Thailand

Wednesday 11th May 2016 – In the morning Alysa went shopping for t-shirts and I stayed at the hotel to catch up on our blog which hadn’t been updated since we left Africa. About 2pm we got a message from mum and dad that they were on their way back to Bangkok. They had been staying at a huge deserted hotel in Pattaya where they were the only guests – it sounded a bit like something out of The Shining. That evening we went to see a film at the cinema. We watched Captain America: Civil War – entertaining but immediately forgettable.

Thursday 12th May 2016 – Alysa, mum and dad met up to see the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (I had seen them before so stayed behind to finish blogging). On their way to the Grand Palace someone told them it was closed on account of it being Buddah Day and wouldn’t they like to see some gem shops instead – I was amused to hear they almost fell for it! Bangkok was in the middle of a heat wave and the sightseeing was punctuated by regular stops for cold drinks. That evening we took a dinner cruise on an old rice boat. The delicious food came thick and fast and there was much merriment. Dad made friends with one of the waiters and we all almost ended up out on the town together.

Friday 13th May 2016 – In the evening we took a trip to Khaosan Road which is where I had stayed years ago. It was brighter and noisier than I remembered but essentially unchanged in character. We had drinks at a rooftop bar and watched every variety of traveller pass below. In the centre of the strip were a couple of very loud, busy bars playing dance music and popular with Thais. We had a fun time dancing to the music with them. As we continued down the road there was a stall selling a variety of fried insects and larvae. Most impressive were the shiny black scorpions and I couldn’t resist trying one. It didn’t taste unpleasant but the claws in particular were quite difficult to chew into small enough pieces to swallow comfortably. After a final drink we took a taxi home having had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Saturday 14th May 2016 – Tonight was mum and dads last night in Thailand and they were going out in style. We met up late afternoon and went for sunset cocktails at the Octave Skybar which is on the 48th floor of the Mariott Hotel. The view of the Bangkok skyline is fantastic and we reminisced about the last four weeks together as the sun went down and was replaced by the glittering lights of the city at night. We were in the mood for a juicy steak and eventually found a place off of Sukummvit Road. The place was empty and the food was average but the company was great and we all sang along to old Elvis hits late into the night.