Thailand, here we come! Spending only three weeks in Southeast Asia is not near enough time, but we'd visited the main sites, and that was all we wanted because one day we will return. Bangkok is going to be nothing more than a brief stopover, as we fly to Australia tomorrow evening.

Our flight was an hour and half long and very enjoyable with a lovely breakfast and good service. After our last flight, this was heaven for Margaret, and the kids dozed while the parents read and relaxed.

When we arrived in Bangkok, our hostel directions were clear and we had absolutely no problem finding the Sukumvit International Youth Hostel. Once there, it was laundry time and a chance to visit with several other backpackers.

Later that afternoon, we headed to the weekend market. At first, we didn't want to go, but everyone said we had to, including Lonely Planet, so off we went, following 2 Aussies and a South Korean who were bursting with previous knowledge of the place. It was a treat not having to find our own way through a new city. The SkyTrain to the market was really cool and clean and, when we got to the market, we saw that it is no wonder it's such a big deal. The Chatuchak Weekend Market is the largest in the world. It contains more than 15,000 shops and stalls! The aisles are about 6 feet wide and we could buy anything, and we mean anything, we wanted. It was wild and cheap, but we didn't need anything and, of course, had no room in our packs sooo… Margaret got 7 pairs of earrings and a bikini; Tessa, a key chain and bikini; Connor, two Manchester shirts and shorts; and Barry, a pair of Billabong board shorts. We got an eyeful of puppies of every shape and size - remember we said you could buy anything.

At dusk, the National Anthem came over some loudspeakers and everyone stopped to acknowledge it, which we thought was awesome. After shopping, we sat at a street-side table, had some refreshments, and people-watched. We also bought some street food: skewered chicken and frog meat!

When we got back to the hostel, we had some more bad luck with our laptop. One of the lid hinges broke off, so the lid/monitor is not secure and it looks terrible. It still works, but with 3 weeks to go we are not sure the laptop will survive.