Happy Birthday Mr Lichard

View over Bangkok from room
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Easy, uneventful flight over with Emirates, nothing special about service, landed in Bangkok at 2.00am breezed through immigration an customs at that hour & arrived at Hotel at 3.00am looking for a bed.

Did we sleep in like normal people, no Bangkok is waiting for us and our pockets full of Baht, so we fuelled up with a great buffet breakfast and hit the streets but Bangkok was still sleeping.

Happy Birthday Mr Lichard

Floating Markets
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Weather was warm and clear so we walked down to main shopping district and looked at 1000's of stalls & shops from street vendors to Gucci to flashy department stores. We spread a few baht around to the locals for stuff that we didn't need and couldn't buy in Australia.  After a long day of looking/shopping we make the long walk home past another 1000 street vendors that have set up during the day, we resist the offers from 100's Thai massage girls who want to provide relief to our now tired legs.

Khartongs
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After a couple of hours rest we grab a taxi to a night market but get caught up in traffic for an hour, driver goes crazy, lucky for us meter only works on distance not time. Market is a disappointment , not much action less bargains, so home to bed.

Up early next morning for a trip to Floating Markets and Rose Garden, we meet Jerry, our driver/guide, and hit the roads before gridlock sets in. Market is about 100km away so it takes 90 minutes to get there. Had a good look around before tour buses invade with the multitudes and block up waterways, then off to Rose Garden for lunch and cultural show which to my surprise was enjoyable, so was the cultural show.

The Elephant is the grey one.
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Long drive home provides for a quiet sleep until we hit Bangkok traffic so we spend another hour to move 5km. At night we go down to the river as it is a big festival night, first full moon in November, where every Thai in Bangkok goes to a river and floats a Krathong (like a flower tribute with candles) to provide them with good health, weath & family harmony for the year ahead. We take a ferry out with the locals who dispatch their offerings onto the river which is all churned up by the many water craft out there so most Krathongs tip over within seconds and are never seen again, well there goes the year ahead.

Summer Palace
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Thursday we visit Wat Po, the reclining buddha, very good, and a walk through China Town area which is mainly market stalls that go forever in every direction  all selling the same stuff. Enough already, no we visit the old reliable Patpong Markets which provides the best selection of everything with best atmosphere.

Nothing like bargaining for a watch whilst Julie is looking at prices for Ping Pong  show next door. So we complete our Christmas shopping and head home depleted of cash and energy.

Ayutthaya
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Friday, up early for a bus tour to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand, via the Summer Palace which was spectacular, after a couple of hours of looking at ruins we catch a boat back to Bangkok which serves a great buffet lunch and cold beer.

Saturday, Birthday Day, woken up to several greetings by text, skype, calls etc.

Waiter at breakfast brings in a piece of yesterday's cake as a present (working hard for a tip). Have a morning out shopping and do very well, back to Hotel for a swim and a rest, Hotel Manager has sent up fruit platter and flowers ( looking for good review). In the evening we had booked a Dinner cruise with Banyan Tree Hotel's boat, a converted rice barge, only two couples were booked so service was not a problem. The evening was very enjoyable with good food, cocktails, wine, a fresh mango and sticky rice birthday cake and the entire crew singing Happy Birthday Mr Lichard.