Bangkok

Sleeper train from Chumphorn to Bangkok was pretty fun, the train left an hour and a half late, luckily we were all tucked up inside in our cute little beds so it didn't matter. would have slept much better if it wasn't for my knee oozing stuff all night and the air con made it very cold - i got my sleeping bag out in addition to the pointlessly thin blanket they give you.
got to Bangkok at about 7.30 am and shared a taxi to Khao San Road and found a hotel down a little alley way. air con and hot water!
Khao San Road not at all like i imagined it, more humane and less dirty/dodgy, thank goodness. an atmosphere similar to late night shopping, lots and lots of people, lots of stalls.
Yesterday i walked down to the Grand Palace and associated Wat (Temple), on the way going into the National Museum. First gallery very interesting about the history of thailand and about the different kings - i didn't realise they visited Europe in the 1800s to further relationships with the west and try and modernise Thailand. Nice and cool and in english as well. however after that the museum disintegrated into just a whole pile of boring pots and historic artefacts with no description in very gloomy rooms. however it was nice and cool.
Grand Palace 250B to get in! thats twice my dinner budget! very touristy but beautiful temple and Emerald Budda in the main Wat - you had to sit down on the floor and not point your feet towards it - ie bend your legs which was impossible for me to do with a dodgy foot and bashed up knee so i didn't stay very long. a special little place was reserved for monks, of which there were a few. was amazed to see they had digital cameras in their little handbags. You could only wander round the coutyard of the palace and weren't allowed to go inside, so i got very hot and dehydrated very quickly and was soon templed out. have to say don't think i'll be visiting too many more temples. on Lonely planet's advice i wore my trainers, trousers and a t shirt and was soo hot. plus having to take shoes on/off constantly would have been fine with flip flops and no bad knee, and nobody else seemed to bother with the closed toe shoe thing so i could have worn my flip flops after all. would have made the day much easier.
had a 15Baht Pad Thai for dinner last night, basically stir fried noodles. very cheap! Thanks Chantal.
today i intend to catch the boat down the river to New Bangkok. knee still hurting and i am still limping! hope i make it! Tomorrow i have booked a night train to take me to Chaing Mai, i come back to Bangkok for 1 night before flying home.