My first Faux Pas

Today I went to the beach and, as I usually would, put most of my belongings in my shoes. I hung out and swam for a few hours, and then headed back to my hotel on one of the "baht Buses" that run along the main strips of smaller towns... You hop on or off at any time along its trip and pay a meager 10 baht for the privilege.
My shoes and belongings were still in hand as I wanted to let my feet dry and de-sand before putting them back on. A little ways down the road I started to get some change out of my left shoe when a woman explained to me how that was disrespectful and, apparently, illegal. Coins in Thailand all carry an image of the king which "must be respected like Buddha, like a god. Put in shoes is disrespectful" she sternly told me.
I immediately fished the remaining coins out of my shoe and placed them in my pocket, thinking I should have known better. The feet are an unholy, dirty part of the body in Buddhist thought. The king is very respected. I knew I might get a few upturned noses from putting anything at all in my shoes, but hadn't realized I'd been so crass as to put the king there!
It made me feel a little better when after she got off the bus the guy sitting across from me (also a Thai) told me she was mean. "It's not like you keep money there all the time" he said. When I told him that it was okay and that it just never occured to me that it was a symbol of the king, he told me that he doesn't think of it that way either and insisted that she shouldn't have said anything...
Either way, I will refrain from making the same mistake again so as to not offend anyone.

Today will be my last day in Pattaya... Truly, I've been staying here much more for the luxury and kindness at my hotel than for the littered beaches and crowded nightlife. Tomorrow, I will be heading to Ko Chang, a much more pristine and deserted island in the far southeast. From there, I will make a quick jump into Cambodia to get my Visa renewed for another 30 days. I may try to make a trek to Angkor Wat, although it won't be convenient to my point of entry. I will probably have to make the run one more time, so perhaps I will see Angkor Wat then...