Martin and Lucy had safely arrived, and bizarrely it felt perfectly normal to be meeting them in a hotel in Bangkok. Showered, changed and hello'ed out, we went to dinner and caught up on events.

We didn't have any specific plans for the next couple of days, so we played it by ear mostly. On our fitrst day, we decided to sample the local transports - river boat, skytrain and tuk tuk. We were heading for the shopping mecca, aka MBK - a huge department store host to every item you could possibly wish for. First stop to reach our final destination, was to take a boat upriver. The boat, which looked like longtail canal boat, looked every bit unsafe as it felt whilst onboard. On the far end, a huge, what looked like a car engine, with an extra long exhaust pipe was atatched. If this wasn't safe enough, we had to somehow jump onto the boat, and try and avoid falling into the dirty waters below. This was actually easier than anticipated, however, the boat barely looked able to hold our weight. Once aboard, we chugged along the tiver, gathering speed quickly - hardly surprising wityh a car engine attached - although worrying, when the boat feels as though it may fall apart at any given second, particularly when it kept hitting what felt like concrete. I'm certain it wasn't concrete, but whatever it was certainly wasn't heatlthy for the little shack. It wasn't a feeling I was about to get used to, so instead, I tried to concentrate on the surroundings as we passed them. Small corregated shacks quickly gave way to monsterous glass structures, as we floated past the CBD. Bangkok is definately a city and a story of east meets west. Whether this is a successful merge of cultures, I'm unsure, but it seems to work, and much of the business is geared towards the foreign market.

Getting off the boat was actually easier than anticipated, and there wasn't as much chance of falling into the depths than earlier. From here, we hopped aboard the super modern, air-conditioned comfort of the skytrain, which meanders through and past the skyscrapers. It is definately a ncie way to travel - if only this facility covered the whole city, it would highly improve accessibility and ease of travel. A few stops later, we arrived at our intended destination - the shopping mecca that is MBK - similar to the Metro Centre or Meadowhall, but on a much bigger scale, with escalators going every which way possible. Each floor is dedicated to either womenswear, electronics or suchlike, and any shopper is spoilt for choice. I was slightly overwhelmed by everything, but did manage the practical task of getting my phone unlocked for a cheap price, which I found impossible in England, so that was worth the journey alone.

Our third and final mode of transport for the day was of course the tuk tuk, which Martin and Lucy inevitably had to experience. I have now been in many tuk tuks, all of slight variations from the varying countries, however, I had not yet experienced a formula one wannabe tuk tuk racing driver before. With the three of us squashed in, he took off. Literally. At race neck speed. I've not always felt it so compulsory to have to 'hold on' before, but this time, I wasn't prepared to take the risk. He rallied through slim spaces, forcing his way through and inbetween bike, cars and vans, and when there wasn't space he took to driving on the other side of the road, without a flinch. He wanted us at our arrival destination in the quickest possible time - it was like something out of Wacky Races. Now that's a good cartoon, but to be involved in the real life scenario, quite scary, but also a huge thrill. Close to our destination, we hit a crossroads, to which Martin commeneted that to him the scene reminded his of a maypole dance as the traffic intertwined and veered around and past one another in varying directions. I could certainly see this similarity, but I think Lucy and I were more baffled that he had come up with this connotation.

I will finish this entry a a later date - I've attemted to update it several times now, and it never saves, so I'm giving up for now.