Category: Thailand

We were back in Bangkok, three weeks and several thousands of kilometres later, having driven round Thailand, clockwise. The traffic had not improved and it was possibly just a tad warmer than when we left. First job was to drop off the car. We were pleased when, after a fairly cursory check, the hire company gave us our deposit back. Next stop was the tailor. They had made me a jacket and Diane a couple of dresses. This is a bit of a speciality of Thailand. Custom tailoring at a very reasonable price. We had been for several fittings but only now got the finished items. They were very good. My jacket was well made, good material and fitted beautifully. All for less then the price of an off-the-peg in the UK. Diane was happy about her two dresses as well.

Next day we met Claudia and Patrick in the elevator. This was not a complete coincidence, we had arranged to meet in the lobby. It was however a nice surprise. They had just arrived from Germany at the start of their holiday. We all went off to explore the city. Claudia and Patrick have been to Bangkok many times, so when I say explore, I really mean we followed them around for a couple of days. This was great – we got to see loads of new places. We also got soaked.

The Thai New Year is called Songkram and is celebrated with a week of festivities in the middle of April. Chief amongst the festive activities are water fights. There is lots of other stuff, Buddhist traditions, offerings, prayers but for the tourist it feels like the whole city has armed itself with water pistols. We had already experienced a few squirts of water while wandering the streets. The weather is warm (did I ever mention that?) and your clothes dry quickly. We had sundowner cocktails on a rooftop bar across the river from Wat Arun. This is a spectacular golden temple, recently renovated, that catches the evening sun and then is lit by floodlights as darkness settles. Terrific background for an imaginatively named cocktail or two. Then we went off to find dinner and all piled into a tuk-tuk. These can be a good way to get round. Not so comfortable but fast, cheap and often quite exciting. On this occasion, however, it was a big mistake.

The Khao San Road and Silom Road are the hubs for modern celebration of Songkran. The roads are closed for traffic, and posts are equipped with water guns and buckets full of water. The party runs day and night as gangs armed with water roam the streets. We thought we might have a look at this but completely underestimated the extent of the crowds and the enthusiasm for water. We got stuck, in a traffic jam, in the tuk-tuk, at the start of the Khao San Road. This is how we got soaked. I do not just mean a light misting of sprayed water, I mean a full on drowning with multiple buckets of water, multiple times over about ten minutes before we abandoned the tuk-tuk and ran for safety. I noticed, in passing, that the street vendors of waterproof phone covers appeared to be doing a roaring business. The evening ended well. We found food, we eventually dried off and finally we said goodbye to Claudia and Patrick, in the same elevator. It had been really enjoyable to meet up with them, albeit for a very brief time. They were leaving in the morning for Phuket and the next day we would be flying home.

The following evening, our last in Bangkok, we visited the rooftop bar at the Lebua State Tower. Known as the Hangover Sky Bar it was a filming location for the movie Hangover 2 – which we have never seen. It is also one of the highest rooftop bars in the city. 63 floors up. We bought cocktails – by a large margin the most expensive drinks we had bought anywhere in Thailand. I mean, these were prices that would have been eye-watering in London. So we made it last and enjoyed the views over the city by way of saying goodbye to Thailand.

Durian fruit are banned in many hotels and on public transport in much of Southeast Asia. Some people describe the persistent smell as raw sewage with rotting onions. However, other people enjoy the taste and smell of these large, spikey objects, calling them the “King of fruit”. I had been keen to try some ever since reading about them years ago. My interest was tempered with a certain nervousness. We had seen a few in Thailand and now, as we followed the Mekong river south, we were seeing more and more. Finally, after mentally bracing ourselves, we stopped at a roadside stall and bought some. The fruit is large, up to 30 cm. The flesh is buried quite deeply inside and it appeared to take some skill to extract it. The stall holder was skilfully cutting into large, spikey fruit and flipping the contents out into small, plastic trays. We bought some and, to my delight, found them delicious. The flesh is soft, yellow and oddly reminiscent of custard. Diane liked it as well. We were pleased. It felt like a rite of passage.

Arriving in Mukdahan Province we came across the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge. This is one of several bridges built to improve trade with Laos. Traffic in Thailand drives on the left, as in the UK. While traffic in Laos drives on the right like most of the rest of the world. So associated with crossing the bridge is a lane-change, controlled by traffic lights. On the Thai side of the bridge a selection of dragons have been built. I have no idea of their significance but they were very bright and colourful. Made a nice backdrop for a cup of coffee while we contemplated the river for a while.

