Day 202

Well, Thailand is just a joy. Loved India, loved Nepal - but Thailand is just so civilised and organised. There is an actual infrastructure. People are amazingly friendly and the food is divine. Gan Gan arrived and we whisked her off to Hua Hin, the glamorous seaside retreat where the King winters in his other Palace. Our hotel is beautiful and everyone is getting on fine. Its all going suspiciously well. Also, its a lot of fun having diarrhoea in a new country, at least there is a change of scene in the bathroom. After a couple of days we quickly realised it was not a glamorous seaside retreat and was actually a bit seedy and run down, so we based ourselves in the hotel and stopped going out. The days are spent just now lazing about in the sun - it feels weird having a 'holiday' when we haven't really done anything that merits a holiday. We feel guilty.

Clover is enjoying the novelty of having her granny here and spends most of the time sidling up to her, taking her hand and asking how she is - before pointing out ice-cream sundaes, dresses and necklaces that she likes. Fortunately Gan Gan is not stupid and has had apples off this cart before. Fern can't bear this sort of behaviour so hovers behind giving out random dirty looks when occasionally she gazes up from War and Peace. We braved the night market last night and Gan Gan indulged the girls in new dresses. Full of fake delights, as many D&G handbags, Bjorn Borg pants and Rolexes as you could ever imagine. Hopefully Gan Gan will let us fill her suitcase with tonnes of crap and take it home for us.

After 5 days in Hua Hin we headed back up to Bangkok which is joy on earth for us, hell for Gan Gan. On the first night we headed out to the sex district in a tuk tuk - apparently Gan Gan's two least favourite things. Did a bit of shopping but home for 8pm. Its hard to manage a holiday with a crippled OAP and two small children, and certainly there was not much in the sex district for them. Awful images of fat, sweaty old men - and I mean old - men in their 80's - hobbling along the street while pawing a girl not much older than Fern. It's hideous. Another couple of days of lying at the pool and then Gan Gan leaves and we head for Cambodia. I feel a bit cheated - we're meant to be doing adventerous travelling and really we've just had a touristy holiday. Can't complain though, 5 star service and accommodation is wonderful after our 6 months roughing it and am sure we'll miss it when its gone. Back to reality in 5 days!