Day 1 - Bangkok

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Well hello again. Here we are at last on our travels around Bangkok, after what could only be explained as an excellent flight with EVA. I would recommend highly them.

The when it came to passport control and immigration the queues control then having to do it all over again because we never got an immigration form we have arrived.

We are staying in the Amari Watergate Hotel, which is very nice. Well we are here for only three days then off to the jungle. So we will have to make the most of all these creature comforts. The view from our hotel room on the 22nd floor is great in the dark. Not much to say about it in the daylight.

It was definitely and eye opener seeing all the shanty houses dotted along the edge of the roads leading to the centre of Bangkok. With all the skyscrapers in the distance dominating the skyline. It certainly is a city of two extremes, but I suppose that could be said about many cities.

One think that you realise isn't an exaggeration is the amount of street traders trying to get money out of your wallet, but after a long hot humid walk, well an hour walk you learn to ignore them. Even in January it is so humid, you feel like you need a shower even whilst having a shower and once out on the streets of Bangkok you certainly do. Also the pollution is rife you spend half your time blowing your blocked up nose.

Just a little side thought as I look out of the window from the 22nd floor of our hotel onto the traffic below its amazing how heavy the traffic is.

A little about where we are staying - The Amari Watergate Hotel is in the middle of the shopping district of Pratunam with one massive shopping centre next to another for what seems like miles. Last night I managed to do something I wanted to do for a long time and that's buy some food of a street stall. The smells are wonderful and even Tess had a bit, well she almost had my entire octopus and she liked it and even said she might try other strange foods. Looks like Tess is a changed person when it comes to foods...

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