Bangkok, Part 2

Mousehead with a giant gold Buddha (what wat? we don't remember.)
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This time around we were sure we were gonna hit up the major sites we missed the last time.  Turns out there are a LOT of sites, and we still did not have enough time to see that many.  But we did get a bit more acquainted with the city, and saw a couple sites on the way, plus found a few cool places on our own that weren't even in the tourist books.

There are too many wats here to discuss them by name.  We couldn't leave our room to use the bathroom without passing 3 or 4 wats.  Same with 7-Elevens.  You have no idea how popular these things are here, they're like Starbucks- one on every corner, sometimes 2 or 3.  I would complain here about globalization, but it's the cheapest place to get an ice cream bar, hands down, and I just can't find fault with a place that provides Paddle Pops 24/7.

Live snakes for sale at the local market-- for eating!
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Among the major touristy things we saw: Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew (with the Emerald Buddha), Vimanmek Mansion (the largest golden teak mansion in the world!?).  Among the less touristy things we saw: constant street snacking, evening outdoor aerobics class in the public square (observing the several hundred people bouncing, not ourselves participating), several wats that shall remain nameless, a trendy restaurant that serves nothing but toast, drunk white people on Khoa San Road, and countless hours at an internet cafe getting this site updated.

Is that Mr. Bean?
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So enjoy it, because we could have been out looking at another temple, or eating pad thai, or hanging out at 7-Eleven.