ooooooooowwwwwwww!!!!! Can you hear the bank account screaming????????

So Bangkok.....let battle commence, it's Ria against the stall holders and shopkeepers of Thailand, I pity them !!!!! Let the blood letting begin!!!

We arrived in fantastic time - about 2 hours to a silent airport and city, it was lunch time yet the airport was empty, bizarre. It was also really cool aswell, no humidity at all, cold even, where is everyone???

We got on the airport bus to  Khao san and we're signed in at our usual - Khao san Palace - by 3 o 'clock, not bad as we didn't leave KL until 10 .40. First stop the bank ( we'll see you a few times in the next few days!!!!)and then shopping. I get a new turtle , a bargain at 700 baht, 12 squid, just hope it lasts. My old one is in KL on semi retirement , it's done well 10 years service and has lasted the last three months in Windy with a broken arm after a cab driver ripped his arm off on the first day.

..Welcome to Windybum!!!

We had a great time , eating Phad thai, drinking Sang som buckets and shopping up a storm and after a great green cuzza in our fav backstreet joint it's bed time and time to give the bank account a breather ( make the most of it you're in for some more rough treatment tomorrow!!! )

Next day, it's the Kings Palace, Wat visiting and Buddah spotting. Great street food again, and again lots more shopping. We've booked our night train down to Trang ( alot more expensive than when we were last here, but still well worth it ) and then we're bussing and speedboating it to Koh Lipe, part of the Tarotao Marine Park - YIIIPPPPPEEEEEE!! But first there's another day of shopping, sightseeing, drinking and beauty parloring!!! First off drinking.

....no not really, we get the shopping out of the way then it's off to Wat Po, and it's astonishing reclining Buddah. There's over 100 buddahs in this Wat but the recliner is amazing, massive, over 100 feet and completely covered with gold leaf apart from it's eyes and feet which are made of mother of pearl!!!! If you're in Bangers you've gotta go see it it's fantastic!!!!! After two hours of wandering around we're buddahed out so it's back to Khao san for Ria to have a facial and then some serious changing, sang somming and shopping.

Next morning it's Thai massage and foot reflexology, a quick swim, and yes some last minute shopping and to the station for our train, WWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, all aboard the night train PARP PARP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    What luxury it is after Indian trains, 4 people instead of 8, soft mattresses, clean sheets, pillows and curtains and very soon the sand man came calling and sprinkled his magic dust zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz