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James GrahamJames Graham
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  • 2024 Adventure
    2
    Day 111–113

    Siem Reap

    May 24 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C

    We headed back to the bus station we'd arrived at early in the morning to catch our bus to Siem Reap, the home of the famous Angkor Wat temples. The journey was pretty smooth, and the rest stops were a lot better than the ones on our first journey.

    Our hotel was pretty good, with lots of foliage and ponds with loud croaking frogs in them, and, unfortunately, mosquitos. The hotel also had a pool, so as soon as we'd settled in, we went straight into the water. It also had a swim-up bar, which we made good use of. While at the bar, an American lady, who was on her third drink during happy hour, was speaking to anyone who was near her. She was very lovely, and we found out she had climbed Manaslu as well, but like 15 years ago, when there were no roads or tea houses—she camped most of the trek. She recommended a bar/restaurant down our road that sold 15-cent beer, so we headed there and enjoyed some decent food and the cheap beer. We then wandered around the town and checked out the very busy area with lots of loud bars, restaurants, and shops. Before heading to bed, we had a quick night swim in the pool; it was so pretty we couldn't resist.

    The next day, we woke up slowly and ate our breakfast, with the mosquitos biting me to pieces. They definitely really like me, and I vowed to wear DEET to breakfast from now on. We then went off to the very modern, fancy ticket office to get our three-day tickets for Angkor Wat and then went to the Angkor Wat Museum in town to learn about the site and its history before seeing it the next day.

    The museum was well worth it and gave us a great introduction to the site and its history. It was Buddhist for most of its rulers but also Hindu for one of them, so a lot of it is a medley of the two. This is also where they house a lot of the statues and monuments to keep them safe and away from looters (there had been a lot of looting of the site over its old and modern history). After wandering around, listening to the audio guide, and trying to understand the nuances of the Buddhist religion, we got hungry, so we finished up and went to get some food and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. That evening, we booked tickets to the Phare Cambodian Circus, which has a performance every single night and was truly excellent. It wasn't as big-budget and extravagant as Cirque du Soleil, but what they didn't have in stagecraft, they made up for in acrobatic skills and slapstick entertainment. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the show and didn't even notice the time passing. An excellent show, well worth a visit for anyone in Siem Reap.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    Day 109–111

    Penm Phen - part 2

    May 22 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    Still feeling a little lethargic, we started the day slowly by going to a very high-end coffee shop to catch up on blogging and research our next moves. While wandering to our lunch spot, we were cajoled by a tuk-tuk driver who said he'd take us to Oudong, where we wanted to go tomorrow. So, we agreed on $50 with him and exchanged details. For lunch, we went to a fantastic café/restaurant that serves traditional Khmer food with a modern twist. It was amazing. We got what the waitress recommended and felt like we got a great flavor profile of the cuisine. We had Amok, a curried fish dish, and a soup (all Cambodian meals should be accompanied by soup), which had small fish and fish eggs in it and was definitely an acquired taste. The beef slices on the grill were our favorite. For dessert, we got some shaved ice with floral flavors and, weirdly, some actual kidney/black beans at the bottom. It was an interesting addition but not terrible.

    We then headed to S21, the former security prison where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned and tortured people. It was also pretty harrowing and quite graphic, with images of the dead bodies found in the very room you were standing in when it was liberated. For me, the most harrowing thing was seeing the tiny spaces people were kept in and the row upon row of faces of prisoners who were tortured in the prison, especially the children. As we were leaving, it rained heavily, and we got soaking wet.

    That evening, we went out and did a cocktail/beer crawl through some locally produced breweries and on to Bassac Street where the real clubs and bars are. As it was a weekday, it was quite quiet, but we made our own fun and had a great time.

    We woke up early, regretting our agreed 8 AM pick-up time with our tuk-tuk driver. Oudong is a town about an hour outside Phnom Penh and used to be the old capital of the country. Our driver first took us to a shop where they made silver jewelry, which was interesting to see. The mother and owner of the business passed us to her son, who was in his late teens and spoke such impeccable English, he could have been schooled in Oxford. Although they had some nice stuff, we didn't find anything we liked, and after asking a few questions about their process, we said goodbye and went on to the sites.

