on the beaten track

It's been an eventful few days. I was minding my own business in my room a few nights back when the actor Robert Carlyle started talking to me through an interconnecting hole in the wall. He seemed a bit mad and feverish, and was jibbering about an amazing beach he had been to. It was paradise, he said. A perfect island inhabited by a small group of idealistic hippies, led by the actress Cate Blanchett. However, the whole thing was a bit of a secret so he was reluctant to give me directions on his GPS. Eventually, I managed to get him to agree to give me a hand drawn map for this "beach" and I swam out there a few nights ago. Needless to say, after a brief honeymoon period, the utopia of which he eulogised turned out to be flawed, I went a bit mad and ran around the island for a while, and then I swam back. A bit narked if I'm honest. You may be thinking that these events bear a striking resemblance to the plot of 'The Beach' starring Leonardo Di Caprio. But I assure you it all happened to me and it's all true. No really. I did swim out to...and go and meet...ok, ok...I'll tell you the truth then... In reality, keen to learn more about Thai culture, on Friday I went to Bangkok's China Town district, and spent hours wandering the stalls. Alleyway after alleyway of covered market stalls sell everything from cloth, to spices, to jewellery, to lawnmowers. It's really worth a look, and there are good bargains to be had, although I didn't want anything myself. On Saturday, I went to the National Museum (useful to gain a bit of an overview of Thai history), the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Buddhist Temple, Wot Pho (I got a guide to take me round here). The Grand Palace, in particular was stunning, and I could have sat in the grounds all day. On Saturday night I watched England play Portugal in a bar with a Swiss Air Stewardess I met called Caroline, and my early night turned into a 4am turn in. Sunday, post lie-in, I jumped in a Tuk Tuk, and wizzed over to Siam Square to look around the shops. While I was there I met the local Chief of Police (he came up to me and asked me if I was enjoying myself in Thailand), and he ended up showing me round quite a bit of the area. I think he wanted to practice his English, and he had a lot of questions about what it was like in England. I happily chatted to him for nearly an hour on subjects such as the London congestion charge (he turned out to be in favour). He also asked me if I would like to go to a real Thai restaurant where they played classical Thai music, and gave me directions. I had a lovely meal there later that evening, and the music was wonderful. Today I'm going to try and catch a public ferry up the river, crossing over to the more old fashioned area to the east, called Thonburi. I'm also going to sit and do some planning because I think it's time to move on. South I think, to all the famous beaches and islands, so I can really relax and switch off. I haven't done everything in Bangkok yet, but I have to come back here (probably several times) so I'm happy for this to be the end of my introduction.

Finally, I'm pleased to say I've managed to add a photo section to this blog. If you look at the sidebar to the right of this page you should see 'My Photos.' Just click on there and there they be. My first ever digital pictures.