Yesterday we arrived back in Bangkok after a 2 hour flight from Hanoi, Vietnam. It was quite exciting going on an aeroplane again!

We realised that we havent wrote a blog for Bangkok even though we have actually been here 7 times now !!!

Bangkok is a crazy place....

This is a city where absoloutly anything goes - you either love it or hate it! On our first visit we didnt think much to it. But when we got here yesterday we breathed a sigh of releif and said 'home'.... Its so familiar to us now and so easy ! Especially after Cambodia and Vietnam!

Koah San Road (the main backpacker area) is busy, touristy, loud, smelly and quite dirty (we've seen more rats than we'd have like to)...

Its full of all kinds of walks of life from hippies (long dreads, pierced lips, baggy pants) to Brits abroad (English guys sat with their tops off drinking beer - having your shirt off here in public is considered to be very rude)

On our first visit we fell for one (one of many) of the koah san road scams...the 10baht tuk tuk scam... 10baht is 20p...maybe less... and they promise to take you to 3 or 4 sights (grand palace, reclining buddha etc) which they do (to be fair) but also end up taking you to a suit shop and a TAT (we told you this story in a previous blog)

We still see that tuk tuk driver and he just smiles innocently !

You can purchase anything your heart desires in this place, theres nothing money cant buy! Especially on Koah San Road....

You can buy anything from a novelty t-shirt ( 'same same...but different' / 'chang beer' tshirts etc) to a business suit... Wooden bracelets/necklaces, flip flops etc, to fake ID/ fake diplomas / fake passports....!!!

All the items for sale must be haggled for ! And they always make you feel special by saying 'Discount! Just for you , my friend!'

Yesterday we were in the process of buying a headband, just as we were about to hand the money over the guy started packing the stall up and we turned to see two police bikes!!! The stall just disappeared as if it was never there!!

Fake Cd's and DVDs are for sale everywhere you look. Cds are playes at top volume from the stalls (mainly Sex on Fire by KOL although we havent heard it this time so far... im sure they wont disapoint!)

DVDs are played in various Guesthouses and outside they will have the screening times.

For some reason these movies have English subtitles even though the films are either English or American! But they are hilarious because they have obviously been written up by a Thai person and they just GUESS with some of them... its really distracting!!! You just cant help but laugh...

The bars are also an experience as it is a guessing game to which of the women are in fact women, and which are lady boys!

On leaving the bars you are hounded by tuk tuk drivers trying to sell you some kind of drug or shouting 'where you go?' and offering to take you to a ping pong show (dont ask)

Theres also always a guy on a bicycle with really loud music blaring from speakers and his all dressed up in crazy outfits! Very random but highly entertaining.

Every kind of food is available here.. There are hundreds of bars & restaurants, plus MacDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Starbucks..... There are about 5 Seven-Elevens, 3/4 'Boots' stores and hundreds (well it seems like hundreds) of Suit Shops! All this down one street!

Coming back to Thailand were realising just how cheap the food is here (Compared with Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) You can buy Muesli and milk for 50p, Pad Thai for 40p, chocolate and banana pancakes (Roti) for 40p.... Here is where we start making up for all of the money we have spent over the past two months....

Outside of all this madness, Bangkok has a lot to offer. Some amazing temples and Pagodas, giant Buddhas and 15 floor shopping centres. Last November / December when we were here we spent a full day at these shopping centres and then went to one of the many cinemas to watch a film (House Bunny) Before the film began the Kings Anthem comes on and you have to stand to show respect !!

It is so so SO hot and sticky here! And very polluted.... Constant traffic jams (not as crazy as Vietnam, crossing the road is a breeze) lots and lots of stray dogs everywhere (respected here because the King loves dogs) and just general wheeling and dealing...

I definately think we will be making a return visit in the future (preferably with an empty suitcase and a wallet full of cash) xxx