Mmm, so here it starts.... Well, Yesterday was both a long and short day: Long in the sense of being couped up on planes, flying all day, and short in that my whole day has consisted of only twelve hours (Manchester to Bangkok had taken twelve hours including transfers, but I arrived today at nearly same time i'd taken off [I asked for the time back at the airport, so they gave me a receipt to cash-in on my return journey]). Although, I can say that Etihad is a quality airline: computers on every seat, with access to more movies than you can shake a stick at and they even give eye-masks and socks to sleep in (needless to say, I nicked both pairs of socks - yeah, comfy) and the meals were fair large too. I didn't sleep much on Monday night after getting banned from Morrisons, so I got some some good shut-eye on the first leg, before watching The Chronicles of Narnia, which I must say is a complete misjustice to the cartoon (Haven't read the book - can't verdict). Apart from saying bye to sweet Cara I didn't speak to anyone all that day. After arriving at Bangkok airport I jumped the overcrowded and precarious train to le centre ville, passing villages and shanty towns built out of corrogated iron and old wood along the way. I was expecting the culture shock to hit me, but there is still alot of western culture mixed in and around everywhere so the feeling never really surfaced. I needed to be somewhere remote. After sweating for what seemed like an age on the train (it stopped spontaeneously every now and again for twenty minutes, with no human traffic, and then when it started moving again you had people leaping on and off!?), I jumped a tuk-tuk with an Aussie guy I had met to get to Khao San Road - backpacker's pit. Getting schauffered in a tuk-tuk is like being on Bolton waltser - they've got a kick like a stallion. I nearly fell off the f*cker. And, well, here I am, presently sat in a grainy bar stroke hostel stroke resteraunt stroke internet cafe on Bangkok's Khao San Road, sweating like a beast and raped with jet-lag. I haven't even got a room yet. In fact, I better sort that out....................................... .............I later booked a room at the same grainy bar stroke hostel stroke resteraunt stroke internet cafe and it only cost me three squid - cheap as chips (cringe). The remainder of afternoon was spent wandering aimlessly in no particular direction, until I hit the river, and then gingerly moped along the banking, eventually falling asleep on a shaded bench. The water was murky brown. When I did get up, I decided it would be best practice to head back to the hostel; my eyes were still closing against my will. Along the way to the river and back I passed endless amounts of street vendors selling all kinds of s*** on sticks: fruit, chicken and the old decomposing fish had reared its ugly head again. It was a pleasent walk, but just this little wander made me lose about a pound in perspiration. Mind you, I would have lost the s*** anyway: there's no escaping the thick, humid, air. I didn't go back to sleep, but dossed around Khao San Road and watched the colours stream past. It's now about 10:00pm and I am b-o-r-e-d. Gonna go out and see what the night life's all about (smirk).