So, here we are in Thailand! We arrived here on Tuesday afternoon, after spending our last couple of days in Singapore shopping and going to the Zoo and Night Safari. We didn't actually manage to buy much while shopping, but wandering up and down Orchard Road was fun enough to make up for it! The Zoo and particularly the Night Safari were excellent, although it was a very long day as we went for a river trip on a bumboat before we left and didn't get back from the zoo until about 11pm! Worth it though, it was a really good day. I've now decided I'd quite like a pet pygmy hippo - they are absolutely adorable. I think our garden at home would be big enough......... Failing that, I think I'll try for an otter, cause they are also adorable!! And so to Bangkok. It is hot here, hot and sweaty! It rains more than Singapore, we've seen heavy rain every day so far, but apart from the first day, we've just waited it out in our hotel (yes, you did hear that right - hotel, not hostel!!) or a convenient bar on the Khao San Road, so life's not too bad! We got soaked on the first day charging along the Khao San Road looking for the Silk Bar, where we were hoping to find my friend Amy and her boyfriend, although we weren't sure if they would still be there. The good news is that they were, so we got to catch up after more than 5 months, so that was lovely. Yesterday was spent trying to get the rest of our time in Thailand organised - we've realised that a month really isn't that long, and that if we want to fit everything in, we're going to have to be organised! We eventually caved and booked quite a lot of stuff through the same place - we have no idea if we're getting ripped off but it was air conditioned and we were stressing so we just decided to go for it! We've also explored all the shopping possibilities with a 15 minute radius of our hotel, so nothing's changed there! Needless to say we've already managed to spend loads (but really, we're saving if you think what it would cost in England!) and are definitely enjoying ourselves doing it, despite the fact that neither of us are born hagglers! No doubt we'll be better by the time we leave! But of course one day is never enough shopping, so we got up at the crack of dawn this morning to take a trip to the floating markets, a 2 hour drive from the city centre. This was brilliant, we got on a little boat to explore the stalls/boats and it was so much fun. It was hugely crowded, and the stall holders are so pushy, they just grab hold of your boat and start throwing their wares at you! We managed to resist the temptation of most things, although a turquoise necklace did prove too much for Sarah! And then this afternoon we hit the pool - the sun wasn't really out but it was so warm (and we were so tired from getting up so early!) that we just had to! Definitely worth the extra we paid to get the pool, so cheers for the tip Nik! And tonight we're off to sample the backpackers nightlife of the Khao San Road (its just around the corner from our hotel - can you tell?!?), and to get our first proper Thai green curry, so all is definitely well here......