Back in Bangkok

Just back in Bangkok after spending nearly two weeks horizontal in Koh Chang. We seemed to spend our time either lying on the beach or by the pool or on our bed watching, mostly rubbish, dvds. I prefer to think we were girding our loins for our forthcoming trip round Cambodia and Vietnam and the imminent tribulations of damp rooms, hard beds, long bus journeys, rice, rice and more rice. Brian says I am just lazy. Harrumph.

We (well, let's say, Brian) opted to return to Bangkok by bus instead of chauffeur driven car, my preferred mode of transport. He sold it to me on the basis of it being - a. much cheaper and b. a 'VIP' bus with toilet. Foolishly I went along with his crazy idea, planning on spending the money we had saved on more fripperies and gorgeousness. In summary, the bus journey took about 9 hours (it took us a mere 3 and a half hours to get there - although our driver on the way down was so fast and reckless we did most of the journey with our eyes closed and our knuckles whitely clenching the armrest), as we broke down just outside of Bangkok and had to watch them try to fix all 5 fanbelts with the aid of a hammer (naturally), a crowbar and a pair of molegrips. The preferred method of Asian roadside maintenance. 4 beers, 20 cigarettes and 3 hours later, they succeeded. And all without the aid of an AA man. Because we had bought our ticket from 'Cheap Tickets R Us' for some unfathomable reason we were only allowed on the bus after everyone else had got on and chosen the best, comfiest seats. In reality this meant that most people had opted for a cherished 'double seat' and we were left having to sit next to other people just next to the toilet. Which, although convenient, also got smellier as the journey progressed. Luckily, instead of the usual bus nutter, I got a seat next to a reasonably sane English guy from Birmingham, called Kam, who was very amusing, although absolutely no use to me with the cryptic crossword. Tsk. He was on holiday with his mate 'Dave from Clapham' who had scored himself a double seat in front of us, but as luck would have it, he ended up having to share with some bad tempered old Chinese woman with double chins and a moustache. Ha. Brian sat next to an English girl who pointedly put on her earphones with a startled expression when he sat next to her, and after our unscheduled stop went to sit next to her friend, but not before putting all her and her mates' bags on her now empty seat, leaving Brian squashed up against the window hemmed in by sweaty back packs and looking rather forlorn. He tried to get me to come and sit next to him, but I was having too much fun with my new best friends. We finally got into Bangkok at 9.30 p.m. and spent a frustrating half hour trying to get a cab driver who would actually admit that his meter was working - funny how they all pack up on a Friday and Saturday evening. I n the end we got bored haggling over a couple of quid and allowed ourselves to be hijacked for $3. Daylight robbery.

Reunited with Cardini we still couldn't bring ourselves to throw anything away and instead crammed it full with yet more purchases from Koh Chang - board shorts, hats - I just don't know where it all comes from! Our third bag is now bursting at the seams and next time we are back in Bangkok we will have just 24 hours to ship it, ditch it or incorporate it into our already full packs. Bri is starting to admit he may have brought too much stuff and is starting to contemplate a life without his mosquito hat and assorted rainwear collection. He has already parted with the mosquito net - which was quite painful.

We spent our time in Bangkok restoring ourselves to pre-trip condition - a trip to the hairdressers, a bit of body waxing, massaging, facials and pedicures - I'm starting to feel like Victoria Beckham after a couple of days of strolling from one beauty parlour to another.

We also found this great Night Bazaar at a place called Suan Lum, opposite the Lumpini Stadium where they do thai boxing, it's got lots of different types of thai crafts for sale and you can wander around without constant exhortations to 'just have a look madam'. 'you like t-shirt?', or, my personal favourite 'what you want to buy?' grrrr. Brian bought a new watch that has so many dials and gadgets on it it weighs about 2 kilos and means that when he wears it he develops a slight list to one side, rather like the leaning tower of Pisa. I have to walk on his other side just in case he topples over completely. We also went to see a great puppet show there which last year won some puppetry award in Praque. Unfortunately Brian got set upon by a gang of vicious blood-sucking mosquitoes in the theatre and he emerged covered in large red, itchy bumps, and in an exceedingly bad mood. So that was the end of the evening - we then had to go home and muse on the injustice of the entire third world mosquito population having a bit of a thing for Bri. Still, apparently we saved a fortune.