We were picked up by a Tuk Tuk from our guesthouse in Siem Reap at 7.30am to get our bus to Bangkok. He took us to another guesthouse where
there were lots of other people waiting to get the bus. After a while a coach arrived but it was nearly full, so people started to panic that it had been overbooked (it is definitely possible over here). The man in charge was getting angry because everybody was understandably asking him questions. He then started to load some of the backpacks, including ours, onto the bus, so we got on and found seats. The leftover people had to wait and get another bus. Vick and I sat at the back, and Vix was further towards the front. She got talking to an Australian girl, Rosie, who had been working in an orphanage in Cambodia for two months, and was on her way to Bangkok to do a bit of travelling in Chiang Mai before she goes home on the 22nd Feb. At the first stop we all got off, I got a huge bag of tasty banana chips for 3000 riel (50p), and Vix introduced us to Rosie.

The bus was really hot but luckily it was only a couple of hours to Poipet, at the Thai-Cambodia border (not the dangerous part!). We were all offloaded and had to get our big bags as well because our bus didn't go into Thailand. We had to fill out our departure cards and queue for about an hour in a big bundle of people in the sweltering heat to have our passports checked, because walking about half a mile to cross the border into Thailand by foot. There was litter everywhere in the no man's land section and the smells (like rotting fish) were unbelievably disgusting - I wretched quite a few times!

On the Thai side we had to fill out our arrival cards and queue for about another 20 minutes to have our passports checked again, and then went outside. We all had stickers from the bus, and as we came outside the bus man wrote a number on them. We then had to sit in the heat amongst the litter and smells for another half an hour or so to wait for our numbers. When our numbers were called it was another 10 minute walk to get a minibus, but once there we had to wait
about another 20 minutes so we got an ice lolly. Eventually we got onto a minibus and began on our way to Bangkok. Definitely the most inconvenient border crossing yet.

When I first arrived in Thailand three weeks ago I thought it was so dirty and undeveloped, but having been to the other places, especially Laos and Cambodia, Thailand suddenly seemed really developed, especially when we stopped at a clean, air-conditioned service station. We stopped too many times on the way to Bangkok, I think our driver liked resting. We were schedule to arrive at 3.30pm but we actually arrived at 7pm!

We found our guesthouse and Rosie went to find out about getting straight on a bus to Chiang Mai, but it was $50! After much deliberation and a few tears, she decided to join us three for the next week or so and come down to the islands with us instead of going to Chiang Mai, so we now have a fourth member of the group! She is really friendly and easy going so I think it is going to be really fun.

Once the decision had been made we were all quite excited so we showered and got dressed up (a sun dress, flip flops and a coat of mascara) and headed to the area around Khao San Road for some noodles and drinks. We ended up shopping until midnight - I bought some more gifts and a couple of things for myself - I seriously need to stop. No more shopping until I buy Havaianas in South America - hopefully.

We had discussed with Jordi who we met in Siem Reap the infamous 'ping pong shows' in Thailand, and they sounded disgusting but somehow fascinating. The Tuk Tuk drivers on Khao San road are constantly trying to get you to go to them, so we made a rash decision when one of them asked us and jumped in his Tuk Tuk at half midnight to go to one! I would never normally do anything like that and never will again. I think we were all a bit naive because it is so prevalent everywhere that it sounds as normal and commonplace as going to a nightclub, but when you get there you realise that there is probably little chance that the women are enjoying themselves or want to be there. I feel a bit guilty that we paid to see it but it was a memorable experience nonetheless, and I suppose that is what travelling is all about!

When we came out, our Tuk Tuk driver (who had quoted us 5 baht each for a round trip), had gone, and instead some other Tuk Tuk drivers were trying to charge us 200 baht! You can't really avoid such scams in Thailand though. We walked down the road a bit and got a taxi with a meter to our guesthouse which cost us a much more reasonable 65 baht (£1.30).

Back at the guesthouse I opened my Valentine's card from Ed as it was technically the 14th, and he had got me the same card that I got him!

We eventually went to sleep at 3am.

xxx