Bang

In Bangkok, hungover and tired - probably the way it should be.

The flight here from Egypt was great, I slept for the vast duration and everytime I did stir I was comforted with images of Glasgow (including my old flat on Bentinck Street), as they showed the movie “Stone of Destiny” - Robert Carlyle in Arabic, classic! The hostel is great, nice and clean, but realised on my initial scout about that I'm in the centre of the red light district. I'm getting offered 'massages' everywhere I go, but I don't think it's my shoulders they want to rub!!

After my first experience of Thai food, a green curry which blew my head off, I decided to venture to the Khao San Road - backpacking epicenter of the world and so called decompression chamber for South East Asia. Very easy to get chatting to people around here and a few drinks shortly turned in to night on the tiles with an English guy Dan, an F1 mechanic and the who changes Rubens Barrichello's front left wheel in the pitlanes of F1. My first tuk-tuk ride was an experience as we headed to a club in a multi-storey car park with the driver doing wheelies at every opportunity!!

Hungover sightseeing the next day was a struggle, managed to see Wat Pho, a temple and home of the huge 'Reclining Buddha' who has a reassuring cheeky smirk on his golden face. Also, attempted to see the Grand Palace but my shorts were too short - the Thai security guards didn't appreciate my attempt to flash my calves at the Emerald Buddha! Quick change of plan and onto the Golden Mount which offers breathtaking views of the city, but sadly closed 30 minutes before I got there. Back to the hostel (via McDonalds for remedies) with my tail between my legs for an early night.

Had much better luck the next day and took a James Bond style river boat to the Grand Palace (this time kitted out in long trousers). Walked until my legs were sore and ended up off the beaten track in some strange side streets with no other westerners in sight, a healthy mixture of fascination and fear at the unknown. The temples and palaces are all very striking and their architecture is really interesting but there are so many it's hard not to become blase. In the evening had a few beers with a mixture of national travellers – German, Oz and USA – which again ended scooting around the deserted streets of Bangkok after dark in an overloaded tuk-tuk – good times and very reassuring to find how easy it is to meet like minded people. But feeling like I've had my fill of city living so heading north on the sleeper train to Chiang Mai.