Khorp Kun Kaa!

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Well, our Asian adventure is over! We are now back in England following a reasonable uneventful 19 hour journey, and while I am so sad that the 6 weeks has flown past so fast I have to say it was refreshing to see a line of taxis outside Newcastle airport and for none of them to chase me up the street yelling 'TAXI! TAXI' at full volume.

Our last few days in Bangkok passed in a blur. The first passed in a blur of buses and frustration when a visit to the Floating Market turned into an 8 hour us journey with a half hour rip off in the middle. I have heard several friends say that in London its safest just to assume that everythign takes an hour, so always leave one hour before you need to be somewhere. In Bangkok, its safest either to leave the day before, or just assume you may never get there. Getting across town on this day took almost 2 hours, for a journey that should have taken 20 mins, because the traffic was INSANE. At the bus station we were shown to the correct bus by a member of staff, and sat for another 2 hours. When we got to the floating market we were told the only way to see it was to charter a boat, for 800 bhat per person.
Now this stunk of ripoff to both of us, as stinky as a Bangkok street. However, we were kind of stuck. The dock didn't seem to be near anythng at all, and the bus company woman evidently wasn't taking us anywhere else, so we basically had to either sit there for an hour and go straight back to Bangkok, or we had to pay it. We paid it, and were promised an hour and a half of the floating market.

Personally, I don't understand how this is such a huge tourist activity. There were a few random stalls dotted about, all selling the same things you get in any other Thai market, but really nothing exciting. There were people paddling themselves around trying to peddle drinks and so on, which was a bit interesting for about five minutes, but the rest of the trip mainly involved our driver stopping to chat with his friends while we said 'No I'm not interested in buying it' as politely as we could. From looking at pictures of this market it didn't look quite the same, and we soon realised it was because it was 11:30am when we got on the boat, and the market closed at 12pm, so it was actually closing and therefore really quiet. Our hour and a half proved to only be half an hour as there was nothing to do, and we were dumped off at a different port so we couldn't even ask for a refund! Queue another four hour journey home, and a new dose of cynicism!

After this disaster of a day we decided to make the next day count to make up for it. We started with a ferry journey up the river, which was a fantastic experience for us (but not for the very smart man next to me who got showered in filthy river water several times, all over his lovely pink shirt) and was a great way to see the city. Next we hit the zoo, and found it to be highly entertaining, and easily big enough to take up half a day, if not longer. The main event of our day however was the Muay Thai at night time. David had really been wanting to see this, and I have to say to anyone who is going to Thailand - it is well worth it, and a great night out! There was less bloodshed than I had pictured, but it is fascinating to watch these muscly men dance lucky dances and weave through routines beforehand, then kick the s*** out of each other in the next minute. With people yelling and screaming from all sides it is a real community event, and to most Thais is the most important sport in the country. A visit to the night market happily rounded off a much more successful day for us!

Our last day in Bangkok was mainly based around wandering the enormous malls - Bangkok's malls sell everything from balloon pants to painted vases to furniture to miscellaneous electronics to high end designer labels to knock off t shirts. You can buy anything, and all in lovely airconditioned expanses, some with windows looking out over the whole city, and all with great options for eating too. After this we were really sad to have to leave, and even our super happy taxi driver who said 'Night Sky, Night Sky, Night Sky' to us until he was blue in the face (no idea why) couldn't even cheer us up.

South East Asia is a land of opposites - strict social rules and beautifully presented food are found in the same place as disgusting toilets and insane traffic, keeping face is paramount while deliberately deceiving others is acceptable, tourism is the main industry but a Western face on a bus provokes stares and whispering. Cows so thin their ribs show walk in front of gleaming SUVs, and skyscrapers and ancient temples are comfortable next door neighbours as ladyboys and monks pass in the street.
I have had such an amazing time in Asia, and had so many 'Once in a Lifetime' experiences that I almost can't comprehend them all. Reading back over this blog is really helping to remind me, and I want to say thanks everyone for reading - keep an eye out for the next adventure!!!

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