One night in Bangkok

is enough to throw us 3 american tourists off course. We started off Thailand with a warm welcome from Rosslyn (colleague of Angel's brother in law's father). We were wisked away from the airport and brought to a fabulous lunch and then dropped off at the hotel. Such a warm welcome and kind hospitality put us at ease as we then stepped out of the hotel on our own and somehow managed to land ourselves in the back of a tuk tuk being taken to various tailors and jewellers. oops.

So back to the hotel to regroup and consult ye olde guide book. Did a quick glance, found some places recommended to venture, went down to the concierge to double check, he recommended some place a bit close and voila, we were in Patpong. oops.

Not in the mood for a ping pong tour, we tried our best to escape and still manage to keep hold of Brian. To keep the load light, I had torn out the page of the guidebook for us to follow so we had to wing it slightly. Ended up turning off on a street called Convent (figured the name would be a good sign) ... and turned up in front of a restaurant called of all names Eat Me. And wouldn't you know it was fantastic. A bit high end (no, not that sort of end), this Australian-Thai fusion place is a must. We even indulged in a bit of pudding ... chocolate chilli ice cream and lemongrass ice cream.

Sadly, we did not take photos of this meal. You will just have to use your imagination. In fact, we didn't take pictures in Bangkok at all except for one with Rosslyn when she dropped us off at the hotel. It's a difficult place to capture on film.

After the whirlwind tour of Bangkok, we were looking forward to shift gears and take refuge in Krabi. This time we had another nice person waiting for us at the airport who then took us to the dock were we hopped in a long boat and sailed to our hotel in West Railay beach. Glorious. At first we thought we were going to be forever in overcast skies, but when we woke up the next day, it was clear and you wouldn't believe the sunsets here.

Much of our days have been in boats, kayaking, snorkeling, snoozing, reading ... and keeping track of everything in the travel journal. Guys, I really didn't think I'd use it much but it's been great for updating these blogs. So cheers Anna, Ali, Nathan and Kirsty. I think of you guys every time i open that journal and then i push you out of my mind so that i don't start thinking about work though quite honestly i don't think about work much ... rarely at all now that so much time has gone.

I know all that anyone is interested in are the photos so I'll stop my rambling ... and am not going in to the names of all of the islands and beaches we've visited. They're beautiful. If you've not been, you should go. My favourite beach is West Railey ... well actually the one next to it that the Rayavadee resort sits on but who's got the cash to stay there.

And most important, Happy first birthday little Ryder. See you soon ... after Australia which we leave for tomorrow.

Sawadeekha

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