21st January - Bangkok

We finally got to Bangkok Airport about 8pm on Saturday after about 17 hours travel, not too bad but I definitely needed a shower! My first impressions of the city from our taxi away from the airport were just that it seemed immensely bigger than I expected and so hectic, it was hard to imagine anyone actually living in the city. We got out at the infamous Khao San Road where Matt had booked us into a guest house and it was quite clear why every self-respecting guide I'd read says to avoid the place. It was kind of like the Costa del Sol in Asia! Bars everywhere and people trying to sell you things, it was all very manic. We met Matt at a bar next to the guest house and after we got settled in we tried to catch up with Matt, who had been at the bar for hours already. The last thing I remember is ordering a beer tower, worrying about bargirls trying to mug us and then going for a late night swim in the pool on the roof of the guest house!

The guest house we were staying in was actually really clean and comfortable, a stark contrast to the road outside. It was probably for the best too because the next day the combination of jetlag and hangover meant I could really leave the room for more than half an hour!

We spend the net couple of days just settling in, looking round temples and sorting out visas, bus tickets etc. Bangkok definitely takes it out of you and although a gateway to the rest of SE Asia, it takes a lot of effort to get used to. It was only really today that I started to enjoy it. During these days though we were witness to our first 'crafty scam', as Lonely Planet calls them. We got talked into going to the Night Market by a random seemingly friendly man who swore he worked at a newspaper and said there would be lots of people and live music etc. He was helpful enough to hail a tuk-tuk against our will too and persuade us in. Only then did we realise it was actually taking us to a suit shop (which are everywhere and annoying!) and there probably was no Night Market! So we just got out but at least we got a free ride in a tuk-tuk.

Yesterday was a pretty crazy day and the best so far. It was an organised trip with our guest house which took us first to a floating market, where we were punted down canals with stalls either side. This was OK but basically the same as the markets in Bangkok but the novelty factor was quite fun. Then we drove a while nearer the Burmese border to the Bridge over River Kwai and Jeath Museum which was really interesting and had lots of pictures and items used by soldiers that built the bridge. Then in the afternoon we went to the Tiger Temple where we stroked tigers! Pretty strange, these tigers have been brought up vegetarian and are really placid and unresponsive. They seem perfectly happy though and it a really good experience. I got a lot of pictures of me looking live an evil overlord surrounded by tigers, pretty cool!

Well that's what we've got up to so far, late today we leave on a night bus to Chiang Mai in the north where we will be going trekking so I'll write next when I'm there.