Bangkok on Buddha Day

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Well we have arrived safe and sound and in one piece!

The flights over were fine and we even managed to get to Abu Dhabi early. For some reason the flight from there to Bangkok was quite a bit slower than advertised and we arrived much later than we thought. Luckily our taxi driver was waiting for us with a sign saying "Mrs Kate Robinson" and a relieved looking grin on his face - i think he presumed that we weren't showing up.

Our hotel is nice and we are getting used to the frosted glass bathroom. We now know each other very well! We are close to a big shopping centre called Terminal 21 but its a bit too pricey for shopping - Eireann has a $5 limit on any purchases. We found somewhere to eat though as it was getting pretty late. It took a bit of a quest to find vegetarian things but that hasn't been a problem today.

We fancied a quick drink before bed last night and had a wander looking for a bar. We stumbled on Soi Cowboy. Its like Pattaya on crack. We innocently strolled down the street under the neon lights trying to pick a bar from the 30thousand on offer. It was only when half naked ladies started approaching us and being "very friendly" did we twig where we were and that these weren't your usual drinking establishment. About half way down the street we braved a beer. The beer was drunk quickly, we made our excuses as our eyes and ears could take no more and headed back to the hotel for a good nights kip!

Today has mostly been spent wandering around. We did a little shopping as there were a few bits we needed to buy and a few bits that we wanted to buy. It was nice to have no real plan and just see where the breeze took us. It took us to Kho San Road at around lunch time where we wandered in and out of a thousand tiny shops selling everything. The main theme was crazy flappy pants. I, of course, bought a pair! I look a bit like M C Hammer if im honest! After a Pad Thai and some serious rehydration there was a little drizzle so we decided to take our que to go for a foot massage. It was lovely. Eireann's guy was a little less gentle than mine... He had a reflexology stick thing and insisted on trying to jam it through her foot.

We had a bit more of a mooch up and down the streets then called it a day and headed back to the hotel to freshen up before we head out again tonight. I can safely say Soi Cowboy will not be on our itinerary.

Today is Buddah day so there are lots of places which wont serve alcohol and the temples were all very busy. We think we will have a temple day tomorrow and be all at one with the universe before flying out to Vietnam on Wednesday.

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