A couple of annecdotes

first of all, i was in O'Reillys Irish bar on the Silom road, 4 Thai lads came in and asked me what I was drinking, it being Guinness. They had never seen it before so I explained it and they got a round in, it was classic, but I think they enjoyed it too! Then in the same bar one of the waitresses came up to me and in broken English asked me if I had an older brother. obviously I said no, why- and they said that i looked very similar to a guy sitting on the other side of the bar. I looked over, and not being funny, I looked absolutely nothing like this fella!! I was clearly on the receiving end of some very non-PC banter on their part- they must be thinking, "oh yer, them white folk, all look the bloody same"

Later on that night I was with a lad from Hemel, and a lad from Cheshire and we were being pestered a bit by one of the thai girls so we just ignored her. next thing i know, in perfect english she goes, "alrite maaaaaate, whats your f***ing problem maaaaaaate," taking the complete piss out of my accent!! If that wasnt bad enough she then says to me, "yo mister cool man, how many months maaaaate, 4 months or 5 months?" unsure what she meant i just shrugged and turned away, so she then taps me on my belly and says "boy or girl mister, 4 months or 5 months???!!!! great banter from the thai girl in fairness- pregnancy banter!!!

Me and the 2 lads stayed out a little longer before having a game of spot the ladyboy from an elevated bar above Patpong!

Yesterday I switched hotels to one in Chinatown where i met my group for travelling through northern thailand, loas, cambodia and vietnam. Wait until u see the pictures, honestly, my room is on the 23rd floor with panoramic views of the city. theres also an open air jacuzzi on the 24th floor which set me up nicely for this morning's long-boat tour of the River in Bangkok, and tour of the temples with an excellent local guide. The Thai people are remarkable in their adoration of both Buddah, and their King, whom if our guide is to be believed is somewhat of a humanitarian and keen to redevelop the country in line with the swift development that is taking place in India and China. You cannot however escape the poignant poverty that surrounds all aspects of daily life in Bangkok.

Tonight at 7pm, I board the overnight 12-hour train to Chang Mai, which I am assured will be an experience in itself.