Bangkok

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After Koh Pha Nang we headed to Bangkok to get visas sorted for Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. We arrived early in the morning and quite tired after not sleeping well on the bus.

We had a reservation but did not know where it really was since it wasn't on any of the maps in the lonely planet. The place had a map on the internet and we could vaguely remember the Victory Monument and a Seven-eleven. So we got a tuktuk to the VM. There was at least 3 7-11 in view. We walked in a direction which we thought was right. It wasn't, so we headed back and found an internet-place open and printed out the map to the place. Then we got a taxi and arrived 7 o clock in the morning.

The first day was mainly sleep. We could use a washing machine for free so it was time to get clean clothes. There is also a pool in this place, not sure we will stay in many places with pool. The bad thing is that is quite far away from everything, but it is quite easy to get to places on the skytrain.

I am not a city-person and there is so much sound everywhere and so many things moving everywhere my head gets really tired. And the smog makes you cough and nose to run.

Anyway, we wont get any visas here. For Cambodia you can get it on the border and it takes too long to get the Vietnam one so we will get that in Cambodia and to Laos we will get on the boarder.

We went to Siam Square (a big shopping area) where I stayed 2003. It has changed. There was so many new shopping centers I didn't recognise anything. We eventually found the big MBK and strolled around in there for a couple of hours. I am searching for a pair of shoes. I am very unlucky on the shoefront and now only have one pair of crocs. And in Cambodia we will go to Angor, the worlds biggest religious building, and I fear that there will be snakes there so I'd like decent shoes. I did found a pair that fit well, unfortunatly they were double the price that I was willing to pay and even that I got 25% off it was too much. I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothes as I think the quality is bad and they will break soon enough anyway. Better not lose a lot of money then.

We have found a huge supermarket-store that sells everything and I will try to find a cheap pair of shoes there.

We decided to go to the busstation to check on tickets to Cambodia. There is a big scam going on. They sell a cheap ticket and then drive really slowly so that you get there really late and after 15 hours on the bus you are really tired and the only place that is open is the place they take you to. So there you will have to stay. So we will try to do it on our own, get a ticket to the boardertown and cross the boarder on foot and then get transport from there to Siem Reap, the town just south of Angor.

So now we are just trying to get everything ready for Cambodia. Tomorrow morning we go.

And by the way, I have added photos from Penang to Koh Pha Nang. A lot of new things to look at.

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