How do people usually start these journal entries? They probably say things like "Greetings from Bangkok" followed by an insane number of exclamation marks. Oh well, I suppose I'd better stick with tradition. GREETINGS FROM BANGKOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's fairly hot, with just the occasional short-lived torrential downpour. As you can see from the photos, the hedgehog has found himself in front of a few Buddhist monuments. I hope this doesn't count as disrespectful or anything. The Thai people are extremely friendly and welcoming, it seems that there's a Governent-sponsored drive to encourage tourists back to the region after the devastating effects of the tsunami. So there are loads of people wandering around in yellow T-shirts offering to help. If anything, people are just a bit TOO friendly, it can get exhausting being stopped every 50 metres to be asked where you come from. The usual conversation goes like this: "You very tall." "Yes." "Where you come from?" "Scotland." "SCOTLAND! Whisky - Johnnie Walker! Kilts! Loch Ness... Nessie!" ... and so on. Usually at this point the helpful local will claim to be a history teacher (I don't know why they think this will engender trust, perhaps this city is just full of history teachers) and then try to get their accomplice in a Tuk Tuk to take you around the city for 20 Baht (roughly 30p). It's good value, the Tuk Tuk will wait for you while you wander around and then will whisk you off to the next location. I should probably explain that Tuk Tuks are the 3-wheeled taxis, usually driven by cheerful maniac - and given their inability to tell green lights from red lights, it seems that colour-blind psychopaths are the second most popular profession here. At least once I've squeezed into the seat I can only see the inside of the roof and the immediately surrounding road, so I'm spared the terrifying sight of the traffic bombing towards the Tuk Tuk as it negotiates a one-way system (in the wrong direction). So far I've seen various Buddhist temples, have to say that after three days of seeing interchangeable Buddhas (apart from the big reclining Buddha and the one that's about 45 metres tall, they're all much of a muchness) I'm ready to start the tour. I've met one of my fellow Great Indochina Loopers, an American called Doug. I've also seen a couple of Irish girls who I think are coming along, and most of the rest of the names on the list look fairly Anglo-Saxon, so I guess it'll be Brits and Americans for the most part. Our tour leader is apparently called Sam, and he will appear before us tonight. I hope he's not a psychopathic colour-blind history teacher too. [Apologies for any spelling mistakes in this, I'm doing my best but the keyboard feels like it's usually used to filter coffee. I'm in serious danger of dislocating my fingers just by typing.] What else? The food is very nice for the most part, when it comes to traditional Thai cuisine it's worth trying everything. Except some of the dishes, which seem to consist of stewed birds' feet - whose bright idea was that? And best to avoid the fish livers too, they taste like old tyres (I'm guessing here, although there are plenty of old tyres lying around so I could do a taste test if anyone would like to know for sure). I'd better wrap this up, this internet connection is a bit unstable. I hope life is normal enough wherever you are, dear reader. And I hope the 10-year old on my right stops shouting to the 14-year-old on my left through my ear.