Hello everyone, once again apologies for the mahoosive delay in the blogging, but this time I do have a legitimate excuse: illness (on an epic man-flu scale)...No matter, the lurgy is now gone, so the blog is back up and running. This is a recap of our last few days in Thailand, which were spent back where it all began, in Bangkok. Arriving into Bangkok at 6.30am on the overnight bus from Chiang Mai, we were deposited in the familiar environs of Khao San road - eerily quiet and non-neon in the early morning hours. We checked into a little hostel called Live Good recommended by Wayne and Michelle, a nice enough crash pad hidden down some backstreets off one end of Khao San. Deciding to seize the unprecedented number of hours still remaining in the day, we nipped out to a cool breakfast spot Gecko's that we remembered from before, and then headed off to check out the key ancient temples, from which we were deviously redirected the first time round. On route, we swatted away the advances of any would-be con artists with the seasoned panache of people who ahve just spent six weeks in Thailand. First up was the Grand Palace, which was indeed very grand. Cheekily, entry fees were 350 baht for us 'non Thai's' and free for Thai nationals - there was a barrier and everything! Glittering temples, palaces and halls within a huge high-walled area competed for the crowds of tourists: the only thing brighter than the morning sun was the non-stop flashes of Japanese cameras everywhere. Wat Phra Kaew, a particularly renowned Wat within the Palace's walls was very impressive. To be honest, all the temples were, but the sweltering heat and crowds made it something of a (very pretty) endurance test, with everyone shuffling along shoulder to sweaty shoulder. Next, we hopped along to nearby Wat Pho, another beautiful temple, and home to the Reclining Buddha - a stunning, massive statue of an at ease Buddha. By the time we left Wat Pho, the heat was getting unbearable - even our hostel owner commented on the humidity, and when the Thai's are grumbling you know you're in trouble - so we headed back to Live Good for a siesta to recoup sleep lost on the night bus. Feeling recharged in the afternoon, we trekked out to Bangkok's famous Chinatown to hunt down some authentic (Chinese) nosh. Apparently, this is easier said than done. Even after locating the city's sprawling Chinatown, restaurants seemed to be oddly thin on the ground. After a serious mission down traffic-jammed main roads and packed backstreets, we settled on a small family-run place and had some very nice meals, though by that point anything would have tasted good. After food, we hopped on a tuk-tuk - now expertly negotiated down to a semi-acceptable price - bound for Patpong, to satisfy our curiousity regarding Bangkok's sex-tourist hotspot. Patpong turned out to be disappointingly seedy, and strangely small. Located down both sides of a small, tucked away soi, the only way you knew you were there were the hilariously lewd names of the bars - which can't be repeated here, for parents sake - that glared out in all their neon glory. Well, that and each bar's PR guy, who trailed you for a good few hundred metres, hard-selling their female 'ping-pong' shows (use your imagination) armed with nothing but a smile and a price list. It was back in teh tuk-tuk and back to the hostel for us, to crash after an exhausting day. The next day, we ventured into the shopping metropolis area around Siam Square =, eager to scout out some Thai-bargains. Having now mastered several modes of transport (tuk-tuk, taxi, bus - don't laugh, its harder than it sounds!) we got inventive and travelled to Siam by a combination of river boat, and Skytain express. The river ferries cruise down the mighty Mae Nam Chao Praya, which loops around, dissecting central Bangkok, affording some great views. The Skytrain - designed to reduce congestion of the inner-city zones - then cut a nicely air conditioned path through the urban chaos, taking us directly to Siam Square. We got off and were surrounded by an assortment of mega-malls, mostly selling electronics, cheapy clothes and various accessories: the toast of Bangkok's teenagers. We spent some fairly unproductive time in one huge mall, MBK, but moved on to Panthip Plaza - home of the dirt-cheap copied DVD. Panthip didn't disappoint. A courtyard of shop stalls, all with wallets full of their selections ready browsing lured us in. Eventually, we settled on one woman's stall, haggled down the prices, rang in our orders, and were instructed to wait for fifteen minutes - presumably whilst her illegal DVD delivery elves worked their magic!? Shortly afterwards, the goods arrived all present and correct - we have since watched some of mine, surprisingly good picture quality! Our second stint in Bangkok was over very quickly. Again, we felt ready to leave the city after a few days. This second stint was definitely much more enjoyable - actually doing things! - but there's only so much heat, smog and fumes you can take. We taxi'd out to the airport, speeding away from the city on the massive concrete overpasses, and wondering how six weeks in one country went so fast. Up in the plane, we watched the sun set over Bangkok and jetted south to the land Down Under...