Hello!

I am currently cruising along at 574mph at an altitude of 37,952ft! Seat 74H isn't too bad on board an Emirates A380 as I complete my travels for Summer 2016 and return to the sandpit!

On arrival in Bangkok, after our monster journey from Cambodia, Martin and I got a Tuk Tuk through the city to the famous Khaosan Road where we were staying for our first night. On our arrival the street was packed, the place was buzzing and it was clear my time in Bangkok was going to be very different from my first visit 10 years ago!

We checked into the Dang Derm Hotel, had some dinner and then went out. We went to a number of bars along Khaosan Road and enjoyed a few drinks. Finally, we ended up in a live music bar dancing and singing with some Irish folk before I decided I'd had enough and went to find out about the massages on the street! Now, before all of your minds run wild I enjoyed great foot, neck and head massage for an hour and sat watching pissed kids stumble down the street! I again felt a little out of place and look forward to a 'nice' bar back in Dubai! At around 2:30am the Police seemed to close most of the bars down the road which signalled the end to our night and we went to bed. The day after we spent most of the day in the hotel and as we had paid for a nice pool we were determined to make the most it!

We checked out the hotel in the late afternoon and walked down the road to a hostel Martin had stayed at before. On arrival the place was empty and I felt sorry for Martin as he had been really looking forward to the good vibe he had experienced before. The hostel was still good though and we enjoyed our stay there. That evening we went for a Thai massage with two other German lads and I was practically beaten up by the Thai girl! After freshening up we went for dinner before getting ready for a night out!

In an effort to make the night one to remember I decided to introduce the group to a game I had played in Dubai! It involved buying and personifying 6 raw eggs and looking after them all night, the last one standing won! Martin and I were joined by a Kiwi couple, a German lad and a Dutch girl on our night out and we all had lots of fun, believe it or not, looking after our eggs!

After going to a few bars the time had come to witness one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen! That's all I'm saying!

The night again was ended by the Police and we returned to the hostel, Martin still with his egg in tact!

The morning after we all woke up really late and after getting some food we decided to go to the Grand Palace. I felt like we had to do something touristy and get out of the habit of just going to bars and down Khaosan Road!

Unfortunately on our arrival at the palace it had just shut! We took a taxi to China Town and after a walk around Martin and I got a taxi back to the hostel to freshen up for the evening!

We had purchased, or at least we thought we had, tickets for the Ladyboy show Calypso. I had seen this with Mum and Dad 10 years previously and armed with my picture with the girls from then I set off to find the same ones!

To get down to the other end of Bangkok we took the river boat! This was a beautiful ride and as the sun set and the city lights came on we really enjoyed the view and journey to the nice end of Bangkok. On arrival at Asiatique we realised that this was going to be a lovely evening in a lovely place. We enjoyed a nice meal in an Italian restaurant before going to the ticket office to collect our tickets! It was at this point we were told we had no tickets and had to wait for the late show at 9:45pm! With nearly 2 hours spare we changed our night around and got a taxi to the Banyan Tree Sky Bar, recommend by Tara who had been earlier in the summer. Unfortunately it took us 30 minutes to get there and by the time we had got to the top we only had a couple of minutes to have a look around, take some pictures and enjoy the amazing view. We walked around to take in the sights while people enjoyed a meal and drinks, something I will have to leave to do until I visit again!
It was then a rush back down the lift, into a Tuk Tuk and through the streets of Bangkok back to the Calypso show! We arrived just in time, took our seats and the show began!

The Ladyboys of Bangkok are something I have now seen twice and I still do not get it! Either they have a big roll of duck tape back stage, really tight boxers or a very sharp knife! The show was exactly as I remembered and I actually recognised the same girls/boys doing the same act as before! At the end I walked along the posing girls with my photo from when I was younger and was amazed to find the same one stood there! S/he was really chuffed when I showed her the picture and we had another picture 10 years on! I doubt many people have ever done that before!

