Xmas and New Year in Thailand

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Left Chiang Mai to celebrate Xmas in Bangkok and to meet Smarty on Xmas day.

I was persuaded into staying at a Danish guest house as they celebrate Xmas on Xmas eve - so 2 days of celebrations and early presents, yipee! It's all about the presents really 😉

Went to the Danish Xmas Eve meal where:
I won 1st prize in the raffle - 2 nights free accommodation
Played their random game of secret santa / pass the parcel with dice - you get to steal a pressie if you roll a 6. I rolled 2 in 25 mins but the last one was right at the end so I grabbed a pressie everyone was chasing. Didn't quite understand the rules, they were explained in Danish, so I threw the box away when I realised there was nothing in it only to be greeted with stares from the 48 Danes sitting around me...it was actually the 1st prize which was 2 nights free accommodation in a 4* hotel in Bangkok!!!
Spent the rest of the night dancing around the Xmas tree, doing a conga in the street and singing Danish songs.

Xmas day
Got to sleep at stupid o'clock to be awoken by Smarty on the phone asking me where I was at the airport...oops! It's only an hour away...

We celebrated Xmas by eating crickets and locusts (ok with salt) and drinking water (fermented with yeast etc...)

Whilst in Bangkok we:
Visited the Grand Palace, Wat Po, took a boat ride on the river, saw the Standing Buddha and other Wats, saw some women play ping-pong and did some random shopping.
Avoided anyone with an antipodean accent due to the lameness of the cricket team.
Went to some wicked clubs.
Prayed to the Coconut Monk everytime we went on a long tuk-tuk journey

NY eve
Travelled to Ko Phangan, which included a minor car crash, for this. 25,000 celebrating the countdown on a beach whilst Smarty was asleep under a dance podium for 2 hours!!!
Lost Smarty and the Danish girls (apparently they were in hospital) but still had a blast.

Lost 2 pairs of flip flops this week!!!!! Agggggghhhhhhhhhhh.

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Photos

An Aussie, a Brit and some great Danes
Just before it started to get a bit messy!

The traditional Danish Xmas Eve meal
Duck, cabbage, potato and gravy...mmmmm, northern boys love gravy.

The random Danish Xmas conga
Somebody decided that the main road would be a good place to finish it so off we went.

Chilling with a guard at the Grand Palace
It's a bit warm and he's not allowed to move. Well, he didn't until Smarty tried to break in ;)

Don't remember this...
but it's definitely Rem and I...

nor this...
but it's definitely Mark, some random and I...(the buckets aren't used for sand on this beach)...

nor this x 2...
but it's definitely Collette, Jared and Richard...

although this is Maya...
but I still don't remember taking it...

and a foot...
which isn't mine...and isn't Smarty's as he was asleep under a podium???!!