Surrounded by kitch, cheap products sold on the shore, they continue tradition in the impressive, authentic style. As for the rest of our "tour" we had a chance to see how the water people live. It somehow brings the mantra coming from tourist boats passing our houseboat in Amsterdam; "...most of the houses have been built on wooden piles...". These piles here stick out some meters above the water (at least at the current water level) so the only part of the buildings having direct contact with it are stairs used as a pier for the small long boats. With no visible piece of land around, the pier is a proper and the only entrence to the buildings. Our boat, however, wouldn't stop by any of the piers. It would rather speed through these water streets and junctions, raising waves and waking up villagers snoozing on verandas in the midday tropical heat.

When we got back to Bangkok we felt like we experienced a probe of something exotic, something which didn't last long enough. We wanted more, and maybe something in different combination of flavours. As the local Chinatown is famous because of its over-vividness or ultra-authenticity, if you prefer, we decided to head there for a dinner. Every evening masses of people visit Chinatown's main street and its branches lightened up by gigantic colorful neons, to taste in outside restaurants, choose between hundreds styles and kinds of cuisine. From amazing-looking fruits, through grilled everything, to fresh seafood. We decided for the last one. Among the crowd of locals (who always order half the menu and eat with great passion), we modestly ordered just few things we could see in a watertank. Eating this way, surrounded by the buzz of the street, delivered a new gamma of stimulating feelings.

Cooling down, we passed through the chaotic bazaar of Khaosan Rd, so called backpacker's paradise. One word about it - it sucks. Don't anyone compare it with Kathmandu's Thamel, please.

As the Sunday approached, the time had came for visiting some temples. These visits are well documented with pictures, which give more than thousand words. From uncountable catalog of Bangkok's Wats we only chose two; Phra Kaew, belonging to the royal complex of Grand Palace, and Wat Pho, the most important temple in the country. Both are tourist attractions and are heavily commercialized, although still visited massively by Thai people as places of the cult.

One last thing to do in Bangkok before leaving to the East (apart from getting the Thai massage ;) was meeting Michiel and his charming girlfriend Itim. It happens Michiel is spending his holidays here so we just couldn't miss the chance to have a dinner together. We met on the river bank, where we tasted Thai cuisine at its best looking at the boats crossing the dark waters of Chao Phraya.

This morning leaving Bangkok we knew so far (on a boat, of course) we entered an unknown city. Skytrain carried us further through a jungle of glass, above busy multi-level streets rushing in yet another business day. I looked around to check for levitated taxis as in "The 5th Element". Rain washed away the picture of the backward messy smelly town we knew.