Backpacking

Yesterday We decided to escape the Banglamphu area and go further afield to Siam Square and to see the Jim Thompson house! We went to the house which was really beautiful these big teak houses full of antiques and surrounded by a pond full of carp and jungle like gardens, really pretty! We had this classic tour guide, she was a real comedian! She kept doing that comedy style whisper when it wasnt even appropriate, and these really flamboyant hand gestures!It was hilarious!!!She gave us each a little origami bird each....actually I got 2 because Id already cheekily helped myself! An argument then sparked with the tour guide and this sun-bed, orange tart over whether or not Jim Thompson looked like Bruce Willis or not!!!It was a corker!
We then went onto check out the huge MBK Centre in Siam Square which was a great shopping experience before attempting to get back to Khao San....what a treat, the only way back was to got by this mincy little boat!!!Thing is this boat didnt actually stop, just kinda had to grab hold of these ropes and swing on!!!We just couldnt stop laughing and it actually took us 3 boats before we managed to get on!!!It was hysterical!!!!
From there we stumbled onto a really cool food market a zillion little stalls selling everything from Padthai to fried cockroaches!!!!!

Today was my last day in Bangkok..... I know people say its dirty and tacky but I love it, Im a city girl at heart!!!!Did some serious shopping last night and enjoyed a lovely meal!Today was just tying up lose ends as Daniel is flying home via Osaka today and I am heading South!We said our farewells and I squeezed as much of my stuff into his backpack as physically possible and then I hopped on board my VIP bus to Koh Samui via Surrathani!!!This is exciting and Im praying I will find rich and Ashley easily when I get there!

Our first port of call was the Grand Palace which I was extremely excited about!It was incredible...just a plethora of shrines, temples, statues, absolutley amazing!

We got to see the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew, we even got to light our incense and present our flower to the Gods which was really cool!We then headed across to Wat Arun which I was particularly excited about as It looks especially spectacular! We took a little boat across the River and found ourslelves at Wat Arun!

I think Wat Arun is my favourite temple so far, I fell in love with the decorative porcelain, it was just so impressive!!!

We then headed back to Khao San for something to eat after being caught in an auful thunderstorm!!!It was today whilst watching CNN we found about about the London Bombings which is really worrying when you are so far away as you have no idea of the extent of these things when its the same footage rolling over and over on the TV.....

I love it!We started the day with the most incredible breakfast.....for only a £1!!!!!Our first plan was to subject ourselves to the inevitable rip off and get in a Tuk Tuk!We new it would most likely end in sour grapes but when in Bangkok...well it has to be done doesnt it?!?!?The guy took us everywhere for the set price of the equivalent of 30 pence each for 3 hours....First we headed to Wat Mongkul Kasatayaram to see the famous 'Big Gold Buddha' which was all huge and spangly!Went onto a couple of other temples before I was accosted by a bunch of kids...turned out they had been sent out of vlass for being naughty!!!!A few temples and lucky Buddhas later we found ourselves whisked to this shady place that sold, of course, 'fashions' (is that what they call it?!?!horredous 70's-esque monstrosities more like!) jewels, silk, soveniers...kinda like Toys-R-Us "a million and one choices all under one roof"

Obviously it all kicked off, he pulled the whole "Gas coupons" scam on us and it was clear we werent having any of it...after we got thrown out of the fashions place because we were apparently "time wasters" (yeah, got it in one!!!!) the tuk tuk man had actually gone off and left us!!!thank god we didnt pay him up front!!! We then did a fair bit of wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere which was amazing, I have fallen in love with Thailand!
This evening sees us looking forward to some scrummy Thai food and several buckets of Sangsom and Coke!!!!!

Oh my God!Im in Bangkok!!!After a night spent sleeping in Osaka airport ejoying blueberry yoghurt because our budget in rapidly decreasing I boarded my flight and headed to Bangkok!!!! I left Daniel in Japan as he waited the extra couple of hours for his flight via South Korea (which turned out he was accosted on by a couple of young girls trying to persuade him to convert to their religion!). I arrived In Bangkok and as expected was hasselled and harrassed by taxi touts so I made my way to find a metered taxi!!!Was dropped off on Khao San road and set about finding a room for the night!Ended up at the Siam Oriental Inn which turned out to be a home from home for me by the end of my trip!Dumped my bags, went out and did a bit of exploring then eventually got to meet Ashley from Travellerspoint after out 6 month long email friendship!!!!There was a knock on the door and there she was!!!She took me to meet Rich who she had also met on TP and had spent the past month travelling Thailand and Cambodia with!!! We headed out and they introduced me to the delights of the "street cocktails" of Bangkok: just pull up a plastic stool and 60baht later and your near enough to being drunk!!!!Daniel at this point was somewhere in Limbo, didnt have a clue if he would ever find me!!!Then right on queu I bumped into him on Khao San dragging his red backpack along looking ready to collapse!!!Had a spider incident in my room so was paranoid about sleeping there so poor daniel had to fully inspect ever corner of my room before I went to bed and even then i had visions of something unpleasant crawling across my face so had to rig the mosquito net up and kinda cocoon myslef inside it!!!Also slept with the light on that night as I was so traumatised after the spider!!!!!

Arrived in Rome last night!!!This is my first experience of Italy and so far I love it!!!Me and Lynsey dumped our bags and headed straight for Piazza Navona to launch oursleves straight into Rome!!!Had a lovely meal in a little place in Campo De Fiori, enjoyed some lovely Frascati and fabulous pasta!!went for a few gin and tonics in the "Drunken Ship" before our eyes spotted this big, bright, neon Ice cream Parlour!!!obviously we had to go in and get some!i couldnt beleiev the flavours!every single colour possible!It was the most divine ice cream ever!