Bangkok!

Considering Sylv's previous bad luck with travels, the flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok went surprisingly well.

The bikes, nicely packaged in cardboard boxes by Sylv's dad, were taken away at the airport by this lovely German man with lightening shoes.

Sylv, minimising luggage, was wearing her best fashionable look of sandals and socks and matching yoga trousers. She received many envious looks from the other travellers on the plane, understandably.

But best of all, ALL her luggage and the bicycles arrived safely in Bangkok on the same plane as her!!
This is how amazed Harriet was when she saw me arrive at Bangkok's airport with my over-loaded trolley...


The bikes were then secured on the roof of a taxi and off we went to our guesthouse.


Very happy to be together again and chattering away sharing our very different experiences of the last month.

Thailand was a BIG change. We were told it would feel like a holiday after so long exploring India and it's a very 'western' asian model we've met here...
Our first impressions of Thailand are: how clean it is, how nice Thai people are, how fab the food is and how like Canary Wharf Bangkok is! There aere still loads ofstreet vendors and food stalls, they just share the city with huge modern shopping malls. Here are a few pictures of our first few days in Bangkok.

Wonderful fruit stalls with Harriet eating the flesh of a green coconut. The red fruit at the front is a dragon fruit.

Lovely food on display on street stalls.



Chinatown in Bangkok.


And Sylv looking well impressed with the huge multiplex cinema in the very huge shopping mall on Siam square - rather a scary experience due to the scale of the place, but we got to see an intersting Belgian film about a girl coming back from travels in.... Thailand!

We are getting organised. We got some good maps and Sylvia has acquired a Yoga mat since she now has a private teacher. Yoga will balance out our cycling very well - work on the hamstrings and calm the nerves...

We should be moving on from Bangkok tomorrow (Sunday) and will be back on the blog next week.


A final photo of the Bangkok riverside at 6pm in the evening: first everyone stands up at 6pm on the dot for the national anthem and then, guess what these ladies are doing? Aerobics in the sunset led by a rather dynamic young gym instructor with a headset and LOUD speakers... pity we haven't got our trainers!