As easy as riding a bike, huh?

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26th-28th



The landing in Bangkok was extremely turbulent, and as Chris was feeling ill already this made things a lot worse. Once we'd located the airport doctor and he'd given Chris some antibiotics, Buscopan and anti-vomiting drugs, we were on the move again. We'd decided to stay in Thonburi, which is the next town over from Bangkok, and once upon a time was the capital city until one of the kings decided to move the capital over the river for strategic reasons. The long taxi ride gave us a chance to chat with the taxi driver, who was a nice guy that had lived in Bangkok for over 30 years, and had some very liberal views on the current politics and problems in Thailand. He also informed me of the struggles that taxi drivers face with strict government regulations - the basic fare and Baht/km cost have only increased once in the last 20 years, despite a steep rise in fuel costs, meaning he relies on tips and private work to earn a living wage. He told me that his dream was to live in the mountains like he did as a child, but it was unlikely to be soon as his children are still dependent. It made me sad to see that this man, working hard for pittance, was stuck driving a taxi in a concrete jungle where there are more vehicles than there are trees.



Chris perked up once the antibiotics had kicked in - so much so, the felt well enough for the 4 hour bicycle tour of Old Bangkok and an Indian at Chilli Chill beforehand. To be fair, I think it was me who felt sicker at this point. Anyone who has known me since childhood knows my aversion for bicycles. I will openly admit that I didn't successfully learn how to ride one until I was sixteen, thanks to the eternal patience and optimism of a good friend. I will counter your inevitable laugh with the fact that I can ride horses and sing top E, both of which seemed far more important to me as a teenager than balancing on a skinny metal frame of doom atop two slightly fatter wheels of equal doom!



As you can probably guess, the first leg of the journey wasn't so smooth. If it wasn't for Chris, who kept shouting encouragement, put up with my wobbly toddler pace, reattached the chain when it decided to fall off (who designed these?!) and stuck behind me on every failed corner (couldn't quite grasp the whole turning thing) I would have found it a lot more daunting. By the end of the first hour I was bruised in both pride and bum, but thankfully able to ride the deathcycle and not fall off! Result. Our first stop was Wat Arun, or temple of the dawn, which is a working place of worship and named for the view from over the river at sunrise. We'd definitely chosen a good evening for our ride, as it had some kind of religious significance in the lunar calendar, meaning that a droning chant session could be heard from one of the buildings. Tao, our awesome guide, said that because of the day that they would keep going for 4 hours straight - I think that would be too much singing even for me.



We also visited a catholic church hidden by development around it; the flower market (again); had a much pleasanter walk around Wat Pho than our previous one, as it was deserted apart from cats and monks; rode over the memorial bridge and took a gut-turning ferry across the river. It was definitely worth the money and stress and next-day aches, as other than a slightly obnoxious American couple there was no one else on it. Hopefully we can do something similar in Vietnam!



The next day we had a well-deserved lay in, and then went in search of the Thai travel clinic once again. Seeing the doctor here was a lot cheaper than the airport, but either way it still feels strange to pay even just a consultation fee. I suppose this is the 'real world', but it definitely makes you appreciate what we have back home. We then did a little exploring, as Chris had a hankering for MacDonald's, and ended up finding a bumbag (Chris wears it, I refuse on principle), a lightweight cheap watch, and a random food vendor area all parked up in front of MacDonald's. What are the chances? Although the burgers are much the same, they also served various foods with rice and deep-fried spinach pie that, although edible at the time, I regretted later!



We stumbled across a cute little park in the middle of New Bangkok, as we were trying to find the skytrain. Sat by the pond we made a nice sitting dinner for the midges, but also got to watch the wildlife, which was strangely therapeutic after the constant buildings and roads. There were hundreds of tiny fish that were very interested in Chris' feet (I tried to warn them!), some absolutely humongous carp, and even a couple of turtles occasionally popping their heads up top. The odd finger-length dragonfly made an appearance too, but always left too quickly for me to get a picture.



We eventually found the skytrain - at rush hour. Having already purchased our tickets, we braved it and were both pleasantly surprised. Queues! Air conditioning! TVs! And best of all, people actually moved down into the carriage to make room for other people - London folk, you will feel our shock at leaving the carriage with no pushing or elbows required. It was all very civilised.



So tomorrow we fly to Ho Chi Minh city, and from there we've yet to decide. Onwards and upwards (or, in this case, eastward)!

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