Bangkok

Day 1

Today we are heading to Bangkok, the transfer from the hotel took one hour fifteen minutes and seemed a long way today.

There was no queue at check in which was great and straight through security and passport control. The only issue we had is that Andrew had to confirm he had his insulin pens in his hand luggage and the security guard had to phone someone to confirm this and write something into a book but that was done quickly and we were through.

In all his years of travelling this has never happened to him before.

The departure lounge is manic and lots of noise but we find a seat and have a coffee, now it's just a wait until our flight is ready.

So far we have clocked up 8380 air miles after today's flight.

We are excited about getting to Bangkok because we will be meeting up with Zak, one of Andrew's friends from his cruising days.

He has recommended the hotel we will be staying at and has organized a city tour on the Friday for us, can't wait.

The flight today is on Bangkok Airways, a boutique airline so the seats are wide and plenty of leg room, we get our ticket changed twice and end up in row A right at the front of the plane.

Its only an hour flight so we didn't expect to get food but we are served a light lunch of a spicy pizza thing, fresh fruit, orange juice and tea or coffee.

We arrive at Bangkok airport and Zak is waiting to pick us up, it's great to meet him.

The journey from the airport to Bangkok centre takes a while as the traffic is heavy due to it being the start of a three day hoilday.

Zak has arranged for us to have a Thai massage before we go to the hotel. Its a very posh place and a big set up, I've not seen any massage therapy places this big at home but it's very well organized and beautifully decorated.

We are shown to a waiting area and our shoes taken and provided with slippers and taken to the 5th floor and each shown to a private

room which is cool and softley lit, the massuer leaves and asks you to shower, he then returns ten minutes later with a tray of massage oils, you then lie down on the bed and the treatment starts.

It lasts an hour and a half and you are rubbed, stretched and pummeled all over your body, at times it's a bit more intimate than you may expect but apparently a good Thai massage should involve nearly every part of your body being massaged.

It is a truely relaxing and enjoyable experience and the best both Andrew and myself have ever had.

After we then head to a Thai restaurant for dinner and Zak suggests a few dishes to try, everything is yummy and we have a great time catching up.

Now it's time to get to our hotel and Zak makes sure all is ok before he leaves us, we say farewell and won't see him anymore this trip as he is off on a tour himself, thanks for all your help Zak, much appreciated.

We are staying at The Ramada on the River, very nicely decorated and the place has a very welcoming and friendly feel. Straight way the staff are on hand and we are sat down and given a complimentary arrival drink while they check us in.

When we are shown to our room it turns out to be a suite, we have a separate lounge, a large king size bedroom, each with a tv and a nice ensuite bathroom with bath and shower.

The view from our room is great as it looks out across the river and at this time of night the buildings are all lit up.

Now that we are settled we explore the hotel and head to the riverside terrace bar for a drink to finish off day one, it's been a great start to this part of the trip.

Day 2

We're up and out for 9 o'clock today and a guide and driver have been organised for us to take us out and about around Bangkok.

We have a posh Toyota people carrier to take us round today and a lovely lady called Aoy to shown us the sites

We first start at The Grand Place which is the official residence of the king of Thailand.

It is heaving with Chinese tourists and due to a ceremony taking place later today it will be closed from mid day.

Unfortunately due to this we are unable to go into the temple with the Emerald Buddha but there is still plenty to see as there are many temples which are decorated with red and gold and covered in many tiny pieces of red, green, blue, and mirrored glass, this makes the buildings glisten in the sunlight, it's quite spectacular.

There are large column structures called stupas around the palace grounds which have been erected as memorials to deceased family members and their ashes placed in them. Some are covered in gold and even have ornate monkey figures around the bases to look like they are holding them up and protecting them.

There are groups of ladies sitting under shady pergolas making flower chains as offerings to their God.

We continue and come to the main palace which is a mix of colonial and Thai architecture, this was built deliberately to symbolise east meets west culture and styles.

We are then back to where we started so it's off to our next stop the temple of the Reclining Buddha which is a short drive away .

The Buddha is 45 meters long and 15 meters high and is laying on its side, the feet are covered in mother of pearl which indicates he is wealthy, the rest is covered with gold.

Again at this site there are many other temples, stupa, and buildings which are beautifully decorated with gold and different colour glass fragments and lots of smaller Buddha's positioned within the many courtyards.

From here we then head to the river and get on a long tail boat for a trip up the river and to have some lunch.

On the way we see old houses on stilts, large cargo boats which are carrying building materials, and small boats selling food.

We buy some bread from one of the small boats and feed the fish along the way. At first you can't see them as the water is a little murky but the river is swarming with them.

Lunch is buffet style at one of the hotels overlooking the river, we have a noodle soup, spicy pork with fruit and a chicken curry dish.

After lunch it's back to our hotel and we have some time to ourselves so we use the swimming pool and relax for a few hours.

We decide to go out this evening to find something to eat rather than stay at the hotel.

Just down the road is Asiatique which is a shopping, entertainment and food area which was once a dock yard where all Siams goods would come into for distribution.