After taking pictures and selfies with the girls we had a look around the markets and I bought a bum bag before heading back to the hostel. It was late when we got back and I didn't want to go out as I had to be up at 6am for a full day tour!

So...yesterday was the last day of my 7 week trip and I decided to spend it out of Bangkok, a city I still haven't fallen for! Martin was flying to Dubai so we went our separate ways for a day and I took the tour with 2 others from the hostel.

The first stop on the tour was the famous Floating Markets. We were there early so avoided the big crowds and enjoyed a sail around the various stalls which sit on boats! It's a pretty impressive sight and as it got busier it got more impressive! I enjoyed taking pictures and bought myself another magnet. It was then back in the minibus, driven by a bloody idiot, for a 2 hour drive to the Erawan Waterfalls. Once we had arrived we had lunch before spending 2 hours at the falls!

There are a number of tiers to the Erawan Falls and the final one, number 7, is a 1.5km walk from the bottom. As always I decided that if I was there I had to go to the end so set off on a mission to reach the end, have a swim and get back in 2 hours! It was a hard climb and it wasn't long before my whole body was dripping wet through! I powered on and was proud of the way I found the drive to reach the end, especially as my ankle has started to hurt! It's been fine all 7 weeks but just these last few weeks I have started to have the same pains as when I did my Interior Deltoid earlier in the year! As I reached the top in just under an hour I was shattered and didn't hesitate to strip off, change into my swimming shorts and jump in! I didn't know anyone around and there were no changing rooms, who cares haha! The water was very refreshing but the fish in the pools of water that liked to have a nibble were bloody annoying, they were big as well! I climbed up the waterfall and enjoyed taking pictures with my fantastic Go Pro, one of the best things I have ever bought!

It was then a dash back down the rough path all the way to the bottom. I stopped at various other falls on the way back and it was a lovely place to be!

Once I got to the bottom I waited for a short while before we set off back towards Bangkok and to our final stop on the tour. The famous Bridge over the River Kwai was built by POW's during WW2. I walked across the bridge, took some pictures and then enjoyed reading the plaque of information. I didn't know anything about it and still only know a little but I will definitely be watching the film soon!

Then it was a 2 hour drive back to Bangkok which seemed to take forever! When we arrived it was business as usual and Khaosan Road was again buzzing! It was at this point I decided to do something I've thought about for a while....

As my passport reaches its expiry date I feel as though a chapter of my travelling is coming to an end. It is the only thing that has accompanied me to most of my 37 counties (I didn't need it in Scotland or Wales) and I feel proud and immensely lucky when I flick through and see the many stamps and visas that it holds. I plan when I get a new one to make a collage of all the pages that I can frame and put on my wall.

So I just took a break to be a tour guide for Dubai sharing what I know with a lovely Italian couple sat next to me!

From one of the night market stalls I purchased all 37 flag badges of the counties I have been to. I think I made the stall owners day as it cost me a small fortune!! I was amazed she had them all and cannot wait for my passport to expire now!

After that I went back to the hostel, collected my bags and set about trying to find a nice hotel for my last night. I wanted somewhere I could chill and enjoy with a pool but also somewhere that was cheap. As I was walking out the hostel I happened to pass a hairdressers and in a split second decided to have my hair coloured back to my natural colour. The blonde was still really strong and to my surprise 7 weeks wasn't long enough for it to grow out. I paid £15 for it to be coloured and now look like my normal self, ready for school and ready to surprise Tara, who still thinks I'm blonde!

I checked myself in to the posh hotel next door and was pleased to get a price £10 less than on booking.com just because I walked in off the street! I had dinner in a little pub next door before having yet another foot massage, which are addictive, enjoying the facilities in my hotel and getting a good nights sleep!

This morning I woke up and had a lovely breakfast in the hotel whilst I uploaded my final pictures. I then spent an hour by the pool before getting all my things together and heading for the airport. I took the shuttle bus and although it was a pretty stressful journey because of traffic I made it in plenty of time.

