Destination 2: Bangkok

G'day from bustling bangkok. I've been in Thailand for 2 and a half days and have been pretty slack in getting to a phone or computer. Got here safely, the flight was yucky but probably not as yucky as the 13 hour train ride will be that i'm just about to get on! The streets of bangkok are much cleaner than i expected. Thai people are very nice, so nice that last night i saw a minor car and scooter crash and the people just collected themselves, smiled at each other and drove away! So far I've done endless street stall searching but can't seem to pull myself out of the tightarse mode I've been in for the last few years. Hung around tourist districts so far, got a foot massge, went up to the tallest tower in Bangkok last night and the crazy night markets surrounded by pingpong nightclubs. Had pad thai from a street stall today, it was soo yummy. I took a photo of the stall just to make peter jealous... there were 3 carts in a row with just pad thai ingredients. Today went to the Grand Palace (absolutely stunning) and on a big boat ride down a huge canal through the shanty towns. I'm rooming with a girl called Anne from WA, she's on her way home from a few years working in Canada and the UK. The Intrepid group I'm with is comprised of 5 Aussies, 4 Japanese and 3 English. So far we've sort of made our own way around, but from tonight we'll all be stuck together for 5 days with Trent our Aussie leader and Mr Chris, our trainee Thai leader. It seems appropriate that Trent has chosen to live and work in Thailand, he seemed like he was hanging out for that Hill tribes opium when we met him last night! It should be an interesting trip. The long room we're staying in up near chang mai apparently has pigs and chickens that crow every 2 hours directly under the boards we'll be sleeping on. Should be lots of fun, I'm looking forward to meeting the Karen people (Hill Tribes) and just the treck in general. Feel free to email me if you have anything to say or even if you don't! I won't be able to get back onto the net until Saturday after today. Hope you have a fun trip ben! Seeya, Love Becky.