A man who walks sideways through airport security is always going to Bangkok!!

A couple of weeks after the event perhaps but it is getting more and more difficult to find the time to write the blogs. So much is happening and you want write it all down but we just canny find the time. Here goes though......

We flew from Hong Kong to Bangkok and after no problems got the bus to drop us at the Khao San Road aka backpackers bubblesville. Overwhelming at first - you want tuk tuk?, you want taxi?, you want hostel?, you want hotel?, you want to stay here? you want to see ping pong?? which by now we're use to but is combined with neon lights and millions of others just like us milling around in bars, restaraunts etc and its roasting. the hottest weather we've come across so far somewhere up round the mid 30's. We do one length of the Khao San Road and cant find any of the hostels we're looking for so plan B, find a bar, have a drink, then one of us stay with the bags and the other go find a hostel within a 2mins radius. Easy!!

First night we're in a room with air con think it works out at about a fiver - El Greco the Ghecko has command of the bathroom - we won't go in there if he is but the next day we're thinking we need to save a pound and move into one of the dorms???? ok, its basically a box with 2 fans and 3 mattresses on the floor but it'll do. Is saving us a pound after all?? what are we thinking :)???

Becomes pretty apparant fairly quickly you could quite easily never leave the Khao San Road and be entertained if all your looking for is food, drink and market stalls. Kinda makes you feel like your on holiday.

First day though we go off exploring and head on down to the river and head off on the little ferry boats which link all the different areas of the city. You just hop on and hop off wherever. Which area do we choose to head too - Chinatown of course, its not like we've just been there or anything. The place is heaving but good all the same.

Followed by a night out in the Irish bar. There's a Thai live band on doing covers of everything from Metallica to Bryan Adams. The place is packed and we're making friends with the locals. And think we possibly spend the pound we were saving on the room on vodka. oh well!! what can you do???

Next day - we want to do as little as possible and go looking for Lumphini Park. We reckon this should cost us about 70 baht in a taxi. The first taxi driver we ask wants 450!!!!! Do we look stupid??? (Don't answer that :) but what come on??? Get lost!!! as he trys to barter with us and follows us down the street whilst we get in the next taxi not in the habit of playing the 'lets rip off the stupid tourists' game.

Again another random park in which we find drum kit monuments (if thats even the right word), kids feeding what we think to be fish - turns out to be the biggest , ugliest catfish and turtles, people jogging and doing aerobics in over 30 degrees of heat??? and some sort of school show going on with kids playing musical instruments. oh dear!! again keeps us entertained though and we head off in look of some food and and shopping centres. excellent!!!

And then our plan was to get up early morning, to avoid the heat, and visit the Grand Palace. The early morning bit didnt happen but we're conscious we need to be a bit more covered up -our feet in particular - if we were going to visit as we dont want to offend anyone.

Half way there and we're stopped in the street by some dude telling us we cant visit the Grand Palace in flip flops and that its closed for the morning. What?!?!? He tells us to go off round the other Temples first and head back here in the afternoon. There was a bit more to it than this but in the end we listened to the man - found ourselves a tuk tuk - and for the equivalent of 50p got driven round Bangkok for the morning visiting Sitting Buddhas, Standing Buddhas and Reclining Buddhas????? oh and a random stop at some tailor who wanted to make us some clothes - we made our excuses/pretended we didnt understand :) and left.

Back to the Grand Palace again and dont know what we were worrried about - nobody else seems bothered about offending anyone. Is good to see but we dont stay too long. This place is too damn hot!!!