We continued south, following the Mekong river for a couple more days. At long last we got away from the choking smog caused by burning.  The lowland scenery was one of endless rice fields. Thailand has a strong tradition of rice production. It has the fifth-largest amount of land under rice cultivation in the world and is the world’s second largest exporter of rice. Much of this is Jasmine rice. Less productive than some varieties but far more lucrative. At the 2017 World Rice Conference held in Macau, Thailand’s hom mali (jasmine) rice was declared the world’s best rice, beating 21 competitors. The Mekong drifted off westward across Laos before it headed south through Cambodia and ultimately Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea via the ecologically important Mekong Delta. We had to turn back west to complete the great circle that would eventually bring us back to Bangkok.  

We drove through rice for a couple of days. Each paddi was a vibrant bright green bordered with banana plants, palms and other exotica. Eventually we arrived at Ryan’s Resort. Ryan, we discovered, is actually called Gary and used to be a Disc Jockey in Derby. Through a rather random set of circumstances, he married a Thai woman, became an expat and now runs a lovely little hotel close to the border with Cambodia. The resort consists of a clutch of small bungalows, a swimming pool and a restaurant area. The restaurant features a well-equipped and modestly price bar along with a terrific wood-fired pizza oven. We were immediately made very welcome by Gary and the gang of international expats gathered round the bar. I suspect the gathering to be a regular occurrence. Later the oven was fired up and Gary cooked us pizza. In all honesty, I can say this was the best pizza we have encountered since Italy. By far the best ever seen in Thailand.

We stayed in the pretty town of Chanthaburi on the banks of a river of the same name. Arriving at our small hotel we were offered Durian fruit – although we had to eat it in the outside kitchen. Upstairs, Diane was rather surprised to find a mattress on the floor. It did, however, turn out to be quite comfortable. In the evening we wander along the river front with  numerous small stalls and shops. As night fell, we settled into a very local restaurant for some excellent noodles and stir-fried rice. This was accompanied by freshly roasted cashew nuts served with chopped chillies – I really like this.

Last stop before Bangkok was the lively and popular city of Pattaya. Once a quiet fishing village, this is now a riot of resort hotels, high-ride condos, shopping malls, cabaret bars and 24-hour clubs. We took a taxi to the “walking street” full of hustle and neon signs. Someone shoved a laminated leaflet in front of me. Initially, it looked like an illustrated price list for gynaecological examinations but was in fact an invitation to visit the many strip clubs. We politely eschewed the delights of the ping-pong ball girls and managed to find a rather nice Indian restaurant for our first curry in months.

We were still struggling with the heat and the poor air quality. Temperatures persisted on sneaking up to 40°C and we continued to pass forest fires. Days had got into a rhythm that always began by waking to the sound of the air conditioning. This, we regarded as an essential and carefully chose our hotels to ensure cooling. Some rooms were better than others but whenever the temperature began to drop even a few degrees we both felt like we were coming back to life. I did ponder this a little in the context of climate change – the key to surviving higher temperatures is to expend even more energy on cooling. In Bangkok many public areas, including large shopping malls, are air conditioned. So there is an irony. Using energy and releasing carbon is causing global warming but the way to survive in warmer places is to use even more energy.

Such ruminations usually see me to the first important discovery of the day, breakfast. This was usually very good and often quite surprising. Fortunately coffee, black and strong, was a common element. Diane prefers tea. There was usually fruit. Lovely fresh local fruit. Water melon, yellow melon, banana and pineapple.  A simple salad of tomatoes, lettuce and onion was common. Eggs were scrambled or fried. I once had baked and fried eggs with a tamarind sauce – very nice. Other days we might have noodles, stir-fry vegetables, bread, rice or soup.

The Mekong river is one of the great border rivers of the world. Originating in Tibet, it divides China from Myanmar,  Myanmar from Laos and Laos from Thailand before heading across Vietnam and finally reaching the ocean in Vietnam. The tripoint where northern Thailand meets Myanmar and Laos is known as the Golden Triangle and is strongly associated with the opium trade. We had heard of a very interesting opium museum in the area. Unfortunately the heat and smoke compelled us to keep moving south and east in the hope of fresh air.