    Our first stop was Phreah Reach Throap Mountain, which was a long hot walk up lots of steps to get to the top. There were few to no tourists, so we got a lot of stares and hellos from local children. The temple at the top was beautifully and intricately decorated and overlooked a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape. We wandered about trying to get cool and also looked at the old temples just next to it before heading back down. We then went to the Cambodia Buddhist Vipassana Center, which from what we understood was a monastery where monks and nuns were taught. It was stunning and completely deserted.

    After wandering around, our tuk-tuk driver had arranged for us to eat at a local lady’s stall. However, when we got there, she wanted to charge us $20 for an unspecified chicken meal. Given this extortionate price and the basic kitchen facilities, we declined. She then offered us half a chicken for $10 and showed us the pieces which were chicken feet, a head, and some wings, which didn't do much to convince us. We politely declined and headed back into town and to our hotel. Our driver seemed disappointed as he'd offered to take home any leftovers. After the heat and exhaustion of the day, we relaxed by the pool and didn’t venture out until evening when we sat in the main square and watched a lot of people jogging and children playing. We enjoyed our new favorite drink, a watermelon shake, and then got a second round of coconut water before heading to bed for our early start tomorrow.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    2
    Day 107–109

    Penm Phen - part 1

    May 20 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 37 °C

    We've noticed a habit when we visit cities: at the time, we feel like we're not doing much, but then when we look back, we realize how much we actually did see and do.

    On our first day, we decided to head just outside town to the Killing Fields, an important historical landmark. But before we got there, our tuk-tuk driver went down a blocked, unfinished road, which ended in him trying to drive through deep sand. James and I then had to get out and push the tuk-tuk while he maneuvered from the driver's seat. After 5-10 minutes of us pushing in the hot sun, we finally got it out and turned the vehicle around to go the longer paved route.

    For those who aren't aware, from 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, ruled Cambodia and implemented radical policies aimed at transforming the country into a communist agrarian utopia. This regime resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 to 2 million people due to forced labor, starvation, disease, and mass executions. The Killing Fields were one of many sites across the country where people were executed and buried in mass graves. We wandered around the area with the audio guide, getting an in-depth understanding of the horror that hundreds of thousands of people experienced here and seeing the scars it left on the land. Even though they've excavated the graves, there are still lots of bones and bits of clothing scattered around, pointing to the sheer volume of people buried here. It was intense and very moving but incredibly important to hear. We left feeling emotionally spent and returned to our hotel to decompress and enjoy the pool. In the evening, we went for drinks on a fancy hotel rooftop, which had a lovely view over the palace opposite it, and then went for some authentic Italian pizza.

    On our second day, we ended up doing very little. We woke up feeling very lazy and decided to embrace it and take a day off. We lazed by the pool, wandered the streets getting coffee and iced tea, and wandered to a shopping mall, in search of nothing in particular. We played air hockey in the arcade and then headed back for more chilling. We went out to the city's night market, which had every fake designer clothing you could imagine, and were wowed into taking a ferry ride along the river, which was beautifully lit up. We then wandered along the banks, taking in the lights and bustle of the city, and headed back to our accommodation.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    1
    Day 106

    On to Phnom Penh

    May 19 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C

    From what we'd seen of Koh Kong yesterday, we didn't feel like we needed to see much more. So, we headed out to a place around the corner for breakfast. We weren't 100% sure what we were ordering, as it was just from blurry pictures. My French toast was alright, but James ended up getting toast with an egg yolk, corn and cheese on it. Really strange. We ended up staying there for hours, chatting about what we would serve and how we'd operate a café back home—a business idea for the future.

    We then headed back to our room to chill and pack. We were kicked out of our rooms at 12 and then sat in their café updating this blog until 1:30 PM. Our coach was departing at 2:00 PM just around the corner. It arrived late anyway, and we didn't leave until 2:30 PM, but we got to sit in an air-conditioned room, so I had no complaints.

    The drive was like being back in Nepal. All the roads for the next four hours were under construction, with only one side partly complete, meaning cars would constantly switch sides depending on the road quality. There were fewer potholes, but other than that, I spent most of the drive watching out the front, feeling every hazard that came our way.

    We stopped off twice, both at really bootleg places with barely the basic facilities. The second time, I tried to get some food. Out of some random pots, an old lady gave me some rice and a bowl of soup. The soup was all boiled meat, something I can't stand, so I just ate the rice. The owners must have been paying the driver really well because we constantly passed much nicer stops along the way.

    For the final 1.5 hours, there was a perfectly complete highway with all the modern conveniences, so it's not like they can't build the roads.

