we could continue with our program. So, long pants/sarong on, scarf over the shoulders, and off we went... But I couldn't get in. The scarf was not enough, I needed a t-shirt. Luckily, Vera had a thin cardigan. I had to borrow a t-shirt for 1.50€. However, the Royal Palace was so crowded and the entrance fee was an additional 15€, so we decided to turn back. So, we continued with the water taxi and at each stop we had to change back into long pants and scarf and enter the temple. Big temples, small temples, reclining Buddhas, sitting Buddhas, standing Buddhas. A dream. At 6:30 PM, we couldn't see any more Buddhas. Besides, everything was closing and we still had to go back to the tailor. So, off we went in the next tuktuk, to the tailor, fitting, amazing work (!!!), and back to the hotel. Shower, eat, relax. End the day. Today, we really ran around a lot.