We finally encountered the Mekong in Nakhon Phanom. Hills had given way to flatlands. Rice fields were everywhere and we spotted quite a few cattle grazing. Our hotel was right on the banks of the river had windows looking across to Laos. This far inland there is very little traffic on the river. Mostly just a few fishermen. Sounds like the scene here would be idyllic, perhaps it is sometimes, but not this evening. The heat remained unrelenting. The river is a mucky brown colour with silt and a dull mist hung over everywhere that washed out all the colour. The sun set into the grey murk and then it was dark. Next day we continued south.

We headed north. It had been nice to get out of the Bangkok smog and into the clean, fresh air in Phuket. Around Kanchanaburi we had noticed a few fires and there was a general haze in the air. Driving towards Chiang Mai the smoke and fires became worse. I later learned that in 2017, Chiang Mai had been rated as having the worst air pollution in the world. The problem is mostly about fires. Farmers set fires to clear old crops but far worse are the fires in Thailand and Myanmar used to clear forest. The cumulative effect of all this burning is a ubiquitous fog which obscures the view, tightens you chest and gets in your eyes. I needed to stop wearing contact lenses completely and was using eye drops every half hour or so while we were driving. So although Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai looked to be interesting cities, we breezed through them in short order hoping to find somewhere we could breath again. We also explored some of the jungle areas and hills in the many National Parks. Found many places where the view could have been spectacular but was just a fog. Found many places where we would have lingered longer but the heat and breathing issues kept us moving.

A few kilometres before Chiang Mai, we stumbled across a large temple complex and were compelled to take a look. The scale and complexity of the buildings was breath taking. Without doubt, we failed to understand much of the symbology, purpose and meaning of the statues and decorations. However, we could still be astonished, appreciative and amazed at the fabulous features. The total amount of work that must have gone into the construction was staggering. White and gold were the primary colours, with inlays of silver and small mirrors. The overall effect was a level of intricacy and complexity that was simply dazzling.

From Chiang Rai, we headed east towards the border with Laos. As we entered one National Park there was a sign warning us about wild elephants. This was exciting for a while although we never actually saw any elephants. Travelling though various countries, we often see signs warning of wild animals, moose, boar, otters, red squirrels. These creatures are usually completely elusive. Sometimes it feels as if the main purpose of the sign is to make an area seem more interesting.

Thailand is hot. Too hot for me and Diane to be comfortable. I may have mentioned this already. As we drove east the mid-afternoon temperature sneaked up towards 40°C. Enough to slow cook Northern Europeans but great for many types of plants. A tremendous number of plants and a massive range of varieties. The vegetation in Thailand is lush, magnificent and diverse. Much grows here that cannot tolerate colder climes and we found it fascinating to spot flora that we had always considered rare and exotic. Mangoes grow on trees, we discovered. Each one dangles down on vine of a few inches. At the roadside stalls we could buy perfectly ripe, fresh mangoes that were so tasty and succulent as to make the tough, tasteless, over-preserved instances on the UK supermarket shelves, completely pointless. Pineapple plants – a first for Diane – fields of small, spikey leaves with baby pineapples growing on stalks. Coconuts and dates on palms. Papaya and figs and bananas. Bananas everywhere. Not just in the big, sprawling plantations but also along the roadside and randomly dotted just about everywhere you look. Nearly every household appears to have their own banana plant.

We hired a car and headed north west. Diane was past the worst of her insect bites and allergies but we were both still finding the heat a bit much. We figured that a road trip would fit the bill since, with a nice air conditioned car, we would have somewhere cool to escape to during the day. We collected the car, without any problems, about 11am and tackled the Bangkok roads. Like most cities, Bangkok roads are busy and you really need to pay attention. However, most drivers are quite polite and fairly laid back so driving is nowhere near as stressful as some European capitals.

After about four hours driving we still felt like we were in Bangkok. The road was lined with buildings, businesses, shops and people busy with their daily lives. Almost all the way to Kanchanaburi it seemed to be the same story and, frankly, made for a boring drive. Fortunately, a few miles before we arrived the buildings gave way to fields and we could start to see a little of the countryside. Our hotel was located right next to the River Kwai and set in a large, impressive garden. It was also very quiet. Just a handful of guests in a large hotel. Very peaceful. The food was very good too. Probably some of the tastiest and most authentic Thai food to date.