    Arriving in Phnom Penh, I was struck by how modern it was. The skyline was full of lit-up buildings and fancy food shops. But then, right next door, was a very old, dilapidated building selling food on the side with multiple generations spilling out onto the street. Some of the side roads didn't seem to have street lights. It seems like an interesting mix of old and new.

    Our hotel is lovely—a little place called Pride Resort, with a decent pool that we'll use to cool off. We got a top-floor room with a nice clear view of the sky. Getting in late, we went straight to bed, ready to hit the city the next day.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    Day 105

    Arriving into Cambodia

    May 18 in Cambodia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We awoke slowly, wanting to savor every last second in our amazing rooms at Mira Montbra. We eventually pulled ourselves out of our comfy bed and went to the main building for breakfast, where we loaded up on all our favorites: bacon, eggs, pancakes, and fruit. Then we returned to our room to pack. We're now pretty streamlined at packing. We still can't do it in five minutes (not the way we spread out), but in a pinch, we could probably do everything in ten minutes. We said our goodbyes to the room and the view and got the hotel taxi to the port. When we arrived, 10 minutes early, the travel agents quickly checked our info and stuck location stickers on our chests, like children, and then told us to get aboard as they were waiting for us. The boat only had two other couples aboard, and it took off as soon as we got on, 7 minutes early.

    I enjoyed the passage outside on the upper deck, where I had to wear a life jacket (they're really big on their life jackets here), and watched the distant clouds depositing their rain while the sun shone over us. We were picked up by a comfy minivan at the mainland port, which we had all to ourselves. Just after the port, however, we had to get out for the agents to check our info again and fill out a border information card for us. While there, they said we could pay for our Cambodia visa there, but it was $20 more than the $32 we'd read it would be. We had also read that Cambodian officers were quite corrupt and would try to charge you more, but we didn't think it was going to be $20 more, so we declined the offer and decided to risk it.

    We got back into our van and were joined by a Mancunian couple and three British lads who were trying to pretend they weren't posh. After 2 hours of driving, we were transferred to a taxi pickup truck which took us right to the border, where we were passed to another agent. At the border, we started by getting a stamp for leaving Thailand and then we had to walk through no man's land, which was full of freight lorries, to the Cambodian border guards. There, another agent took our passports and charged us $40 for our visa (still a $10 saving) and gave them to the guards to process. Ten minutes later, we had our visas and were ushered into Cambodia, where we sat and ate the stir-fried rice they gave us and tried not to melt while waiting for the other travelers to join us.

    The other people were all heading on to Koh Rong island, but we were just heading to Koh Kong, the next city from the border. They'd been informed there were no ATMs on the island and most of the country still operates in cash, so they spent 15 minutes trying to convince the travel agent to take them to an ATM so they could get cash, which the agent refused to do and was getting quite annoyed at them. Cambodia operates on its local currency, the riel, but many places accept US dollars, and if an ATM detects you have a foreign card, it will only dispense dollars. It's quite confusing. In the end, one of the lads got taken on a motorbike to a distant ATM and then the bus met him there.

    We were dropped off 30 minutes later and checked into our room for the night. I'd read a blog about the city and concluded there wasn't much to do or see in Koh Kong but thought we'd stay one night, with a later bus so we'd have enough time to see the sights.

    We first got ourselves sorted, me with a SIM card and then to the ATM for cash, dollars only. Then we went for a wander down to the waterfront. From the smell, it's a town centered around fishing and there were lots of women on the side of the road selling big bowls of fish, while children ran around waving and staring at us as we walked past.

    We made it a few blocks before stopping to have a cold drink before walking on to a park. This park had been mentioned as a great scenic spot in the blog; however, I'm not sure it's something I would have bothered mentioning. After sitting there for a while and being hassled to buy a bag of indistinguishable ocean items from a homeless man, we decided to head back to our rooms. They're attached to a restaurant where we decided to have dinner too. There was a drunk metalhead guy with tattoos trying to keep a small bird he'd found alive and kept asking for salad and sugar water. He tried to negotiate taking the tissue box away as a birdhouse. The owner was having none of it.

