Well I arrived tired but alert from Qantas flight 002 from London Heathrow to Bangkok Don Muang International Airport on Friday 3rd March 2006. The moment I stepped out of the plane into the walkway the heat hit me. It was 33 degrees. Not quite the sub-zero temperatures I'd left behind in snowy Scotland! Collected my rucksack and made it through immigration. Then had to queue for ages to catch a metered taxi into the city. I had already booked my hotel and was so tired I just wanted to dump everything and sleep! Taxi ride was rather hairy to say the least. There is absolutely no road etiquette in Thailand. Everyone is crazy! It took over an hour to get to the hotel but cost me only 400 baht (5 pounds). Was worth it alone for the air conditioning! Checked into my hotel - The 4* Menam Riverside - thought I'd give myself a couple of nights of luxury to recover from the flight! Also, I soon realised that you really really need somewhere nice to escape to in Bangkok. Room 902 had what seemed the best views in the whole place! I was very impressed. Dumped my rucksack, had a quick shower, scanned the TV for something in English (there was only Eurosport or BBC World) and then went to sleep. It was 7pm. Woke up what seemed like days later - it was now 1.45am - and I was wide awake! Read my Rough Guide to Thailand for 2 and a half hours and then tried to sleep again - but it wasn't happening. Soon my alarm was going off. 8am, and of course by now I was in a deep sleep again. Thailand is 7 hours ahead of the UK and I was now somewhere in between! Anyway, after forcing myself to get up, I left the hotel to go and explore. It was Saturday, so I decided to visit the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. Firstly however, I had to buy my train ticket to Chiang Mai. The Rough Guide advises you buy this in advance. So I jumped into a taxi at the hotel and told the concierge guy where I wanted to go. He then muttered something to the driver in Thai and off we sped. We didn't go to the station as planned, but instead arrived at a travel agent across the street from it. They were outside waiting for me to arrive, where they ushered me in, sat me down and gave me a glass of cold water. Then the agent - Micki - got me to divulge my entire itinerary for Thailand and said she'd book me not only my train ticket to Chiang Mai, but my accommodation for the 3 nights there, 2 nights in Phuket and 2 nights in Koh Samui. The total figure: 18,000 baht ( 260 pounds). On hearing this, I thought at first it sounded like a good deal. It was only after I'd handed over my credit card that I realised, had I booked everything myself as first planned, I would have paid around half that! Still, you live and learn! So I left the travel agent and headed for the subway to get up to the Chatuchak Market. I was then interupted by a tuk tuk driver, who said he'd take me anywhere in the city for 20 baht. I liked the sound of that so hopped on board. It was then, that he said first he'd take me to a tailor shop for cheap clothes and then a gem gallery for cheap ruby's and sapphires! I had read warnings about this in the Rough Guide, but when he said that even if I just looked for ten minutes he'd get free gasoline for his tuk tuk and I didn't have to buy anything, I thought ok. Felt sorry for him - he was pleading with me! Anyway, the first shop seemed annoyed when it became apparent I was not at all interested in ordering any clothes from them. So we went to the gem gallery. It was busy with lots of tourists, who'd obviously all been taken there by tuk tuk drivers as well! It was nice to look at and I did end up buying a ring - but it was only 600 baht (9 pounds) and at least my guy would get his free petrol now. Eventually, I made it to the market (wishing I'd just caught the subway after all). I walked inside and for the next 2 hours just wandered around aimlessly looking at everything on offer. There are literally thousands of stalls selling everything from homewares, to cheap designer jeans. My least favourite part of the market was the animal section. Hundreds of stalls with cages crammed with tiny baby rabbits and guinea pigs - many without any water and it was HOT!!!! Tanks filled with tiny baby russian dwarf hamsters who looked just a few days old! Pens with the cutest puppies and kittens - most of them asleep in the sweltering heat - although I did often have to check that they were still breathing! Mice, Fish, Squirrel Monkeys, Poultry - there was nothing you couldn't buy if you wanted. Anyway, I was pretty upset at the sight of this and knowing I was powerless to do anything, I left and headed off to the food stalls. Vendors selling amazing thai foods and for pennies! The smells were sensational! When it was time to leave, I had a hard time finding my way out of the market. Eventually I managed it though and headed for the Sky Train. The Sky Train is an ideal way to get around the city and it has very strong air conditioning! I hopped on and made my way down to Siam Square - the main shopping district. After a look around I caught another sky train back to my end of town and then hopped on a river boat. Sailed up the Chao Prayha River and then got off and headed for Thanon Khao San (Khao San Road) - famous for backpackers and other Farangs (tourists). However, before I made it there I met another tuk tuk driver. Not having learned my lesson he offered to take me to The Lucky Buddha, The Golden Mountain and then back to Khao San Road. I agreed and off we went. At the Lucky Buddha I met a nice thai man who explained what it was all about and helped me light 3 incense sticks in front of the buddha which would bring me good luck for life. He asked where I was from, and like everybody who asks, his first remark upon hearing I'm from Scotland is always "ahh, whisky". Then we were off to the Golden Mountain. There are 600 steps to the top and at the bottom this little thai women offere me a cage of 4 little birds. For 100 baht I could take them to the top and release them which would be looked kindly upon by the gods. I just thought it was cruel so paid her the 100 baht and set off. After I had released the birds, had a look around and taken some photos of the great views of Bangkok, I went back down again. The bird woman caught me at the bottom again and ushered me up some steps to see "Big Buddha". I thougth this was part of the experience so went up with her. She helped me light more incense sticks, release 4 more cages of birds and then took a photograph of me with the big buddha. Then she took 1600 baht off me for her services!! I couldn't believe it!!! I fell right into that one though and was so annoyed at myself. Scamming is such a huge thing in Bangkok and I have learned the hard way! Will definitely be on my guard from now on. Anyway, we headed back to Khao San Road which I walked down. Wasn't overly impressed to be honest. It's more expensive than elsewhere in the city and is busy and quite dirty (although most of Bangkok is hugely polluted anyway). I had something to eat in a restaurant at the bottom of the road and enjoyed some coconut milk straight from the coconut. Then I walked back to the pier and caught the express boat back down river to my hotel. Had a shower and hit the hay early as I was pretty knackered! Next day, I tried to see the reclining buddha at Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, but was told that they were both closed due to a religious ceremony. Later read in the Rough Guide that tuk tuk drivers tell this to tourists and then offer to take them around the city instead (via gem stores and tailor shops). Anyway, I hopped into an air-conditioned metered taxi instead and went to see the black buddha temple. Wasn't hugely exciting but I did get to see some actual buddha and monk worship going on. Then went back to the hotel and sat in the nice cool lobby for a couple of hours reading up on Chiang Mai. This was my next stop and I was catching the overnight train at 6pm. Headed off to the station at 4.30 telling myself that in my 1 remaining day in Bangkok on the 17th I will definitely see the reclining buddha and Grand Palace. So overall, not too impressed with Bangkok to be honest. Apart from its nice temples, great food and cheapness - it is dirty, busy and you have to be on your guard at all times which takes it out of you. Not somewhere you'd go for a relaxing holiday. Still, I'm glad I've seen it.