Next day we went to visit the Bridge over the River Kwai. This has become a memorial to the people who died constructing the Burma Railway during the second world war. Much of what I thought I knew about the bridge came from the 1957 film, Bridge on the River Kwai. Sadly, this is mostly fiction and the film was actually shot in Ceylon. The reality of the 248 mile “death railway” was probably far more horrific than the film or the book it was based on. Between 180,000 and 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war were subjected to forced labour by the Japanese during its construction. Around 90,000 civilians died, as did more than 12,000 Allied prisoners. Two bridges were built over the Khwae Yai, one wooden and one of steel and concrete. They were both bombed by the RAF and then repaired by allied POWs, several times. In 1946 the British ordered the Japanese POWs to remove large sections of railway to protect British interests in Singapore. The Burma section rapidly fell into disrepair and just a small section of the Thai side in still in use.

We pressed on north and west, stopping to look at a view point in the Khao Laem National Park. Here we discovered that foreigners pay ten times as much as locals for entrance into the parks. The view point was interesting but dulled by the pall of smoke hanging over everything. This was to prove to be a persistent and unpleasant occurrence. Further up the road we were driving past sections of burning forest. Eventually, we arrived at Sangkhla, close to the border to Myanmar. At the Three Pagodas Pass, Thai people can get a day-pass to Myanmar but not foreigners. We took a boat trip on the  Khao Laem lake to visit some temples. The two young daughters of the boat owner acted as our guides. One of the temples was being taken over by tree roots giving it a distinct “Indiana Jones” appearance. This was enhanced by the beautiful Buddha inside which has just been given a new coat of gold leaf. From the lake, way off in the distance, we could see another completely enormous Buddha, that was being worked on. Later we attempted to find this immense statue by car but failed.

Back in Sangkla, we stumbled into the middle of a procession. Never discovered what was being celebrated but there was much singing, dancing and bright colours. Everyone seemed very happy. That evening, we walked across the old wooden bridge spanning the Song Kalia river to the Mon village Wang Kha. A quite remarkable structure that looks to be hundreds of years old but was actually built in 1980. At over 400 m, it is Thailand’s longest wooden bridge and the second longest in the world. A pleasant restaurant at the far side was happy to feed us before we crossed back as the sun was setting.

Two days later we were in the jungle. Having reached the end of the road, we set off back towards Kanchanaburi but took a detour eastwards to explore some minor roads. Here we found the Lam Klong Ngu National Park and a sign to the Nang Kruan Waterfall. Getting into the park would have been easier with a 4×4. Then we followed a trail by the river for half an hour before actually arriving at the waterfall. This is an area of tropical rainforest and, where ever farmers are not asserting themselves, there is lush, dense, vibrant green vegetation. We saw butterflies, lizards, many types of bird and even a lizard that was a good 40 cm long. It jumped off its branch into the river before I could photograph it. All felt like a proper jungle adventure. Certainly we were very hot and sweaty at the end of it. Closer to Kanchanaburi we found a hotel which featured floating bedrooms. The novelty value was fun and we did attempt to use the kayak moored outside the bedroom window. It did not go well. Either the boat was very unstable or, more likely, we were very wobbly. We paddled into the river, wobbled a lot and came back. The thought of going into the river, or worse still, swallowing some, was quite enough to bring out my instabilities.

90 minutes flying from Bangkok will get you to the island of Phuket. 50km long and just 20 km wide, Phuket is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Thailand receiving some 10 million visitors each year. The beaches are probably the biggest lure for tourists. The weather remains tropical all year round giving rise to lush jungle vegetation. We could spot bananas and coconuts growing everywhere. Obviously it was hot. Just as hot as Bangkok but at least here the air was fresh and clean. Diane and I are still struggling with the heat and our days tend to be punctuated with finding some way to cool down. Fortunately the sea is the perfect temperature for swimming.

We had committed ten days to the Phuket area but did not have any real idea what we were going to do there or even where we would stay. For many holiday makers I think it is all about beaches, bars and nightclubs. I tried sunbathing once and, after about ten minutes, had a headache, felt too hot and was generally uncomfortable. The idea of lying on a beach at 35°C while my skin crisps before going red and falling off, strikes me as some sort of torture. Diane is of a similar outlook and so we set off to find some other sides of Thailand. We hired a very small scooter for a modest fee and this gave us the freedom of the roads. The scooter, a Honda Click 160 is very easy to ride. Just twist and go. Ideally suited to the local roads. Good for filtering through the many traffic jams and simple to park – although you have to be careful that you can find it again amongst the many other almost identical scooters.

