Thailand, Part 1

OK, actual proper travels, of the kind that people do when they say they are going travelling.  Foreign parts and all, there will even be getting about by means that aren't walking... first though, a cycle, for a change.

Bang Krachao.

So, I'm in Bangkok, gateway to Thailand.  It is hot, smelly, and traffic is horrible, not the ideal place to cycle.  However, if you head to a little known pier and take a ten baht (twenty pence) ferry over the river, you reach Bang Krachao, a near island cut off from the bustle of the city, and pretty much undeveloped.  Here there is mangrove swamp, and a network of raised concrete walkways just about broad enough for a bicycle, or indeed moped which the locals use to reach the homes dotted about.  It's a charming place and I couldn't come to Bangkok without visiting it, so a hundred baht to hire a bike and I'm off.  Still hot though, so I head for a village to the south of the peninsular to look for water - and get rather more than I bargained for.

I survived Songkran!

Thai New Year, or Songkran, has just passed, and in the city proper the celebrations are over, but here it seems they're going strong - and that means a massive water fight.  Those with bikes or pickup trucks cruise along with water pistols, while at the roadsides there are gangs with hoses, buckets, and also bowls of talc to smear on peoples' faces - my bet is the idea is to make you look like a ghost.  So I buy a water pistol and join in of course, and get very wet indeed.  I suspect I get special treatment as a foreigner as I end up caked in talc, which clearly amuses the locals as I walk back to my hotel.  Time for a bath, and then a cold beer or three...

Photos to go with this post can be found here.