So, Sunday has come, and the thought of giving up the room already feels like a small defeat. We still do have some time left in town before flying back to Bangkok, which we want to spend to meet some gastronomical goals. Kay is longing for steamed chicken feet and I simply need another cup of masala tea. And there you have the day's itinerary in one sentence; Chinatown and Little India, unsurprisingly, some of our absolute favourite places to be. Kay's desire to seek out new experiences brings us around the block in Chinatown searching for more cantonese restaurants until finally ending up at the Tak Po after all, and the chicken feet (and my char siew buns) are just as excellent today as well. After lunch we head over to Little India again, taking ... read more

As we start our wanderings the sun almost manages to make an appearance through the broken clouds. We take the MRT to Little India where we have arranged to meet with Jason. This is also where we meet up with the rain. It doesn't seem to be that bad at first. We continue to wander the streets around the main Serangoon Road not really minding the little drips that keep falling. I immediately take a strong liking to this part of the city. The roads are crowded with taxis shuttling people around and the crowds in the pavement huddle under building archways where merchants display foodstuffs, magazines, incense and wonderfully smelling dried flowers. And each time we pass near an eatery the inviting smells of Indian cooking fills the air. I imagine Indian veterans will shrug ... read more

A little past one pm I step out of the Don Muang arrival hall into the fretting dry heat of the megalopolis we know and love as Bangkok. Wait a second? Bangkok? Yup, that's right. This is where I will meet up with Kay for the onward flight to Singapore later in the evening. In fact, I will have some four hours before it is time to head back to the airport again, and I intend to make good use of them. I have a taxi drop me off at Pradiphat Hotel where I have arranged a room. I quickly head up to drop off my bags and take a very much needed shower. Then it is time to hit downtown Siam to puchase any and all camera equipment I can find. The walk down Pradiphat ... read more

My flight back to Europe departs at noon which means the morning is spent sleeping and generally preparing for the onward flight. We are escorted by a magnificent and prolonged sundown as we desperately try to outrun the darkness until it encapsulates us somewhere above the Mongolian mountains. When the trip is over you will go back to the places that you once belonged you will look for comfort there and when you do you'll find that it has gone from Endless Dream by Conjure One, lyrics by Poe.... read more

Joanne's last day off work and we don't really have any big plans for the day so we take it easy in the morning and head out in the afternoon towards Taijichang daije and Wangfujing daije in the southwest not too far from Tianamen square. This area has some dedicated pedestrian streets only and is filled with chic shops and restaurants and foreign devils mucking about. Of course this means that I am targeted by hopeful touts roaming the area. Let's take Suzy the teacher as the typical example. A young English speaking woman wanting to know where you are from, what you are doing in China, how long you will stay, what you like best etc. It just so happens that she has a friend (or a friend of a friend, or whatever) that operates ... read more