One night in Bangkok (well, two actually!)

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Geo: 13.7308, 100.521

We arrived in Bangkok after our 10 hour flight (and me watching chick flicks for the whole 10 hours) and jumped in a cab to our hotel. I had seen pictures of it on the website when I booked it, but arriving there was something else. It was beautiful. Opulent, stylish and air-conditioned. Bliss. We made our way up to our room on the 28th floor and looked out of the window at the Bangkok Skyline. We couldn't have asked for a better startinh hotel (unless we had gone to the Shangri-La of course...)

Since I have been craving Khao San Pad Thai for 8 years, I dragged Stacey out in a TukTuk for her first experience of one and we took a trip down the Khao San Road to the hotel I stayed in with Martin years ago. Yes, I got my Pad Thai. Yes it was GOOOOOOOD!!! Yes I will probably moan about UK Pad Thai now until I come back to Asia. I make no apolgies for this.

We wandered into a bar so we could sample some Chang beer. It was good. Too good. It went down rather well. We soon got chatting to 3 (clearly gay) men, laughing at their attractiveness to the hawkers of the road. We did not laugh anymore later on, when we had bought rainbow bracelets to celebrate our flag and "winky traveller" bracelets from them. However, we did not buy the hats, and the lads did. So one up to our will-power!

The events that lead to this momentary insanity were fast and furious. We were about to say our goodnights when Darren (the older of the 3) asked us, "Would you like another?" Well, who can turn down a beer on the first night of the holiday? Obviously not us, as we ordered a tower. I do not know, nor wish to know the capacity of a tower. It is big, and full of beer. We drank 3. By this point, the tower was hidden inside the bar and we were drinking out of disposable coffee cups as it was Buddha's Birthday (Happy Birthday old dude) and so drinking in public was illegal. Did it stop us? Nope, the lovely friendly waitress just kept on topping us up, and up and UP!

Losing each other once after 3 towers is careless. Losing each other twice because one of you has a craving for more Pad Thai is just plain stuipd. Thank the lord for Stacey's fairy godfather, Darren, who found her twice and returned her to me. Tuk Tuk home. After drawing out another vast amount of money to cover the cost of the 3 towers and the crappety souveniers and enable us to actually see Bangkok the following morning.

We did see Bangkok. We saw the Grand Palace (where the Temple of the Emerald Buddah was closed as our guide told us, "Ah, every day Emerald Buddah is open. But not today. King come to change his clothes from summer to rainy season," and so he told us the same story 15 times. We could also not see the library as it was being renovated. So all in all, it was a hot, sticky and hungover part of the day that we should have held off on til next time! Then we saw Wat Pho, where I made the gross error of showing the soles of my feet to somone by accident and was YELLED at. Then back to the hotel for a swim and a sunbathe in the roof-top infinity pool. It was not as atmospheric by day as it was by night (we know this as we blagged our way into the pool at midnight the previous evening), but it was still lovely and relaxing.

Back to the Khao San Road for more Pad Thai and drinks with Darren, Paul and Spencer. And then a Thai Green Curry (well it would be rude to not try the local dishes....) And bed! Early start tomorrow.

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