Wow just looked when we blogged last and it was 3 days ago. Its been an "interesting 3 days"

So we got up on the morning of the 18th to get the bus back to Bangkok. 14 hours of fun there!!! We had to leave the hostel at 6am so we were both bright and cheery...

We got driven to the bus station and after a confusing hour of the bus shuffling back and forth we final set off. This bus is proper beat up. The seats are ok, they are quite squishy, but the aircon is blowing mental and the only way to stop the blower on you face is to stuff it with tissues as its broken! Also some of the seat recline and some don't and in my case sometimes they recline of their own free will?

So about 6 hours into the journey we stop and collect some more people. Normal enough except one of the guys is wearing a new united house t-shirt! So we get chatting as I don't recognise him but you have to ask. Apparently he was a contractor for us at the beginning of the year doing health and safety training, I did get his name but I can't for the life of me remember it now. What are the chances though of bumping into someone who worked at UHL in the middle of Cambodia?

We get to the border crossing without too much incident and wande through no mans land - which is rammed with casinos and massive hotels - we though it might be intersting to stay for a week in between the lines but from the looks of the hotels we probably couldn't afford it so we carry on into Thailand.

Where we meet our Thai bus; or rather our Thai 12 seater mini bus - rubbish. What insues is 5 hours of hanging on to the seat infront, singing hymns and praying. I don't think I've ever travelled with someone so crazy before in my life. He made record time but mainly by driving less than 2 feet away from the car in front and slamming on his breaks every ten to fifteen seconds. If it hadn't been getting on to 10pm by the time we arrived in Bangkok I'm pretty sure Claire would have made me get out and find another way to the city.

So we arrive late and a bit battered, and after trudging round for forty minutes we find the sawadee khoa san road (where we had stayed before) and get booked in before going out for a drink. (With hind sight one dumpling and half a mango probably isn't enough to eat in a day).

2am in the morning Claire and I look up from our beer to notice the bar is closing round us and most of the road is already shut. So there is only one thing to do - get a McDonalds!

Next morning (19th) Claire lays in and I go do some errands - find bus prices to the islands, get drinks, etc. But at 11am I get her up as we need to check out. We leave our bags and go back to the Khoa San road for breakfast before we book our bus and charge off for an afternoon looking round the grand palace.

Wow the grand palace is impressive - so much gold and its huge - although a bit of a mash of temples and stupas and by the end you think they just shove them in where they have space. We follow a few tours and learn about the emerald buddha (actually made of jade) and his different outfits for different seasons - world most expensive barbie.

Then we fly back to Khoa san for a quick sandwich before getting on the next bus. Now I'd read this bus is notorious for people going through your hold luggage so we took everything even possably valuable out of that before we board the bus.

Its a better bus than Cambodia but still not ver comfy. At 3am we transfer from the big bus to a tuk tuk for the ferry and lo and begold someone has been in our bags. Actualy as far as we can tell everybodys bags!!! Those with locks have been broken so that didn't help. Luckily even the power leads weren't in our bags so apart from making a mess we think we've lost a towl and some deodarant - probably lost when rummaging not stolen. F$@%ers! But at least we were expecting it this time.

So after all that we got a ferry and are now sitting in our little room just of the beach. Tomorrow we are going to try Scuba diving and today we are going to have a nosey around the 100 buildings that call themselves a town.

Bye Bye
Mr P