Tuk-tuk boss? This you first time Bangkok?

I woke suddenly at 6:00 a.m. this morning and, after Faith made it clear that she wasn't quite ready to get up yet, I went out for a walk in the early morning cool. The street outside was almost deserted, except for some ladyboys who were clustered around a derelict old hippy who was sat in the gutter - exactly where we saw himlast night. They were behaving very like kittens with a mother cat, just sitting around him and stroking his hair, putting their arms around his shoulders (which were very bony) and smiling together. He seemed to be happy about it, too. Across the road, the area of Banglamphu leads down to the river by the side of a wat (temple) and I wandered down there among crowds of children going to school, a few monks moving quietly between the temple buildings, noisy cockerels and bewildering bird-sound from the trees. The children were buying street-food from vendors outside the school gate - deep fried fruit, noodles, juice and slush-puppies. By the time I returned to the hotel, Faith was up and we were both ready for our breakfast ... and out into Bangkok.
After I'd dragged Faith over my early morning route (both ladyboys and school children had gone by now), we went down to the river and turned to follow a khlong and narrow alleys to the impressive Rama Bridge. It was a fascinating walk: wooden houses along the khlong-side, bo trees with scarves around them, and shrines at their feet, a fish hung up in abush to try, food satls on every corner, and many, many smiles.
Finally, bathed in sweat, we took an exhilirating river taxi rde to Wat Pho pier to find the Reclining Buddha Temple. I'm afraid to say that we gave in to a "friendly" shop owner (see title) who explained in great detail how to tell good tuk-tuk driver from bad, and "helped" us to get one. We went to see the Temple of the Black Buddha first, which was very interesting (with an old Buddha statue that had been almost black because people kept taking the gold-leaf for luck) and a guide who first told us the stories about the temple and then, yes, you guessed, said how lucky we were to be able to go to see the Siam Export House, today of all days - it's included in your fare, he said helpfully! Well, well, we said, what (or wat?) a surprise. We told the tuk-tuk driver that we'd be a VERY SHORT time in the Export House, "ten minute?" he offered. We were thirty seconds. " No-one ever come here before and buy nothing, " said the smart woman. "We're the first of many," I replied, as we smiled and left. The tuk-tuk driver looked relieved when we came back to him, and whizzed us back to Wat Pho along and across streets, by a khlong and through a market. So, he got his commission for delivering us to the Export House, and we got a scenic tour for only 40 baht (about 55p).
Wat Pho is every bit as impressive as the guidebooks say, and the reclining buddha is gargantuan. Little details pleased, though, as always. There's a school in the temple grounds, and it was brass-band-practice day. The children, were outside practising such fine old Thai tunes as Colonel Bogey and American Patrol. We felt sorry for the girl who was only allowed to play the mouthpiece of a saxophone. Perhaps one day, she'll improve enough enough to merit the rest of it, but it did lend an air of eldritch wildness to Marching through Georgia. We eavesdropped on a temple ceremony where monks in orange robes were chanting as monks are meant to, and then made our way back to Banglamphu through the University - where the students demonstrated for Thai democracy and freedom on a number ovccasions between the 1970s and 1990s. Back at our hotel, an American businessman who was swimming with 2 Thai women yesterday, was looking mightily pleased as he swam with 4 of them today. "I found a fourth for bridge," he said loudly.