Hey Peeps!

Day 1 (Tuesday 17th October 2006)

We made it to Bangkok, arriving at 15.30 local time. The 11-hour flight was tedious and we think Marc has contracted sars (coughing and sneezing the whole way)! We don't much like Bangkok. It's a busy, smelly, dirty, smog-blighted metropolis... a cultural eye-opener but 2-days is enough!

The journey from Suvarnabhuni Airport to our hotel (Asia Bangkok) was caotic to say the least. The fact that we had no idea where we were going seemed like a minor concern compared to the outside world of crazy tuk tuk and moped drivers, whole families hanging out of the back of dump trucks and heards of cows casually strolling across the highway.

Still finding our feet, we were yet to work out the exchange rate. The poor hotel porter who brought up our lugage, earned himself what we thought was a huge generous tip...however we realise now that it was only about 15p! After stumbeling upon our hotel, we checked in before venturing back out for a bite to eat. Sarah had a tasty Thai Chicken Stirfry - Marc took one bite and nearly blew his head off!

Feeling particulary adventurous Marc went for a Snapper fillet... but when you weigh it all up I guess all he really had was fish and chips!! The meal was made all the more special by the beautiful lady boy who served us our food!

When we got back Marc managed to pick up the Arsenal game in our room. Sadly they lost and we fell asleep as a tropical storm hit Bangkok. 

Day 2 (Wednesday 18th October 2006)

Marc's sars has got worse! We were both tired and drained but determind to get out and see a bit Bangkok. We brought a sky train pass and saw the National Standium and the MBK shopping centre.

From there we visted Siam square, where by accident, we bumped into a lovely Thai school teacher. This dude was extremely helpful and knowledgable and pointed us in the direction of the T.A.T (Tourist Authority of Thailand), however it all seemed a little too good to be true. and we've probably been suckered in to one of the best Thai scams of all time!

Before we knew it we were on a tuk tuk heading into down-town Bangkok. A stop in some backstreet office, chat with another li'l Thai dude and 1500 Baht later we had signed ourselves up for the rest of our Thailand trip.

The dude in the office had arranged our whole travel and accomodation for the next 3-weeks, and if legit, it was a job well done. We'll obviously be suspicious about it right up until we meet him in the morning, but he surely has to be genuine if the T.A.T (recommended in our Lonely Planet guide) are regulated by the government. He met us agian later that night at our hotel to hand over our reciepts and we handed over 10000 Baht, with a futher 28500 to be paid in the morning, when he apparantly comes to personally transfer us to our coach to Ko Chang. We know how it looks but all will be revealed tomorrow...

Aside from being 'scammed' we visted the 12th floor swimming pool. Sarah thought she would lighten the mood by accidentally wearing her bikini bottoms the wrong way round! In the evening we visited Patpong Night Market where we bargained with intensity for some t-shirts. Marc had to get some new ones because his Arsenal shirt was begining to cause such attention that one guy, shouting "Arsenal, Arsenal", walked straight into a lamp post!

We completed the night in a 'rock' pub opposite the hotel where we enjoyed some more Thai cuisine whilst headbanging to Celine Dion...don't ask!