I'm here!

Well folks i made it here ok. so far so good!
Flights were fine - bit of a delay on the second from Dubai to Bangkok and it was hellish getting off plane in Dubai - a) because it was like an oven even at 7am and b) because it was about 4am in England and i'd had 2 hrs sleep! Still all was well and there were no problems getting from the arport to the hotel. I had booked a place on a minibus through the Khao San Road website. When i got out of a very long immigration and passport control line - they werecalling my name on the tannoy AND the lady had a board with my name on it! felt rather special!
I was the only one on the minibus - a crazy ride through nighttime bangkok seeing the good, the bad and the ugly.
Hotel Narai is nice. I have a business room because they are refurbing the floor below - hence banging all day.
My view from the 10th floor is great - seeing skyscrapers all lit up at night but to wake up thisd morning and see browning buildings infront rather slum like.

Didn't make it to breakfast - instead slept til noon and then explored some this crazy place- first by skytrain (a kind of monorail or rather an underground train above the streets!) and then by boat.
I took the boat bus up to the furthest spot and got out at the market there. Bought a Sim card (so you can now all text me on 052286956 - although it needs the country code first which is, i think 66) and some very cheap earrings (i lost one of my favourites on the plane) and some washing powder for me smalls and a thai dish of some sort which i think was tofu with chilli sauce! yum. haggling skills not so good yet...

now near Khao San Road to check out cheap sleeping options for next few days. just had a green tea in cafe in order to use their loo. now...on with the adventure!

Almost ready...

It feels really unreal - so exciting but am I really off? gosh this feels weird writing into a blog so had better get used to it. Packing no where near done but piles are beginning to get clearer and neater.
Not much to do now in way of getting ready - need to get some padlocks, currency and travellers cheques and say tally ho to people properly.
Had a fantastic night out on Saturday (last night) with a load of people coming for food at Vernons in Cheltenham and then moving on to Monty's cocktail bar.
Expensive - but my kind of place! Lovely to catch up with some people not seen for ages like Sam Tipper and Sarah Ritchie as well as the hard core uni crew and so on!
Was brilliant to see all you guys. And the rest of you - where were you?!
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