Returning to the homeland: Summer 2018

This one is basically just pictures as I have many and too much to say. So I won't.
In my ten days in England I managed to:

1. See Ali in London and visit the science museum




2. See Karen (and family) in Bristol after an afternoon in the Aquarium and a fair few drinks.

3. See the new Mary Rose museum and walk about the dockyard

and plenty more. 

Boiling in Bangkok: Summer 2018

After a string of plans changing on me, I found myself with a three day weekend WITHOUT CLASSES, a discount code for international flights and nothing booked.

The only place with flights from Kunming that worked with the weekend plans was Bangkok. As I hadn't been there yet it seems like a good idea and I booked it.

Now, I realise this trip was a while ago now but things got away from me a bit and I'm behind. My apologies.

Back to the point. Bangkok!

I have been to Thailand before but to a different city so I had a vague idea of what to expect. I was wrong. Bangkok is a huge sprawling city with both modern and traditional mixing everywhere I looked. It also has some of the best food I have ever eaten!

I had a late flight, (arriving after 2am), with immigration and customs taking ages. I had told the hostel in advance and they picked me up from the airport. I arrived at my hostel to find the security guard asleep in a chair at the front door waiting for me.

I booked into a small but well rated place in ChinaTown, yes I know I was after a break from China but China Town in other countries is something very different. Actually, I think this one is my favourite. Right outside my hostel was a seafood street which was sleepy hollow in the day but as soon as the sun went down it exploded into activity and chaos.

I only had three days in Bangkok so I made the most of the opportunities I had. Nearly all of my time was spent in a market of shopping center somewhere. I wandered and nibbled constantly. One day my phone said I had walked 35,000 steps in one market!

It was pretty hot and humid during the day, so I copied the locals and sat in the subway stations to cool off. It turned out to be a great place for people watching and sitting with something to eat or drink between heading out into the heat and sun again.

One of the places I most enjoyed was the weekend market. From where i was staying it was a short 15 minutes on a subway which was mostly empty and easy to navigate. The market itself was mostly indoors so I was out of the direct sun, but it was so big and maze like that I was always wandering and never saw the same shop twice. Apparently this place feels everything from furniture to pets to clothes to musical instruments. Its vast!

I looked on the map after going on the first day, 4 hours walking covered less than a quarter of the place. It was another fantastic place for people watching as tour groups would get dropped off but locals would do their weekly fruit and veg shop. It was all going on and very chaotic but loads of fun.

Bangkok has quickly risen in my list of places I want to go back to, and as its so cheap and easy to get to I think I can safely guarantee a return journey and soon. I barely saw any of the city and would very much like to.