31.05.2004

Last day of spring (must be the jet lag) :-P

Well here we are in Bangkok on the last day of spring. Our travelling companion on the flight was Udo, a homeopathy practioner of german descent from Coogee who tagged along in the taxi to Khao San road where we stumbled exhausted into the nearest guesthouse. We managed to take in our first off-the-street pad thai - clearly outrageously overpriced at eighty cents.

Just round the corner a drink-stall owner whipped up a fresh fruit juice in a blender with a sneaky drop of sweetened condensed milk. Did we want to drink here, or take away? Drink here, most definitely. So when we were handed the juice in a little plastic carry-bag with a straw I was a little bemused. We sat there sucking down the moorish things anyway, just as a major monsoonal downpour sent every Thai and his dog scurrying to pack up shop. The humidity is more than bearable but the rains are always so welcome.

We managed to locate a better guesthouse today just to the north of Khao San road - Sawasdee house. A quieter tree-lined street with a ground level open-air travellers lounge - exactly what should be prescribed when staying in Bangkok. All wood-carved elephant seats and corner-cushions on floors, and quiet conversations, and a multitude of accents and backpacks and rapidly emptying juice glasses.

So today will be all about Cambodian visas, Ko Chang bus times, and currency conversion. If all goes to plan we will probably head down on the five hour journey to Trat tomorrow morning to make the ferry across. These damn books are heavy and my back will surely lead a mutiny against my eyes unless they start devouring the words quickly - I've started on Life of Pi and I'm already hooked.

Off to organise. Summer here we come.