And then we decided we really needed to go through the Bangkok airport again...

On our last day in Cambodia, we got up early, had some breakfast and made our way back out to Angkor Wat. We satisfied one of Rachel's biggest desires by taking a ride on an elephant! We were lead around one of the major landmarks at Angkor Thom we had visited the previous day. Afterwards we bought some bananas and fed some of the elephants... believe me, the pictures are hillarious.

I'd like to take the time to list all of the modes of transportation we have taken while on this trip:

-Plane
-Train
-Subway
-Boat
-River boat
-Tuk-tuk
-Taxi
-Elephant
-Monorail
-Bus

Afterward Kosal drove us around to the rest of the major spots at Angkor Wat. Then we made it back into town, grabbed some lunch at Eccentric Pizza, and some really yummy gelato from this place called The Blue Pumpkin. We made it back to the hostel, showered, and eventually headed back to the airport for our flight to Bangkok. I don't think I can emphasize enough how awesome Cambodia was. I have heard of people having negative experiences in Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap was such a fun little town with so much character! While I am sure some of it was circumstantial - our warm hostel, our really great driver, and the restaurants we happened to have picked- but I am so glad we went.

On our first full day in Bangkok, we hit the malls. They are absolutely huge here! MBK mall is 8 levels of knock-off purses and whatever else you could ever need. We went to Siam Center which was a bit more like American malls... Oddly enough, neither one of bought anything. Then last night we went to Lumphini Park at the suggestion of our hostel's manager. The park had a huge outdoor market which was a lot of fun to wander through. We grabbed dinner at a place called Safari Steak, which served a variety of meats, including ostrich, crocodile, frog, etc. I'll let you take a guess as to what Rach and I ate.

Today we decided to do all the touristy stuff. We got up early, took the SkyTrain down to the river, and then took a river ferry to the major site-seeing points. We started off at the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (The temple of the Emerald Buddha). I swear, I have never seen something so glittery and ostentatious a place as the Grand Palace in my life! Really, you're just going to have to see the pictures when I update. The Emerald Buddha was actually made out of jade and is apparently a place many monks travel far and wide to see. Supposedly the King shows up three times a year to help change the Buddha's clothes.

Afterwards we traveled back down the river to Wat Pho which houses the HUGE golden, Reclining Buddha. Wow. Even my panoramic setting on my camera couldn't fit all of the Buddha in. Afterwards we put coins into this metal containers, supposedly for good luck.

Then we took a ferry across the river to Wat Arun, which is a series of stupas along the water, covered in tile that the Chinese supposedly left in Thailand a while back. It's one of the most famous landmarks of Bangkok. I thought it was pretty :)

After that we made it back across and down the river to China Town. We wandered through China Town, and finally found the Golden Buddha (Yes, that makes 3 Buddhas in one day, haha). Apparently this Buddha was once covered in cement to protect it during a Burmese invasion, but only within the past 200 years or so did they discover what was beneath the cement.

Then we went to MBK for lunch and wandered over to Jim Thompson's House. Apparently Jim Thompson helped bring the silk trade back into Thailand... and then he mysteriously disappeared.

Finally, we got massages. Quite a relaxing hour, for around $10. :)

Okay, we are off to Sydney in the morning, so I'll update from the Land Down Under soon!