I’m leaving Bangkok tonight. The second class train tickets were sold out so I’m taking a VIP bus. Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep. I think I’m on Thailand time now even though last night I fell asleep at 8pm and woke up at 1 am.
Today I went to the National Museum. An Englishwoman gave a three-hour tour. She was very knowledgeable about the various poses and periods of the Buddha. I didn’t realize before how heavily influenced Thailand is by Hinduism. It precedes Buddhism here and they kept a lot of the stories and symbolism.
Toward the end of the tour the guide started sweating heavily and felt light-headed. She laid down on the floor of the museum and drank some water. I think she was very dehydrated. She seemed to recover alright, 
but I encouraged her to drink much more water (remember “clear and copious”).
Later in the day I went to Wat Sudhat. I think it had the greatest effect on me of anything so far. The complex is amazing. The main temple is overwhelming and the various sculptures in the courtyard were very different than anything I’ve seen so far. The horse sculptures are considered masterpieces in bronze. I can’t put the place into words. I was able to enter the temple and listen to monks chanting. The sound was amazing and I’ll try to post an mp3.