    So far, my impression of Cambodia is that it reminds me of Nepal but Southeast Asia style, with its decent but not quite accurate city planning and infrastructure. It is fairly littered and the sewers are kind of open, but it's not anywhere as much so as in India. We were also getting a lot more stares but in a much more friendly, curious way, like in the corner shop where a young lady wanted to know where we were from, how long we were staying, and what our favorite dish was. I'm very curious to explore more and see the rest of the sights of the country.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    Day 102–105

    Koh Mak island

    May 15 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    If we thought Koh Chang was idyllic, Koh Mak was heaven. We'd heard from Cecil, who we did our Manaslu trek with, that Koh Kood, the island just south of us, was her favorite and absolutely perfect. We looked into it but found it kind of expensive and out of our budget. However, looking at the island three times smaller just north of it, we found a resort right on the beach for £32 a night! Bargain! So we booked three nights before heading back onto the backpacker trail. We got a speedboat there and were picked up by the hotel at the other end. In the taxi we took in Koh Chang to the ferry port, while going up a steep hill, the makeshift seats on the pickup truck collapsed, along with the roof they were attached to. Thankfully, I think it just slipped off its perch and didn't hurt anyone, but it was scary for a second there. (See picture).

    Arriving at the hotel was lovely. The staff were friendly, we got nice scented water on arrival, and we were taken up to our room, up a small hill on a golf buggy. We had a 1st-floor room, which gave us a fantastic view of the resort and the beach, and we were level with the treetops, making it perfect for bird watching. These were the cheaper rooms too. There were more expensive beachfront bungalows for £15 more, but in the end, the privacy and view you got in these cheaper rooms were more preferable to us anyway.

    For the next three days, we lounged about in bed, looked at the view, read, decided our next moves, and hung by the pool. They also offered free snorkel and kayak rentals. So on two different days, we went out and explored the coral right on our beach. The water here was perfectly clear too, and it was not as shallow as Koh Chang, so pretty much perfection all around.

    On one of our evenings, we got dinner at the resort dining hall, where all the meals are served, and the monsoon rains had been pretty intense. After it stopped and we were heading back, we were overrun by these largish winged bugs that flapped chaotically around every single light along the path and anywhere with a bulb. There were so many it was apocalyptic, and we had to use umbrellas to try and keep them off us. The geckos were having a feast, but it felt kind of icky and scary to us.

    Another day we wandered out of the resort to a grocery store to get snacks. We stopped next to it and had lunch. The place looked like nothing, but the food was delicious. Appearances aren't everything out here.

    Overall, it was actual heaven. It was so hard prying ourselves away from the place. We're seriously tempted to just return at the end of our trip and spend our last bit of time (and money) there. If anyone is considering it, do it. It's on the island of Koh Mak, at the Mira Montra resort. 😍🥲    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    2
    Day 95–102

    Koh Chang

    May 8 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    For the next few days, we did not get up to much. Our days consisted of sleeping in, going to the beach, getting fruit smoothies and cocktails, napping in the afternoon, and then going back out for dinner.

    We were staying in a little bungalow which was simple but had everything you'd need: a kettle, big fridge, fast internet, TV with Netflix and Prime, a little table and chairs, and a communal kitchen. Trying to keep it cheap, we bought granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit for breakfast and some snacks for the middle of the day when we got peckish.

    The walk to the beach was over a boardwalk and pontoon, which went over an estuary that filled up from the sea at high tide. The beach was beautiful, with trees overhanging it and relaxing beach bars and restaurants that allowed you to sit on their deck chairs as long as you ordered a drink. The water was SO warm, like bathwater, and fairly murky, sadly. The tides also made it SO shallow for ages, and there were quite a few sharp rocks. Good thing we brought our swim shoes! I did scratch my thigh on the first day trying to swim when it was still too shallow.

    Highlights of our stay included the authentic Italian pizza restaurant, run by an actual Italian owner, eating freshly caught fish on the grill two evenings, and binging Fallout on Prime.

    One evening we went to Lonely Beach, which was the party spot on the island. After a few pre-drinks, we caught an island taxi, which was just a converted pickup truck with seats in it. They just go back and forth along the only main road, and you hail it down and pay at the end. When we got there, it was DEAD. We passed a couple of huge clubs pumping loud dance tunes and strobe lights with no one in them. After a walk back and forth, we decided "fuck it" and went into one with the best music and got drinks. After 20 minutes of being there, two other groups of locals came in as well. We found a pool table and played two games. I won the first one; James won the second, and we had a great time. Lesson learned: sometimes you need to make your own fun.

