Bangkok

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The sleeper train to my final destination - Bangkok - was excellent and a far better way to travel than overnight buses. I checked into my "usual" guesthouse and walked around the streets of Banglamphu which I'm bizzarly familiar with considering that it is thousands of miles from home. I've been in and out of Bangkok so many times this trip that it feels extremely comfortable and (worryingly) normal!

My final three days were spent generally soaking up the last bit of the atmosphere and making the most of the fantastic food and cheap beer. I did also make the most of the Khao Sanh market and the MBK centre for some shopping, and I dumped all the clothes that I have been wearing for the last 5 months and replaced them with nice new ones.

One of the few definite plans I had made was to go to see the Mui Thai (Thai boxing) and I had resisted the temptation to see it in Chiang Mai, preferring to see it in the countries best stadium instead. Unfortunately the guide book proved misleading (not for the first time this trip) and instead of tickets costing 50b they were between 1000 and 2500. It was a tough decision but the price, along with the excessive amount I had spent on last-minute shopping, meant that I had to miss it. I'll add it to the list of things I have to do next time I'm in Bangkok.

I was extremely sad to be leaving a part of the world I have absolutely fallen in love with. A few weeks ago I had started to feel like I was ready to go home but more recently I had recovered from a momentary loss of enthusiasm and now I could easily stay for a few more months. There was so much I had to miss out and it seems like the longer you spend in a place, the more fantastic places and experiences you hear about. Having said that, I think that 5 months to cover Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos was a good timescale and allowed me to cover the main parts of each country, plus a few less touristy areas, without having to ever move at more than a snail's pace.

I've had a fantastic time and done some amazing things in SE Asia and I will definitely be back, hopefully sooner rather than later.

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