I'M IN BANGKOK!

The Journey...
Well, here we are. Safe and sound in Thailand after a long and tiring journey from the UK.
It was all going pretty well, we had arrived at Heathrow in plenty of time. Eager to get checked-in, we approached the desk and handed over our documents. You know when you get that horrible feeling in your stomach? When the check-in clerk frowns when he types in your details... then tells you to go and speak to his college at the help desk... then tells you you've not been booked on the flight, despite what STA travel seem to think.. and there's nothing they can do. AHHHH!!! I was very close to having a breakdown in the middle of terminal 3. After ages of trying to get in touch with STA, Daddy Tuckett (my hero!) steps in and rebooks my flight right there. PHEW.
The rest of the journey went smoothly (apart from the turbulence over Europe - bumpy!). Oman Air were really good and we got lots of yummy food, and watched lots of good films.
Successfully negociated Muscat Airport (lovely) and arrived in a hot and sticky Bangkok and got a taxi (I was very disappointed not to get a neon-pink one!) straight to our guest house - Sam Sen Sam Place - which is really lovely, so clean and friendly! Sleep was needed... so we passed out in our little wooden panelled room and looked forward to exploring in the morning...

First Impressions of Bangkok...
I don't think I really understood how BIG it is. 6 million people. Probably about that many motorbikes too! It's amazing. I have to say Nai and I are pretty blown away by it all. The sights, the sounds, the SMELLS (some good, some bad!) are all so vivid and exciting and new. It really is sensory overload. But we've had a really good day (it feels like several already!) and coped well with the hustle and bustle, and the heat! which is extreme. Very humid, but we've so far avioded getting soaked in the monsoon rains yet, it only seems to rain at night.
We started off wandering, and soon realised we wern't going to get far, so a lovely man told us a tuktuk would be best, and today was a special priced day because the government were giving the tuktuk men money for petrol, so it would be cheap. We weren't sure whether to believe him, but he was right! It was 20Baht for the day (about 40p!) and he took us to see loads of beautiful temples (as well as the cursory visits to his mates' shops. You can't really blame them, because they get commission even if we just look around, so we nodded and smiled politely and it was all fine). So we saw about 5 temples, a huge golden buddha (Standing Buddha) and The Golden Mountain (pretty impressive!). I lit some incense, a candle and gave Buddha some sort of flower-fruit (he likes them apparently) for good luck and safe travels (and to keep you happy Mum! :)
In the afternoon we wandered round alot, and then came back to the hostel to escape the heat and have a nap.
People are so incredibley friendly here. So many people have stopped just to talk to us, or show us the way, and they genuinely don't want anything from you, just a chat. They love it when you smile, and we have learnt to say "Korf Kun Ka!" (thankyou!) to everyone, which they love. And they all ADORE Nai, especially the women. They all moon over her skin - "look so white! like milk! I am like coffee!" It's really sweet and alot guessed we are sisters.
This evening we've been for a long walk to Chinatown, in search of a legendary food-court, which turns out doesn't exist. haha! And then ended up having some awesome noodles off a street vendor in the Khao San tourist district - which is like another world. We wandered up and down taking in all the sights and the people.
There are cats and dogs EVERYWHERE. I'm trying so hard not to stroke them, they all so look sad. There was one particularly cute one asleep on an air-con unit, we stopped to take a picture... then quickly ran away when it turned out to be an actual terrifying beast! No rabies for us no thanks! haha!

Anyway I've written loads already... sorry bout that! I'll try and keep it short and snappy in the future. Off to Cambodia tomorrow. Got our bus tickets, which I'm a tiny bit apprehensive about, because we got them from a tourist office the tuktuk driver took us to. But we shall see! Early start - 6.30am pick-up. So I'm off for some kip :)

Night!

Ellie (and Nai!)