First off, an explanation regarding photos. Naturally I am taking loads of snaps, but I've had a bit of a nightmare involving the apparent loss of my USB lead that I need in order to upload my photos. Working on getting a new one out here/sent over but until then my words will be all you have the pleasure of viewing. Photos seem to take awhile to upload to this blog so will probably only have a select few included - all others will of course be on my facebook.

Boring bit over. Are you all sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin to regale you with tales from the Thai capital of Bangkok (Bards and Wit these geographical explanations are mainly for your benefit, saves me buying you more atlases).

Our first afternoon in Bangkok led us to partake in a bit of a reccie, albeit slightly accidentally. We essentially got lost in Bangkok. We fancied going to the river and maybe getting a longboat to see the floating markets, so got in a tuk tuk which only cost us 5 baht, the equivalent of about 10p. We soon found out why it was so cheap when we got dropped at the most random and obscure part of the river, down a tiny backstreet alley where some Thai guy tried to charge us 20 quid each for this trip on what appeared to be more like a long boat for dolls rather than actual live human beings. Needless to say we recognised the rip off and jumped in another tuk tuk to go to another part of the river edge where we suspected we would be more successful.

A note on tuk tuks - they aren't quite the fun of the bicycle kind on London streets that you often deem a good idea between bars on a Saturday night out in the big smoke. Thai tuk tuks are fast. Really fast, and weave in an out of traffic so much I actually started to close my eyes on journeys so at least the coming death would be made less terrifying by not be able to see it coming at 60 mph. We spent at least 50% of the journey on the wrong side of the road zooming towards oncoming traffic before weaving back into the correct lane seconds before impact. As you do.

After the tuk tuk ride from hell we ended up being pointed (incorrectly) over a bridge by crazy tuk tuk driver and spent the next hour and a half walking through neighbourhoods similar to that you see in Slumdog Millionaire instead of embarking on a leisurely longboat ride. The locals seemed a little shocked to see a couple of white girls walking past their open houses as they lay on their living room floors playing with their children and cooking up lunch, but after a smile they became pretty amused with our unorthodox route. So no encountering of any gangs or anything yet, always a plus to stay alive. Eventually we got to Wat Arun which was beautiful, and although we didn't go in we managed some great photos which you will see in due course. Traditional Thai architecture is so beautifully ornate that even some of our old British buildings look kind of pathetic next to them.

We finally managed to get a longboat ride around the river to see the floating market for 8 quid each, so did well holding out on the attempted daylight robbery/potential death by tiny boat in choppy river from the first guy. The floating markets aren't how the old photos portray them at all sadly, you get off onto a floating platform rather than have the boats floating along full of brightly coloured fruit. Bit of a disappointment but still interesting to see. The river is lined on both sides with a combination of shacks on stilts that look suspiciously on the thin side due to water erosion and huge plush houses set back a bit. Such houses could be next door neighbours which you wouldn't see in England. Imagine a block of council flats next to a gated mansion. Doesn't quite fit, does it?

We decided against staying in Bangkok longer than planned in the end - turns out Bangkok can be done in quite a short space of time and any longer would have been far too much. Managed to get in a cheap-as-chips massage and tried the fish foot spa before we left; feels like a major achievement to someone who can't stand their feet being touched. I'll be honest - there was a bit of screeching involved. My loud voice didn't seem to deter the fish though and they had a good nibble. Kind of gross when I think back on it but new experiences and all that.

Before moving on this morning we stopped by the Grand Palace, beautiful as expected (and picture attached, kindly provided by offexploring.com - how good of them). The buildings are covered in mosaic with tiny mirrors that makes the sun dance off of them constantly. I'm hoping the photos will do it justice so you can enjoy seeing the palace without the stiffling heat (and obviously, the twelve hour flight).

Felt like a true backpacker today when we managed to find the bus stop for the minibus the locals use to travel in the direction of Kanchanaburi rather than the less adventurous travellers minibus route. It was a close call for the first breakdown of the trip for Lauren but thankfully my map reading skills (gained from a combination of the Brownies and a need to be able to read maps due to my mum's horrendous sense of direction) pulled through in time. Felt very authentic being the only foreigners on the bus.

I love Kanchanaburi so far; we have a little room that opens up onto a beautiful garden complete with hammocks that is situated right on the river - a steal at 2 quid each per night. The atmosphere of the town is incredibly chilled which is kind of ironic considering that 70 years ago it used to be a POW camp. As some of you can imagine, I'm incredibly excited about upping my geek factor with the trips to the Death Railway and Bridge on the River Kwai in the coming days. (Insert abuse here) For those who don't know, this area of Thailand could be compared to Auschwitz due to its role in WWII for POWs captured by the Japanese. So it should be pretty interesting. Will let you know... x