So here's the first of probably many blog entries over the next year, which I've finally found some time to bang out! All went smooth at Manchester airport after being dropped off by my mother...no tears at this end obviously! The flights themselves weren't the best, especially for Emirates, but that was probably my lack of ability to sleep on public transport as much as anything!

Suffice to say, I landed in Bangkok sufficiently jetlagged and tired, but getting through immigration was simple enough, though very slow. I then got the express train and skytrain to hostel, which was very easy and painfree! I was supposed to meet my friend Matt after I landed (he came out to Bangkok for the week and arrived about 12 hours earlier) but he'd already crashed! Since I was knackered and it was late evening, I crashed not long later, expecting or at least hoping for a decent sleep. The jetlag disagreed. I don't think I got an hour that night but all is/was good!

We spent the first full day (Monday) moving around Bangkok on a canal boat and then exploring a few temples and other places on foot. The boat was good value for money but naturally we ended up walking way more than would be advised in 35 degree heat! Given the lack of sleep the previous night and the activities of the day, I reasonably expected a better sleep. I got one! I actually got a full 90 minutes.

On Tuesday, we decided to go over to Kanchanaburi, which is the site of the Bridge over the River Kwai. We went there via train so it was an early start, and after two relatively sleepless nights, that wasn't most appreciated. It wasn't the most comfortable train ride, but at 50p, one couldn't really complain. We stayed on the train until the River Kwai, which is further along the road than Kanchanaburi itself. When the train has moved on, people are welcome to walk over the bridge. In itself, I didn't find the bridge particularly spectacular, but then the historical connotations need to be taken into account. After seeing the bridge, we walked into Kanchanaburi itself and had a look at the war cemetery, which is like any other. We then got a tuk tuk back to River Kwai and had lunch prior to the train arriving (very late) for the return journey. It turned into quite a long day but definitely worth it! Can't remember what we did in the evening, but I do remember upping the sleep count to 4 or 5 hours!

Wednesday was a more relaxed day, spent looking at a few remaining temples. We also briefly went to the Royal Palace, but long trousers are required for entry, so decided to return another day! I spent my first proper time at the hostel on Wednesday evening whilst Matt went for a meal which I couldn't afford on my budget! Though he was somewhat regretful that he spent 100 times more than me that night.

The intention on Thursday was to visit Ayutthaya but we were both pretty tired and couldn't really be assed with the journey. I therefore ventured out in the ridiculous heat in my long trousers, to the Royal Palace. The place is pretty spectacular but was far far too busy. One of my main conclusions from the day was that Chinese people are turning into the ultimate narcissists, with their propensity to ruin what would be perfectly fine pictures of a perfectly fine temple, without themselves being front and centre! Still a nice place though! The rest of Thursday has become somewhat of a blur, so it must have been uneventful!

On Friday we did go to Ayutthaya. We arrived at the train station, got on the train, for which the ticket humourously cost less than a doughnut. However we were then all informed to get off the train, for reasons unknown. A new train was en route, but Matt not being the best at waiting volunteered to pay for a taxi to Ayutthaya instead! Naturally, I didn't complain much. The initial plan for Ayutthaya was to ride around the place on bikes, as it is a decent sized city with temples spread out wide. Common sense prevailed however, and we got a tuk tuk to do the work for us. Ayutthaya was pretty fantastic with the ruins and was well worth a visit. I was however somewhat appalled by the fact that an elephant riding thing was in the middle of Ayutthaya! I was somewhat less surprised that the only people who were actually riding the elephants happened to be from China! Amazingly enough, we managed to get the train back to Bangkok!

On Saturday, we paid a quick visit to a market with 5000 stalls! Suffice to say, it was massive and frankly, my idea of hell. But nevertheless, it was still worth the visit, despite the stifling heat with lack of fans / air conditioning! And unsurprisingly, the products on sale were predominently s***e! On Saturday afternoon, with went to a free art gallery not far from out accommodation, which was really good. There was performance art featuring real humans and whilst a bit weird (as art should be!), it was really great to watch. Saturday night was the last night in Bangkok, so a few beers were enjoyed! We ended up at a place occupied only by locals, so that was pretty great to see them enjoying their weekend.

That's a wrap for Bangkok! I'm finishing this on Sunday evening from my hostel in Yangon, Myanmar. Bangkok was good - not one of my favourite cities ever - far far too much traffic with inadequate public transport and it definitely isn't somewhere I'd live. Now time to see what Myanmar has to offer!

First thing first though...almost time to watch the reds batter city!