Bangkok!

Anyone who is after 30c muggy heat which makes your fingers swell like bratwurst, fancies a long walk around grubby streets swamped with luminous pink taxis and smelly tuk tuks, and back alleys full of people gutting live fish and threading bearded women then get yourself to Chinatown, Bangkok!

Probably not the best introduction to Thailand, especially when you head out with no map, have no idea where you are or where you want to go, and pick somewhere that no-one speaks or understands English!

So, we think we made it to Chinatown, but that's only because the roads were filled with gold shops, street food vendors, dried fish wholesalers and neon signs!

Unperturbed, we put our best foot forward and headed back towards town. I'm not sure why there are so many scrap metal dealers, engine strippers, mechanics and sewing machine repairers in Bangkok, but we have seen most of them!

We soon felt less out of place when we finally reached the Chao Phraya river courtesy of an iPhone map, and settled down with a beer on the waterfront to recover.  

The bar was awesome - it even had a stuffed moose on the wall.
Here it is just for you Iain.

The sun set and we headed off for the nearest MTR station back to the hotel to get ready for our first Thai meal.

An hour of walking later, we still hadn't found a MTR station nor had we even seen a Thai restaurant! We had found the State Tower though - famous thanks to Hangover 2. At least we know how to get there on Friday for a cocktail in the Sky Bar!

Finally, and within sight of an MTR station, we found a Thai restaurant! Amy ordered our starters of chicken satay and crispy golden rice with chilli.

The satay were lovely; the crispy golden rice with chilli sauce was.....has anyone had snack-a-jacks before? Mmmm cold rice cakes - at least the dipping sauce was good!
The thai curry and pad thai more than made up for that though!


PS. Happy birthday to Emma M for 5th. Hope you have a good one x