Our first trip was to the beach just outside the airport. This is actually slightly more interesting than it sounds. The runway starts right at the edge of the beach. So, you can sit there, sunbathing if you like, and watch the planes coming into land a few metres above you. With correct positioning you can also experience the power of the back-wash from the jet engines as the planes take off. Occasionally a particularly powerful jet will blow people into the sea. Because this is a slightly popular area, a surprisingly wide variety of street food is available. It was early in the morning and I breakfasted on fresh coffee with an egg filled roti (fried flatbread). Instant coffee is very common in Thailand and also one of my pet hates. Every now and again, civilisation takes a faltering step in the wrong direction from which it can take a while to recover – the invention of instant coffee is one such mistaken lurch from the true path. I trust we will get over it eventually. In the meanwhile it is sometimes necessary to search a while for real coffee. Close to the roti stall was another cooking up espresso pots on a small gas stove. Strong and bitter. Ideal for breakfast.

We moved to another hotel right on Nao Thon beach. This was convenient for a dip in the sea and also for watching the sunset. Combining the two, that is, swimming as the sun goes down, does have a romantic appeal however it is not always so practical. The problem is that the mosquitos and other flying, biting insects, tend to get active around sundown. As soon as the light starts to fade it is a good idea to cover up. After getting soundly bitten a couple of times we settled on a evening routine that still saw a cooling dip in the ocean but well before sunset. By the time darkness began to encroach we would be fully dressed and safely ensconced in a bar.

The next big scooter trip was to explore the beaches to the south and west of Phuket. These included Laguna, Kamala, Patong and Karon beaches. In many ways the beaches were quite similar. A massive industry based, apparently, on sleeping in the sandy patches by the ocean. A thousand deck chairs all neatly arranged. Sellers of every type of drink or fruit. Sometimes combined, so you would see coconuts and pineapples sporting straws and cocktail umbrellas. The Thai are very keen on massages, or at least they are very keen on selling them to tourists. Rows of middle aged people laid out on blankets getting their flesh pummelled and contorted. Elsewhere echelons of sun seekers are trying to change the colour of their skin. The pursuit of the all-round and even tan gave rise to some remarkable attire and poses. While nudity is not the normal on these beaches we did spot a few positions combined with perilously flimsy clothing that would have given a porn star second thoughts. Souvenir stalls, food stalls, clothing stalls, tours guides collecting punters for trips. Not for us but this is clearly a great place for those of the beach life inclination. Some people even enjoy the heat I imagine.

On the way back we visited an elephant sanctuary. There are quite a few of these. They are not really sanctuaries. Whatever they say. The elephants are a tourist attraction, a way to make money. People pay to bath with elephants, ride on elephants, feed elephants, pet baby elephants and to pose for the perfect holiday photograph. The poor old elephants probably have a better life than the hard working animals of old. Even so, that attitude of using animals for our own entertainment and amusement does not ring true with me or Diane. Of course, the real problem is that there is almost nowhere elephants can live in the wild. For many endangered species these days there are far more animals in captivity than in the wild. Some species now only exist in captivity. They have been saved by zoos. The bottom line for us with regards to “sanctuaries” is that they make us sad. We would rather not see elephants in chains. We had a short look around. Felt sorry for the elephants and left.

Two hotels later we went on a tourist trip. I am not good on tourist trips and naturally rebel at a deep, instinctual level to being treated like a sheep. When the tour guide says we should all go this way every fibre of my being wants to head in the opposite direction. However, realistically, it is the only way to get to see some things. For a long time I have been intrigued by some of the odd shaped “upside down” islands off the coast of Thailand. Is there an inspirational link between these dramatic rocks, Roger Dean’s artwork and the film Avatar? I wanted to see for myself. We joined up with a group of some thirty other sheep. After a short introductory talk we were herded onto a shallow bottomed boat sporting three large outboard engines. We visited several islands and they were quite interesting. At the first we hopped into small, inflatable kayaks and were paddled through some caves into the a large space inside the island. Next island was a similar topography but this time we waded through some longer caves before emerging into a central area that had a strong “lost world” feel about. Mud skippers, a strange sort of amphibious fish, were walking, skipping perhaps, in the boggy sand. Large butterflies fluttered past and the sunlight cast beams of light through the foliage that reached high up inside the hollowed island. Then came “James Bond” island with racks of souvenir stalls. “The man with the golden gun” was made fifty years ago but this place still has a strong attraction to many. Late lunch was a buffet at a restaurant on stilts. The food, like most Thai food, was remarkably good. Finally we were deposited on a beach for an hour. Presumably so that we could enjoy the great beach life. Fortunately there was a bar with shade from the sun and cold beer.

