Bangkok - Thailand

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Bangkok - trannies, tuk tuks and the world's best tom yums

we haggled our way through this city....paul is a master haggler! whereas jean prefers to shrink away and pretend that she doesn't know what's going on. the craziness of bangkok combined with the stifling heat made this a highly amusing visit for us...and it is a place of extremes....never have the homeless looked so...homeless, or the dogs more flea bitten, or the girls more made up, or the boys more feminine. and you can be assured that every designer item is a knock off. the allure of a louis vuitton handbag seems to diminish when you see it on the arm of every second transsexual. but jokes aside, whilst bangkok has sold its soul to the tourist devil, it's still managed to retain some of its charm through the grand temples and palaces, the population's genuine devotion to its monarchy and the temperamental weather it endures.• city highlights: the wonderful thai massages we've been receiving everyday (painful but effective!), the magnificence of the royal palace, sitting in awed silence at the foot of the temple of the emerald buddha otherwise known as wat phra kaew; visiting chatuchak markets (the world's largest weekend market) and being blown away by the sheer size of it and delicious food stalls; the brief respite from the heat received on the chao phraya river express; the hospitality and friendliness of the locals who are always willing to help.• accommodation: 4.5/5 for a secret tropical oasis tucked in behind a side street. the all organic vegetarian breakfasts have been a treat!• Food: on my gosh...it is delicious and cheap! (music to paul's ears...). the rule of thumb appears to be the dirtier the restaurant is, the more deliciously authentic the food. and it's true....from the seering tom yum soups, to the perfectly roasted satays and pad thai's....you could eat this stuff till the cows came home and still be game for mango pudding for dessert.• misc: beware the crazy tuk tuk drivers! we're almost been sucked into a tuk tuk scam when a man posing as a grand palace security guard gave us 'advice' on the best itinerary for the day; a 5 minute drive turned out to be a 1 hour journey from hell when our tuk tuk driver got us and himself lost in outer bangkok; shrinking away from hawkers pomoting ping pong sex shows in patpong - although it may sound amusing, the reality as always is much grittier and seedy.

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