Canals of Bangkok

Thai people love their King,their religion and potted plants probably in that order!We went on a trip round the canals of Bangkok this morning. It's a great tour and I had no idea that so many people here lived on the river.There are lots of tiny ramshackle houses in various states of repair and some not so tiny houses that have clearly had a lot of money spent on them and are probably now used by the wealthy as holiday homes.Most of the houses had a deck at the front and these decks were nearly all packed with potted plants.Many of them had pictures of the King on display. The King is an enigmatic fellow and adored here. He is old now and lives in an amazing hospital right down on the river front . There are huge pictures of him all over Bangkok. He is known for never having been seen to smile but to me always looks anxious rather than miserable or bad tempered.Religion is also very important to Thai people and it is impossible to go anywhere including a trip along the canals at the back of Bangkok without passing many big and beautifully decorated temples.Most of the boat houses have a spirit house on the deck and I even saw one house that appeared to have it's own small temple attached.Every house has a small boat and we saw lots of sellers going from house to house selling fruit and vegetables and household items.