The flight from Sydney to Bangkok was fantastic thanks to the last minute upgrade to bussiness class given by the BA staff! We were both enjoying the extra leg room, free wine and eating with a proper knife and folk! We arrived in Bangkok late and didn't make it to our hotel until midnight.

Feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep we ventured out into the city for our first day of sightseeing. First hurdel was to haggle for a Tuk Tuk to take us to the Grand Palace. The journey was good fun although a little hariraising in places! The Grand Palace is beautiful and its temples house various Buddha images but the most significant is the Emerald Buddha, which is a tiny jadeite Buddha image, hugely scared and renowned for its miraculos powers and dates back to 1785. That night we had some drinks in the hotel bar before taking a walk through the local market. Bangkok doesn't sleep!

The next day I turned a year older! Up early we had a dip in the pool before making the most of the hotel breakfast buffet. We then headed out at 8am to Wat Pho Bangkoks oldest temple which houses the enormous gold statue of a reclining Buddha, a mere 45meters long and has the most beautifuly decorated mother of pearl feet! Next stop was Wat Arun which is located on the other side of the Chao Phraya River, Wat Arun is a differnt looking temple to the others we visited and is decorated with flowers made from bits of broken porcelain donated by local people. Back at the hotel Ben had arranged for me to have an hour long Thai massage such a lovely treat! That night we then had dinner locally.

Saturday morning we caught the skytrain to Mo Chit for some retail therapy at the largest outdoor market probably in the world. It was simply amazing, you can buy everything from handbangs, clothes, plants, furniture, sweets, food, fish, dogs, cats and even snakes! We walked miles!

Today we are realxing by the pool at the hotel and making the most of the home comforts before we catch the overnight train from Bangkok to Nong Kai and then cross the baorder into Laos.