Walking the "City of Angels" . . . Bangkok

We arrived safely in Bangkok after only a few bumps on our flight, and settled into our hostel and then hit the streets to start exploring. First of all, let me say, the first thing that hits you here is the heat. It is HOT . . . . like stifling hot. But not to be deterred, we have managed to go through countless bottles of water to keep us from shriveling up.
Approximately 95% of Thais are Buddhist and it is reflected in all avenues of their lives. We have seen all types of Buddhas: sitting, standing, reclining, gold, emerald, big, tall, short, fat, and tiny. If you get my drift, they are everywhere. There are hundreds of Buddhist temples in Bangkok, mostly layered in gold leaf . Gold, mother of pearl, intricate, elaborate mosaics and paintings are, for the most part, very beautiful but a bit redundant and expensive after awhile. If only the Thais knew that true "gold" is found only in Christ. Please pray that God will open their eyes to the knowledge of the truth.
So far, we have had some very delicious Thai food . There are vendors on every street selling all kinds of food, cheaply. You can get about anything that you want to eat on the street. Last night we went to Chinatown and had a delicious meal in a restaurant for about $6.00 total. At the place where we are staying, there are two elderly ladies who cook authentic Thai style very cheaply. We have eaten their food several times and it is always superb. Each meal cost about $2.70 for the both of us. Not bad, eh!?
We purchased several different kinds of fruit since we have been here. All new to us. Two had red, bumpy and thorny-like skin and all were gelantinous in texture and beige in color inside. They were very good and one reminded us of the ginnap (sp) in JA.
We have gotten around Bangkok by foot, sky-train, river-taxi, regular taxi and, of course, the elegant tuk-tuk. The later is a three-wheeled motorcycle with a compartment for passengers on the back. They are everywhere.
Today we went to the city center to check out some of the shopping malls. The first one we went to had been burned out during the rioting and was closed. The second one was much larger and fancier than many that we have at home. It had one floor that was just the food court and a gourmet market. No wanting for any type of foreign food at this place. Aunt Annie’s pretzels were even there. The last mall was a huge place that was set up more like a market, at least in parts. It catered to more of the regular Thai people.
So far, we have been pleased with our internet hostel-shopping. Hopefully, it will continue as we leave tomorrow to fly to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. We are excited to see Kelly and Htaw Htoo, our friends who are working there. Kelly is a former student of Roger’s at TUFW and we have gotten to know them better through Global Christian Fellowship. Until next time . . .