We are now 2 hours 55 minutes from Dubai and the conclusion of what has been a wonderful 7 weeks! Words cannot really describe the experiences I have had or what I have seen but I hope to have captured many of my thoughts and sights in this blog. As always I will sum up what I thought of each place briefly before signing off...

Singapore...
A brilliant and vibrant city that is similar to Dubai, only finished! I loved my few days here and could definitely see myself living there!

Malaysia...
My time on the island of Tioman was a real highlight! I loved the diving and making my fire really was a personal achievement! Kuala Lumpur was good to visit and see but the Mud Musical made my visit special! My time in the Taman Negara Jungle was again a great experience! I had a great few days there and enjoyed the scenery! The Cameron Highlands and Penang were ok... But here I felt lonely and suffered because of it. One thing that annoyed me throughout Malaysia was the rubbish and dirt, it just isn't needed!

North Thailand...
Chiang Mai was great and it was good to meet up with Martin. The White Temple was special and we had a great night with Alan Bate in his English Pub!

Laos...
A real highlight of my trip was my time in Laos. A very scenic place with lovely people too! The boat journey was spectacular, the people we met were great and the Homestay was a great experience. I could definitely go back!

Vietnam...
Wow! This place is mental!
Our trip to Halong Bay and the 3 days partying was brilliant! The tour to Hoi An was good and we did lots of things and saw some lovely places. The fact it was canceled for the south gave us some more freedom which was good and it was a welcome surprise. My favourite place in Vietnam was Dalat even though I was ill! I loved exploring on our own scooter!
South Vietnam contained more history which I enjoyed and the visits to the tunnels and War Museum will be something I always remember!

Cambodia...
A special place with lovely people, a dark history and lovely scenery! The Killing Fields and Prison here were a highlight of my visit even though they are horrendous! I also enjoyed the boat to Battambang here and feel I really saw the true Cambodia.

Bangkok...
I still haven't fallen in love with this place! I found it hard to go out and party with people younger than me in places that in all honesty were minging! Maybe the Dubai life has rubbed off on me but gone are my days of drinking on the streets and in dirty bars etc I did enjoy the boat ride down to the south of the city and the day trip was good to do to get out. I also enjoyed having the foot massages and how could I not be chuffed to meet same Ladyboy 10 years on! However, I don't think I'll be back in Bangkok unless I have to be!

As I return to Dubai I have butterflies in my stomach and I'm excited for the next chapter of my Dubai story! Waiting to pick me up is my gorgeous girlfriend who after 50 days I cannot wait to see. I knew that the summer was going to be a long one and at times it was really hard to be apart. Having spent so much time together towards the end of last year and becoming best friends I have missed Tara more than I ever imagined I could! We have so much to look forward to together and I just cannot wait to give her a huge hug!! A few days ago she met my mum for the first time, without me, in London. Together with my sister they enjoyed brunch and we both look forward to Mum and Dad, Carole and Brian coming to visit us in Dubai! No more sleeps and only 2 hours 33 to go!

Also this week I start school and enter my 5th year of teaching in my new role as Head of Technology for KS2. This is my first leadership role and I am excited but nervous for the new challenge! I am excited to meet my new class and share my many stories of travels around the world with them!

So as I come to the end of this blog I'd like to say a big thank you to you for reading! As always I write my blog for myself and my Grandma, so that she can travel the world through me! However, I know I have a few regular readers including Grandma, Suzanne, Alison, Gwen and my FG who always leave me a little comment too, thank you! If you too have been reading please do leave me a comment so I know who has read it! I really do like to know and if you leave a comment it will be printed in the actual hardback book that I have made!! I hope you have enjoyed reading just as much as I have writing!!

So this is the end... 50 days, 6 countries, 5 flights, 5 boats, a million buses and 1 pair of flip flops! What a summer I have been lucky enough to have!!

"If you don't go... You'll never know!"

Goodbye for now,

Tom x

Blog finished - 7:36pm - 20th August 2016

Total Word Count - 38,612