Bangkok

We arrived in a hot, steamy and stormy looking Bangkok and for the first time this holiday, no sunshine. Instead we had a welcome, but warm, shower which was over in minutes and increased the humidity in The Land of Smiles to an oppressive 95%.
Thailand is the same in area as France, has a population of 65 million, with 10 million living in the capital, Bangkok. Their King is the longest living reigning monarch, born in 1927, a year after our Queen Elizabeth, but succeeding to the throne in 1946 when this was known as Siam (remember the film the King and I?) but changed to Thailand in 1947.
Its alphabet has 44 letters, none of them recognisable to me, and 3 seasons - hot, wet and cold! Thankfully traffic is calmer, only just, and they drive on the left hand side of the road. Even though that's what I'm used to I won't be attempting it any time soon!
Although it has 44 kinds of bananas, it for its ornate temples and palaces its known. Today we visited Old Bangkok and the Royal Palace and my 2 biggest problems today were picking only 5 of my favourite pictures and ones where none of the 1 million people who had also decided to visit didn't feature!
So, I give you a selection of some of the amazing hand crafted buildings and statues around the Temple of the Emerald Buddha with the one on bottom right hand corner a close up of the fantastic carvings on the bottom left.
We have passed the half way point on this amazing holiday and not once have I felt homesick or hankered to go home, this is a first! I'm missing grand children but having fun making up little packages for them but UK seems so far away. We have met so many friendly interesting people,
had insights into different cultures and I've not used by mobile phone once! Have I missed it - NO!