Next day Diane was suffering from allergies. Multiple insect bites had broken out in lumps and bumps all over. Heat rashes afflicted her legs and she developed terrible bags under her eyes. Looked like she had been fighting. Not sure if these we cause by heat, insects or something else. She loaded up with antihistamines and liberally smeared creams all over. We visited the quieter northern part of the island by scooter and then packed to fly back to Bangkok. Time to start phase three of the Thailand trip.

I have never been a fan of long haul flights and successfully managed to avoid them for over a decade. This blissful abstinence abruptly came to an end with flight KL0803 from Amsterdam to Bangkok. It was, for the most part, just as I remembered. Long, tedious, noisy and the residual jet lag gave me a headache. Stepping out of the pleasantly cool airport into the hot, humid and polluted tropical air of Bangkok served to compound my misery. The hotel was a half hour taxi ride. We arrived at the relative sanctuary of our room with its air conditioning doing sterling service. This was wonderful. We could cool down, lie down and inevitably, fall asleep. In the evening we had a snack in the hotel café before heading back to bed. By next morning we felt just about ready to tackle Bangkok.

It is hot here. I think it is always hot in Thailand. 35°C by mid-afternoon. Everyone else seems quite comfortable with this but Diane and I sense that we are being slowly cooked. After a modest stroll round the park next door we felt thoroughly braised and retreated into a very nice French bar with air conditioning and chilled wine. The park was interesting. We were not familiar with any of the wide range of birds, flowers and or large reptiles swimming in the lakes.

Next day we went for a more urban experience and visited a shopping mall. Eight floors of retail heaven. Not really my thing but Diane needed some stuff and anyhow the whole mall was air conditioned. Bangkok is busy and crowded. Slums and modern high-rise offices snuggle together. Smart, young people step over the beggars on the pavement and everywhere you need to negotiate the street vendors. Everything from souvenirs to shampoo. Street food abounds. Small trolleys with a charcoal brazier cooking up a variety of snacks mostly involving meat and noodles. The range of smells is a whole nasal adventure of its own. Cooking often dominates, frying meat, garlic and vegetables with an underlying hint of burning wood. Traffic fumes complete with excesses of cheap perfume as people hustle along the pavement. The lakes and river add a damp smell while the sewers and pools of stagnant water are constantly lurking to remind you to just keep moving in some places.

A tuk-tuk driver offered us the unmissable tour of Bangkok for a mere two pounds. This was fun although I am far too big to fit into the back of a tuk-tuk comfortably. The vehicle leaned perilously on corners and squeezed through the dense traffic with mere millimetres on each side. Best just to shut your eyes sometimes. Obviously, we needed to visit the taxi driver’s various sponsors. The tailor was actually quite interesting but the high-light of the tour was a river trip. We had a long tail boat to ourselves. The ‘gondolas of Thailand’ feature a large engine on the back with a direct drive propellor. This whole assembly is pivoted so that the boat is controlled by driver wrestling the entire running engine. The result appears effective and is probably cost effective but it also looks remarkably precarious and dangerous. We bounced up and down the river for an hour. The water is a sinister brown colour and there is a tang in the air that reminds you to keep your mouth shut when spray comes over the bows. The tour included several temples and the royal palace. We paused at a one-man floating store to buy beer and mangoes.

Our last trip out was to a market not far from the hotel. Not really a tourist destination but still quite interesting. The total amount of food there was staggering. Looked to be enough to feed the whole of Bangkok. Vast mountains of chicken, fish and all types of vegetables. Porters ran round continuously with sack barrows shifting stuff here and there. From a distance, I imagine the market would look like a giant ant’s nest that just got disturbed.

Six days in Bangkok. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world but also very hot, crowded and polluted . The air quality is at an all-time low. 200,000 people admitted to hospital with breath problems just this week. The Public Health Ministry say that we should wear masks outside. Time to get out of the city.