Yesterday morning we went back to the Pratunam market, in case we missed buying everything in sight last time. First, onto the Skytrain, smugly clasping our all day passes, then through the Zen Mall – apparently one of the biggest malls in the world, where we went looking for the ahem, facilities. After admiring the enthusiasm of the flushing toilets (comparable to those on airplanes in their keenness to suck you into the Bangkok sewer system) and the rather splendid marble bowls in said facilities, we wandered back out, looked about us like yer average awestruck goldfish. Then we heard voices and cheering. Down on the ground floor (we were on the 3rd) there were a whole lot of young people dancing. At first we thought it was a flash mob, but it turned out to be more like a class being held by an obviously experienced male choreographer. It was great fun to watch and kept us amused and away from our shopping expedition for all of 10 minutes. A veritable miracle. Then we saw the Croc shop…

Ayla – there is now an entire shop dedicated to Croc shoes. I took photos for you – I knew you’d be pleased. Heh heh…(ebil chuckle) They even sell accessories to attach to your crocs… Continue reading →

We’re back in civilization now – Chiang Mai – and I have to confess that after 7 days of eating vegetarian food only, the first thing I bought was pork on a stick. For those who are mad about both elephants and tofu, however, I highly recommend you go to the park for a week or two and you will get your fill of both. Continue reading →

I had my dragonfuit shake yesterday morning, as promised. Cut up and thrown in with crushed ice, like the apple one I had the other day, it’s definately a great way to start the day. The woman who made it for me is lovely and has taught herself ‘good english for her business’. I told her that my kids call me ‘Dragon’ sometimes (family joke) and thus this was an appropriate drink for me, and she and I discussed how mums have to be part dragon and part angel. Same the world over… Continue reading →

After writing yesterdays missive, I was walking back to our room and about to cross a small lane when something green landed to my right with a splat. A snake had fallen out of the power lines, and tried to race across the road, only to get caught up in a guy’s motorbike wheel. He screeched to a halt, the snake disentangled itself, and as I stood there having my own personal heart attack, it wriggled madly over to a huge pottery jar on the other corner. I had gone cold all over and stayed like that for a full minute. I’m not sure who got the biggest fright – me, the motorbike rider or the snake… Like heck was I going to go and see if the snake was alright – wriggling like it did, it was obviously fairly alive anyway. I Did get away from the power lines in case there were more, and kind of slinked home hoping nothing else would drop into my life for a visit. Continue reading →

I forgot to mention that we saw many flooded fields on the way into Sukhothai. Miles and miles of flooding, as mentioned in the newspaper in Bangkok. Those poor farmers – it could be half a year’s crop ruined just because of a dam overflow.I woke up to find that I had tie dyed my bed sheet and white singlet a lovely pink. I had wet my sarong last night to lie under with the fan blowing over it (Rough-As-Guts air conditioning) and the dye transferred. I’ll have to go and humbly fess up to the owners and probably pay for another sheet. Bl*ddy India and its dye jobs! Our beds were apparently made in a quarry somewhere – we have maximum one inch worth of mattress on top of what cruelly looks like another soft mattress but is actually the consistency of slate. This goes nicely with the wooden bed frames that you kick your toe or leg against once an hour or so. Continue reading →