    One of the other major highlights was a day trip of snorkeling we did. We booked it not expecting to see much, just a few fish, but it was actually so amazing. We went to three spots for snorkeling, the best being the first two. They were off some teeny tiny islands that had some rocks around them. We actually saw coral, fluorescent, purple, and yellow coral! And sea anemones with clownfish rubbing themselves on them and swimming away to hide. I can't express how amazing it was. It wasn't the Great Barrier Reef, but it was still so amazing. After the big buffet lunch they served, they dropped us off at an uninhabited island with a paradise beach. The water was crystal clear and the sand silky smooth. It was the best beach I've ever been to in my life, and I'm from Greece! The last spot we went to was a bit too murky to see much of the coral, but we had fun splashing about before heading back to our origin. Even though I wore suncream and reapplied, we both still burned our back legs and bum, but not too badly.

    One of the things I most enjoyed was all the unique wildlife I'd never seen before. In the morning, the cacophony of birds was like a recording you'd get on your wake-up alarm, and the beach was full of crabs scuttling about. Overall, it was pretty perfect and so nice we definitely struggled to leave.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    1
    Day 93–95

    Bangkok days 4 & 5

    May 6 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C

    As it was so hot and we had no pool, we thought it might be cooler and more refreshing to head out of the city and visit a national park with some amazing waterfall plunge pools called Erawan Falls (yes, the same ones they go to in Race Across the World, episode 5). We began early by getting a microbus to the nearest big town and then a local bus to the national park. The microbus driver was a bit of a maniac and spent the whole two-hour journey swerving in and out of cars and putting his foot down so hard the bus began making warning beeps that he was going way over the speed limit. After that ride, James and I felt a bit motion sick, so it was quite nice getting on the local bus, which went at a slow cruising speed with little to no swerving, even without AC, for the rest of the hour-and-a-half drive.

    The national park was very much like most American national parks, with a paved walkway to the pools and even optional golf buggies to and from the start. There are seven levels of pools, and the first one was very busy, as were the next two pools. We decided to stop in the fourth pool for a swim. It was very hard to get into them as the roots and rocks were slippery, and the tiny baby fish kept nipping at you as you tried to enter. The water was so lovely and refreshing, and with the mandatory life jackets, it was nice just floating around. The fish were quite distracting, though, as if you stayed still for even a second, you'd get nipped, which I didn't like.

    We then hiked to pools 5, 6, and 7 to swim in each. Seven was definitely the best and the clearest but full of more photo seekers. It was so nice though; I could have stayed there for ages, but sadly the next bus was soon, and the 1.5-hour gap between them meant we had to get this one.

    We arrived just in time and began our long journey back the way we'd come. When we arrived in Bangkok, the bus dropped us off right by a street food market, and as it was 7 PM at this point, we were starving, so I suggested we get dinner there. It had so many local food options, with no foreigners in sight, a proper local hot spot. I bought a variety of meat on sticks, some noodles, and huge prawns that we had to de-shell ourselves. It was pretty delicious. Then for dessert, we shared a coconut slushy drink that was also delicious. We headed back to our room tired and ready for bed.

    On our final full day in the city, we visited the royal palace. We got up early and ate breakfast at a local cafe (it's very hard to find anywhere open before 11 AM here) and then caught the speedboat to the palace entrance. That night the heat had broken and the rains had begun, so it was raining quite a bit upon entering the palace grounds. The palace buildings were beautiful. The architecture is so different from anything Western you see, and the detail in the decoration is so amazing it's a lot to take in. I have to say it wasn't very good at telling us anything about the royal family, but it was all pretty interesting to look at and explore. We went inside a temple where we had to take off our shoes and saw a super precious jade Buddha (no photos inside allowed) and also saw a miniature version of Angkor Wat.

    After about two hours, we got tired and headed to a highly-rated cafe where we had a beautiful lunch. Then we headed into the city to Decathlon to buy some beach stuff. We bought snorkels and masks and water shoes so we don't get any sea urchin stings. I also managed to find some purple shampoo for my blonde hair (to get rid of the brassy tones that creep in) in the shop opposite. We then decided to go off the beaten track and take a local bus. I sat next to an old gentleman who immediately wanted to know where we were from and how long we were staying. I don't think they get many foreigners on the local buses. It dropped us just by our rooms, and we rested and ate dinner later on by our rooms.

