Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for all your lovely messages! Its great to hear from you all. STILL in Bangkok, we are leaving tonight on a night bus to Laos. Not sure how long it takes, or if we will have sleeper bunks, but Im sure it will be an experience!! I have no idea what to expect from Laos - everyone I've met seems to love it but cant quite explain why...

Yesterday Jenny and I went to Chatachuk Market (i think...) which is this huge weekend market in Bangkok. And it really is MASSIVE. Mainly clothes and houseware stuff and bits and bobs but they also have a pets section which is pretty heartbreaking. I was considering just staying in Thailand and taking home 80 puppies (I wonder if my Cambodian orphans would be able to get a visa...? Or perhaps it would be easier to smuggle the pups over to Cambodia...? Anyway no jokes about my puppies please Dawn!) These gorgeous little puppies (and kittens...but to honest they weren't so cute) were all in these cages yelping away. AND they had these really really bizarre looking squirrel type things..most of which looked dead. It was all a bit sad.

Last night we met the other members of our group and our tour leader. I'm not going to say too much about them here, as you never know one day they might read it...but I'm sure they are really nice people. There are only 7 of us at the moment but evidently in Laos in a couple of days another 12ish will be joining us. Our tour leader...Kit...is a strange specimin. He's really friendly and nice but just a bit strange. He's not massively clued up about the trip side of things but is more than happy to spend 20 mins telling us about what happens when you get Malaria, and which snacks to bring on long journeys. And he has a long little finger nail painted pink with flowers. As I said, a strange specimin. But Im sure he'll be great!!! We all went for dinner last night. At one of the really cheap food stalls you get here. It was a bit scary as you sat in the road and had to breathe in every time a car/scooter/tuk-tuk/taxi/other food cart went by. It would have been nice to have a couple of drinks with everyone but Thailand is electing someone or something or other so this weekend (and last..) no bars are serving alcohol. Although we quickly realised in Kanchanaburi last week that what they were serving in little plastic party cups wasnt apple juice. So there are ways to get around it.

Sorry I am rambling again. Today I went Bangkok exploring on my own and everything! Got a boat down the river which was really really great actually. The longer I spend in Bangkok the more I think I might actually....like it. Some parts - like the v.backpackery area of Kho San Road are minging - very noisy and dirty and smelly. But then when you get out of those parts, its still noisy and dirty and smelly but it is more...authentic. The boat trip was a great way of seeing the other side of bankok, the business side, and some of it was quite beautiful. I got the sky train (which is exactly what is says on the tin) which was FANTASTIC! I could ride it for hours (the train). You see some beautfiul parts of the city. I also went to Lumphini Park which is a gorgeous place - a little Oasis away from the hustle and bustle. And I went to Chinatown, where I got wedged stuck in a side alley for about 20 mins.

God I have written an essay again. I am honestly having a grand time, not sitting in an internet cafe all day making things up to write this. Honest!

Lots of love to you all, I'll let you know how Laos is!

Ella

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