17.05.14. Today has been a brilliant day. I met Abby in Bangkok airport at the 'meeting point'. Of course Abby would go to the meeting point, she is very organised! From here we got a taxi to khoa San road to find the office for a bus that we would catch later on that day. But first things first we had a Starbucks....priorities!! I have been craving Starbucks since my second week in Cambodia! It certainly satisfied. We were told to leave our bags outside the bus office, it felt as though almost anyone could pick them up, when I asked it they were safe to be left there I got a disgruntled 'yes' as a response. I certainly wasn't going to carry my bag around all day so that was our only choice! We jumped in a tuk tuk to the grand palace. We luckily knew about the scam 'the grand palace is closed but I can take you here, here and here' after my first experience with Bangkok I was not going to be taken for a fool! We got to the grand palace about 12.30. It was incredible. So beautiful and so much detail, we were able to listen to the monks praying which was pretty cool! From here we headed to the ferry and took in the sights on the way down the river. Me being me thought that our stop had arrived so instructed Abby to get off, it wasn't, I was four stops too early! My sense of direction is still sure! So after sitting on the side of the river waiting for the next ferry and witnessing a floating dead dog ( with 3 legs) we got back on the ferry to the correct stop. Next up we needed to get on the bts to take us to chatuchak market. If it wasn't for Abby then I think I would have been lost again. Abby's first experience using a squat toilet was brilliant, she was not impressed that I was introducing her to this experience but when 'you gotta go, you gotta go!'. Abby came of that toilet looking very proud, apparently a distant relative had once taught her how to pee standing up, knowledge she thought she would never need until now!
After that fiasco we headed into chatachuk market, this market was incredible, it was huge!!! The market sold everything that you could possible want! From bags, shoes, dresses, to lights, pottery, dream catchers and it had the most wonderful array of food! After getting lost in the market for a good few hours we headed back to khoa San road for some much needed dinner (and to check on our bags which luckily were still there!). Strawberry cocktail and pad Thai slipped down a treat! We were hanging around at what we thought was the bus stop for about 10 minutes before I thought it was a good idea to go and check out a bus that had stopped nearby. On my way over a man started walking over to me,I thought 'not another tuk tuk driver' so kindly said no thank you as soon as he spoke...well he was not impressed this man actually turned out to be our bus driver so swiftly shouted the bus company name at me and pointed to our bags and then to the bus! I guess that was our bus then!
The night bus proved to be better than expected for Abby. 14hours later and a ferry ride we arrived on koh Tao and have been topping our tans up since! Less than two weeks left on my trip so I better make the most of it!