Bangkok. 3.12.2014 And so the adventures begin ...again. The backpacks are out,the travelling clothes on and the gypsey mindset installed. How lucky and blessed are we ! Landing in Bangkok after our last visit 14 years was magical. This vibrant city grabbed me as it did on our previous visits. Incredible how they knew I was coming though ...the whole city decorated with flowers, gaudily gold colourful peacocks and statues of deities and just millions of fairy lights in the trees ( how did they know that these are my favourite !). Magical fairy paradise ! How lucky for the king that he can share this all with me on Friday, 5th December on the celebration of his 87th birthday. This city is glowing and sparkling ....like one big birthday party. How lucky to have arrived in time to bask in the glow. Our gorgeous room in a small guesthouse (Arom d'Hostel), chosen for the proximity to the Grand Palace and the Lavazzo coffee they serve in the restaurant downstairs, lets us experience the sights and sounds of the city ( unfortunately also the very noisy construction which starts at about 10pm ....but with earplugs...nothing is a problem - although the chap blowing his whistle non-stop for hours as a safety feature really was a bit much ...even for me ). Amazing how the building work is done at night, I assume because of the heat and the crowded streets during the day. Our little 5 minute walk to explore the close proximity turned into a 3 hour TukTuk trip ...and the visit to a tailor shop. Good experience ...although I am sure that the "helpful" man outside the Grand Palace, who gave us some hot tips on the Smiling Buddha temple, that was only open that day, was in cahoots with the TukTuk driver and the tailor shop. We got a grand tour of an extended area, experienced a hair-raising TukTuk ride through rush-hour traffic (I now know why Asians wear face masks) and marvelled at the 1000s of fairy-lights in the trees and light decorations around the Palace and the main streets of this old Pra Nakhon area of Bangkok, on Rattanakosin Island, surrounded by cannals and the main river running through Bangkok. As there were big local festivities happening in the local gardens, also in honour of the Kings Birthday, we strolled through the many exhibition tents and enjoyed displays of traditional Thai dancing. The royal elephants, even 2 white ones, were entertaining the crowds, all decked out in their finery and trained to smile while people posed for photos with them. It made me sad to see the chains around their necks and their subservience....it is just so much better to see and experience elephants in the wild.