diff --git a/core/blockchain.go b/core/blockchain.go
index 63ac0a2498..a38c041cb8 100644
--- a/core/blockchain.go
+++ b/core/blockchain.go
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ package core
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"bytes"
+    "encoding/gob"
 	"io"
 	"math/big"
 	mrand "math/rand"
@@ -908,7 +910,23 @@ func (bc *BlockChain) WriteBlockWithState(block *types.Block, receipts []*types.
 	if err := shyftdb.WriteBlock(bc.blockExplorerDb, block); err != nil {
 		return NonStatTy, err
 	}
-	shyftdb.GetBlock(bc.blockExplorerDb, block)
+	result := shyftdb.GetBlock(bc.blockExplorerDb, block)
+	
+	// this is WIP for decoding bytes rather than hex strings
+	// maybe this will be dropped
+	/*for i, txhash := range result {
+    	//dst := make([]byte, hex.DecodedLen(len(txhash)))
+		content := hex.Dump(txhash)
+		fmt.Printf("%s", content)
+	}*/
+	
+	buf := bytes.NewBuffer(result)
+	strs2 := []string{}
+    gob.NewDecoder(buf).Decode(&strs2)
+    fmt.Println("ALL TRANSACTIONS:")
+
+    fmt.Println("the returned array is")
+    fmt.Printf("%v", strs2)
 
 	root, err := state.Commit(bc.chainConfig.IsEIP158(block.Number()))
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/core/database_util.go b/core/database_util.go
index 6c5980062b..fb65b96e1c 100644
--- a/core/database_util.go
+++ b/core/database_util.go
@@ -452,6 +452,8 @@ func WriteBlock(db ethdb.Putter, block *types.Block) error {
 	fmt.Println(block.Transactions())
 	if block.Transactions().Len() > 0 {
 		for _, tx := range block.Transactions() {
+			fmt.Println(tx.Hash())
+			fmt.Println("TX HASH")
 			fmt.Println(tx.To().Hex())
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/shyftdb/shyft_database_util.go b/shyftdb/shyft_database_util.go
index 470531259e..57e9272a11 100644
--- a/shyftdb/shyft_database_util.go
+++ b/shyftdb/shyft_database_util.go
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@ package shyftdb
 
 import (
     "fmt"
-    
+    "bytes"
+    "encoding/gob"
     "github.com/syndtr/goleveldb/leveldb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 )
 
-func GetBlock(db *leveldb.DB, block *types.Block) {
+func GetBlock(db *leveldb.DB, block *types.Block) []byte {
     hash := block.Header().Hash().Bytes()
 	bar, err := db.Get(hash, nil)
 	fmt.Println("Our error is ")
@@ -15,12 +16,31 @@ func GetBlock(db *leveldb.DB, block *types.Block) {
 	fmt.Println("Our result is ")
 	fmt.Println(bar)
 	
+	return bar
 }
 
 func WriteBlock(db *leveldb.DB, block *types.Block) error {
+   	leng := block.Transactions().Len()
+    var tx_strs = make([]string, leng)
+    //var tx_bytes = make([]byte, leng)
+	if block.Transactions().Len() > 0 {
+		for i, tx := range block.Transactions() {
+			fmt.Println(tx.Hash())
+			fmt.Println("TX HASH")
+			fmt.Println(tx.To().Hex())
+			tx_strs[i] = tx.Hash().String()
+			//tx_bytes[i] = tx.Hash().Bytes()
+		}
+	}
+	fmt.Println("The tx_strs is")
+	fmt.Println(tx_strs)
+    //strs := []string{"foo", "bar"}
+    buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+    gob.NewEncoder(buf).Encode(tx_strs)
+    bs := buf.Bytes()
     hash := block.Header().Hash().Bytes()
     fmt.Println(hash)
-    err := db.Put(hash, []byte("GOOD MORNING WORLD"), nil)
+    err := db.Put(hash, bs, nil)
     fmt.Println("the error is: ++++++++++++++")
     fmt.Println(err)
 	return nil