The old warehouses have been turned into a market and as we walk around we discover a lovely waterfront with restaurants overlooking the river.

We have dinner then head back to the hotel and have an earlyish night as we have to be up at 7am tomorrow for another guided tour.

Day 3

Today we are driving some 80 kilometres out of the city to a floating market at Damnoensaduak.

Along the way route there is a mixture of out of town superstores, industrial factory units and clusters of housing dotted through the landscape with more green space as we head further out. The land is predominately flat.

We had noticed when we flew in that there where lots of areas with large rectangular water beds, these it turns out are salt harvesting lagoons.

On the way we take a break and see how they extract sugar from the Coconut tree. They collect the flower stalk from high up in the canopy burn it on a fire to open it up and then boil it up in a large wicker basket which then drains into a large flat pan, this is then left to settle, the water removed and the sugar put to one side.

It was a very interesting process to see and I didn't know you could get sugar from the Coconut tree.

We continue on and soon arrive at the water market where we get on a long tail boat.

We are taken on a journey through small waterways that criss cross this area. All the houses and shops are built on stilts here.

It is quite an exhilarating experience as the boat travels at high speed on parts of the trip, It helps to cool us off.

We arrive at the main market area and it is swarming with boats, some just with people in them which are water taxis, others are traders cooking food to sell, and some are floating shops selling just about anything really you can imagine. The banks of the waterway also have shops on them that come right to the waters edge so you can pull up in your boat and purchase that you want.

Well that has been quite an experience and a great morning out.

We head back to Bangkok now and have the afternoon to ourselves again so it's back to the hotel and time for lunch by the pool and a few beers, a swim and relax.

That evening we decide to go to State Tower which has a bar and restaurant at the top. We have been recommended it as our friend Zak has an apartment in the building and has told us you get a great view of the city from there.

He has told us that you have to wear trousers, cover your shoulders and not have open shoes or you will be turned away.

So we dress up for the evening and head from our hotel which provides a free shuttle boat from our jetty to the city centre which takes about 15 minutes. From there it is a short walk through the streets to the buildings.

We arrive and are shown into the lift and go upto the 67th floor. When you exit the lift you are greeted by staff that are very smartly dressed, they show you to a small roof terrace and take your drinks order, we both have a Mohito, stand back and take in the view.

As we leave we talk to two guys that took our picture for us and they tell us there is another larger terrace on the other side of the building. If they hadn't said anything we wouldn't have known is was there, so we go to invetsigate.

On this side there is a Champagne bar, open air restaurant and the Skybar.

On the top terrace there is a live band playing jazz and mellow music. The whole roof is beautifully lit and gives the place a great atmosphere. The views of the city at night are stunning from this side. The whole thing is breathtaking.

The Skybar is on the far side jutting out over the edge of the building. You can walk around the edge and take in the view of the city below whilst having a drink.

The bar itself is illuminated and changes colour continually from red, pink, yellow, green through to blue etc.

Apparently this Skybar has consistantly be voted one of the best in the world and I can see why, it's stunning, glad we didn't miss it.

After our drinks it's back to reality and down to earth to have some dinner and head back to our hotel.

We walk back to the river and catch the shuttle boat back to our hotel. We are given a free bottle of water each and a refreshing cold towel to freshen up with, what a nice touch.

Day 3

Its a leisurely start today as our next flight isn't till 2.20pm so no rush this morning. Our driver that picked us up will be taking us back to the airport.

The trip to the airport is quick and easy and takes about half an hour this time as the roads are quiet with it being a Sunday. The airport is also quiet so it's straight through all the usual checks and off we go on the next leg of the trip which is Hanoi, Vietnam.

The flight is about an hour and a half and when we arrive going through the airport is straight foward.

A driver has been organised by G adventures to take us to our next hotel, The Church Boutique Hotel.

The motorway from the airport is wide and just has a handful of cars going along it, its also very clean with plants down the middle to make it look nice, first impressions are good.

As we head closer to our destination the roads get busier and the traffic heavier with motorbikes and scooters out numbering the cars, many of the scooters have 3 or 4 people on them.

We get to our hotel which is located in the old town, it's quite built up and the streets are narrow but it looks pretty clean.

We check in and have a very nice room, there are towels on the bed made into swans.

We settle in then head out into the local area to have a look around.

We walk down to a lake in the middle of the town, the lake is surrounded with a park circled with a busy road and then shops and restaurants bordering this.

The traffic is busy with scooters everywhere. You have to take your life in your hands and just step out in the road to cross. As a pedestrian you just have to be fearless, the traffic will go round you. An hour on and we seem to be getting the hang of it.

For our first night here we have seen some great sights around the park, there seems to be some kind of celebration going on today as there are lots of red flags and notices up but we are not sure what, no doubt we will find out later on from our guide.

Tomorrow the rest of the group turns up for the G Adventures tour of Vietnam, we will meet up at 6pm so we will have most of the day to ourselves to explore the area, but for now it's time for bed and looking forward to what tomorrow brings.