A Grand Day Out-AKA Eleanore & Megan not Wallace & Grommit

Today we struck out on our own. We aren’t sure if this is because we are adventurous or frugal. I promised Eleanore that I would get her safely from the hotel and back before nightfall. However, I made no promises about what would happen between the two points. We began by trying to find the Golden Buddha and were convinced that our taxi driver had taken us to the wrong place. After what seemed like an hour of eavesdropping on other tour guides, asking for help, and wandering around, we realized we were there all along. We watched monks pray, yawn, wander, and pick their noses (really).
After attempting to walk to the zoo, we found ourselves next to an information booth. We asked the lady how to walk there and she said it would be over an hour. We decided to go to Chinatown instead and asked her how to get there, to which she replied with a grin,” You are in Chinatown.” Then she showed us where the local markets were and such. We wandered through some interesting streets (the signs are crazy) and found ourselves in a small, narrow street like you would find in the Amazing Race when they are sent to market. In the market, we found some great souvenirs and food (get ready Allen). And then it began to pour. A very nice market owner let us regroup and wanted us to stay through the storm, but our adventuresome selves kept going until we found a temple that was refuge in the past and a refuge for us.
Next we went to the zoo, where we rode a tram, saw cool animals that you don’t find in American zoos, and saw a sleeping Siamese cat sitting atop a “beware of dog” game.
We were hoping to go to the Teakwood Mansion, but after conferring with important officials at Parliament about Thai national treasures, we saw more interesting sites (brick walls) and finally made it to the mansion, at 4:01 (everything closes at 4:00), just in time to see the White Elephant Museum (that is part of the mansion) close. However, we did walk around the grounds and had a great time. We bargained and took a Tuk Tuk (3 wheeled open air car) back to the hotel. We are about to eat (Megan hopes it will be pizza or anything but Thai food) and then prepare for our next day’s adventure.