Thailand

I leave Manila as I arrived, in a torrential rain storm. It's coming down so hard that I'm soaked to the skin just by walking from the taxi into the terminal. As it happens, the wrong terminal. Back to another cab to take me to the correct one. I'd left plenty of time so no biggy. I go to check in. As I wait in line I see a familiar gold baseball cap. It's Sebastian and Merie! They're moving on to Bali. We check in go though security and sit down for a coffee. A sweet coffee of course. We don't have much time so we say more goodbyes and then head off to the different gates. A pleasant flight and I arrive in Bangkok. Albeit at 2am in the morning. I haven't been here since 1994, when I spent my student loan on a two month stint backpacking around Thailand with best friend Claire from school, and a whole bunch of brilliant girls she'd met at University. We were seven girls in Thailand, just turned twenty, Full moon party, opium, the whole nine yards. Back then it was so exotic. I'd never been anywhere like it, and I'd never dreamt of anywhere like it. We'd paid 320GBP for a return flight to Bangkok on Aeroflot via Moscow. I've dreamt about returning.

I don't head to Khao San Road this time. But get a taxi to Suk 11, which my super organised sister has booked us into. She arrives later that morning. I get to the hostel and hit the bed. It's a really nice room with twin beds, our own bathroom and it's all spotless. My memories of cockroach infested Khao San Road with paper thin walls, melt into sleep. I wake up early, shower and just as I finish there is a knock at the door. I open the door to my beaming sister! It's so good to see her. After lots of hugs and kisses and catch up. She unpacks her backpack to reveal some new clothes for me! She freshens up and we head to breakfast (included) and spend the morning wagging our chins.

Our plan is to spend a day or two here in Bangkok and then head on to Cambodia. We both need a Visa so after we've caught up on the gossip, we head to the Cambodian Embassy. Of course Lonely Planet is wrong again with the address (quite unbelievable really). Some Thai woman approaches us speaking great English and tries to coerce us in getting a visa though her. It all sounds a bit far fetched 'she just happened to be there, and can help?!' ... we don't take her up and then find out later that she was trying a well rehearsed 'visa scam' on us. Ahh Thailand. It all comes flooding back. We finally find the Embassy, only to find it shut for lunch. We pop round the corner for a quick bite. Yummy Thai street food, probably the best in the world? The Embassy once open is very efficient and we walk out twenty minutes later with Visas. Sarah's fading slightly, so its decided we'll head over to Wat Po for a massage at the school there. Just as we arrive the heavens open and we scuttle into the school of massage for some relief. A dark room, fragrant herbal balls, wondrous massage all conducted with a thunder storm in the background. I think I drift off to sleep. It's still raining when we finish, so Sarah treats me to a foot massage too. The rain has cleared, as has every stress in my body. We walk out and hail a cab to take us back to Sukumvit Road. The traffic is so bad that after about an hour we give up and walk he rest of the way. Once safely back at the hostel we dine at the restaurant next door on delishious phad thai and green papaya salad. We decide to leave the day after tomorrow on the early bus to Aranya Prathet (border town with Cambodia). The next day we visit the Grand via the river boat, and do a little shopping in the afternoon. There is a failed attempt at trying to buy our bus ticket early (1 hour walk in the dark), then a failed attempt at a ping pong sex show in the evening. We do see an interesting sex show with some very beautiful naked girls sliding around on a podium, pouring water over each other from champagne bottles. Then back to the hostel walking down Sukumvit road. It's teeming with traffic, hawkers, food stands, clothes stalls, lady boys, dogs, cats, roaches and then all of a sudden we're navigating around an elephant! In the middle of Bangkok! Was it a dream?

We have a silly early start at 4.30am. It's the best to have my sister here, it's been far too long.

Notes:

Sarah's backpack is tiny, she insists I told her to get one that small. So didn't.
Cabbages and Condoms - good restaurant with condomania and aids awareness.
Lunch by the river, brilliant food stands.

Miss you Sarah xxxx