SAWA DEEKA BANGKOK!

Some say that the traffic in Los Angeles is the worst. I beg to differ; in Bangkok, a two mile drive can take as long as forty minutes. I know, ridiculous. Yellow is the color of Thailand, or rather the color of the King. The year that the King is born, he is given a color; Thailand's current King's color is yellow. He was born on a Monday, so every Monday the citizens of Bangkok wear yellow to honor their leader. Even though they are very gracious to their King weekly, the people of Thailand can be fairly corrupt. Believe me, I have experienced this. For those of you not familiar with Bangkok, there is the Emerald Buddha, a major tourist attraction. Of course, due to the number of people that come there everyday, there are security officials and police to make sure everything is swell. Well, that is what it looks like. As soon as my family and I got out of the car to see the Emerald Buddha, the main police officer is up in our face telling us how it is closed for the next three hours. Being suspicious, my father automatically started firing questions. It was Christmas Day, and apparently it was the time for only Thai people could come to pray. But lucky for us, there is a Lucky Buddha, and it is only opened for one day a year. Well, I guess that day was our lucky day. He flagged down two tuktuks (Thailand's method of transportation; cabs) and we were off. We got there and the place was empty. Literally, it was the Mehrotra clan with the Patnaik clan and one other Indian family. Um... WHAT?! If this place was really open once a year, then why was there a grand total of 10 people? My dad only became more suspicious. Good for us, we figured their plan out. The drivers took us to a jewelry shop, the leader of the Mehrotra clan warned us not to buy anything and to just sit down. Becoming frustrated, the driver made us leave and dropped us off at some random Buddhist monastery. Thankfully, it was only two blocks from where we started, the Emerald Buddha. This time, we got in without getting stopped. As soon as we enter through the large gates, a tiny sign is there that reads: " DO NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO OFFER TUKTUK, LUCKY BUDDHA, OR BOAT RIDE." Wow, thanks for that oh so helpful tip. We learned that the guard earns money if we buy things from the jewelry shop. Well, that stinks for him then. On a random note, Thailand is known for orchids. Anyways, we got to see the Emerald Buddha, which is really jade, but once people figured out that it was jade, they never changed the name. Another thing that makes Thailand is something called the Floating Market. Doesn't make sense? It is pretty simple: it is a market on water. I know this sounds weird, but it is true. The people/tourists get into Banana Boats, and after a seven minute boat ride: BAM, it's the market. There is everything there, it is like a Safeway. You can buy clothes, blankets, food, books, you name it. It is incredible. Also, Thailand is one of those countries that you need to be careful drinking the water in. Bottled water is a must. But on a happier note, Thai food is amazing. If you think Thai food is amazing here, then go to Thai land to get the real deal!

sawadeeka!