    Considering we felt a little uncertain about what we were going to do in Bangkok when we first arrived, it felt like we'd done a lot by the time we left. I'm sure we'll be back as well, as it might be where we fly home from too. Till next time, Bangkok.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    Day 91–93

    Bangkok Continued

    May 4 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    On our second full day, we decided to head to an art center to look at art and get breakfast. The taxis here can be ordered through Bolt, the same way you would order an Uber, so it was really simple to get around. We arrived at the art center and got a simple croissant breakfast, and I tried Thai tea, which is more orange-colored than milk tea and tastes lovely. We stayed so long that we ended up ordering a second round of cold drinks, then decided to skip the art (there didn't seem to be much anyway) and headed to the HUGE shopping malls next door. It was more like three malls in one and just went on and on. I was searching for a phone shop to get a SIM card, and James was browsing the tech since it was cheaper here. After browsing the shops and marveling at the consumerism, we went to the food court, which was epic and had so many restaurants and street food stalls that it was hard to choose. The food we settled on was delicious, and we decided to get a local type of iced bun for dessert, one of which was pandan-flavored, which was a new taste.

    We then headed back and rested before going out for an evening of drinks. We began at a place around the corner from us and ordered a delicious clear fruit wine drink that was 13% alcohol and came in flavors such as peach, yogurt, and grape. After sharing three bottles, which were small, but we were only given shot glasses to drink from, we definitely felt tipsy. We then wandered down to Khao San Road, the famous party and backpacker road, which immediately hit us with super loud bass music and touts outside every bar and club offering us one free drink, discounts, or laughing gas. Not to mention the street food vendors selling grilled scorpions, centipedes, and spiders to eat. It was pretty overwhelming, but we eventually settled in a quieter bar where we ordered one last drink before wandering back home to bed.

    For our third day in Bangkok, we decided to see a huge street market and then visit the museums in the afternoon. We got a taxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market and picked up some breakfast and Thai tea/coffee before wandering around, taking in all the many stalls and their wares. They sold everything, from clothes and paintings to kitchen equipment and even plastic food and flowers. The alleys were all covered, and most had fans blasting air around, but it was still hot. You could spend hours there going around the warren of shops, but we had museums to see, so we picked up a crushed ice orange drink, which was delicious, and headed to the metro to the Siam Museum. The museum is all about what is Thainess and was a very interesting exploration of what makes something Thai and how the old meets the modern. It was really fascinating and also very fun and interactive. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting. My highlight was the different traditional outfits you could try on at the end and take pictures in. We then went to the attached cafe for lunch, which was a bit fancy but very delicious. We then headed back for a nap and rest before that evening's dinner, which we ate at the pop-up street vendor opposite our rooms. It was cheap, delicious, and such good value.    Read more

  • 2024 Adventure
    Day 90

    Arriving in Bangkok

    May 3 in Thailand ⋅ 🌩️ 38 °C

    When we arrived, the first thing that hit us was the heat! Standing and waiting for our taxi, I thought I might melt. The region was currently experiencing record-breaking temperatures of 40°+, but we arrived just at the tail end, with most days reaching 39-42° and getting down to 36° at night. So basically, it was still boiling.

    We made it to our rooms in a recently renovated building that was still undergoing some cosmetic work on the ground floor. The room was very nice but strangely laid out with two king beds at the back wall of the room, end to end. They were also really high up, sitting about waist height, so you had to jump up a bit to get on them. The AC worked excellently though, so we were going to be alright.

    Having arrived at about midnight, we slept in late and awoke starving and in need of breakfast. We emerged from our room to more heat and humidity that instantly clung to our skin. We found a hotel buffet that let us eat next to a pool, which we were very jealous of, and then wandered around getting our bearings. We then headed back to do some admin and figure out what we were going to do for the next four days in Bangkok.

    In the late afternoon, we ventured out, hoping it would be a bit cooler. We first stopped off to get some midday cocktails, (why not we're on holiday). As we were super central, we wandered down to the royal palaces, but before we could hit the main road, a man with a walkie-talkie told us we couldn't walk down there and had to go another route or stand back. We eventually figured out it was because the king was leaving the palace and driving down that road. After five minutes of waiting, literally 50 red cars drove past very quickly, and among them was a fancy cream car where we could just make out the profile of a man. The King! Less than 24 hours in the city, and we'd already seen the king. We learned later that the three pillars of the country are the nation, religion, and king, which one could argue are the same thing. They're pretty strict, and you can't even step on a banknote because it has the king's face on it.

    We wandered down past the palace to the pier, where we got a cheap speed boat to another port near our hotel, then stopped off for a tasty dinner and bed.    Read more

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