Arrival

We have arrived…..

The flight over here was as good as it gets in economy class as we were lucky enough to get placed in a row of four seats and amazingly the fourth seat was not taken by another passenger.  This was a major bonus as it gave Charlie the extra space she needed to lie down when she finally fell asleep (after about 4/5 hours of behaviour that ranged from very good to slightly crazy – she really struggles with the concept of keeping still).  We also had the added bonus of sitting behind two 65+ year old men who were on their way to Thailand for some Thai lady fun!  These two guys did not know each other before the flight – they met on the plane and chatted all the way to Bangkok.  One of them had his Thai girlfriend with him and she got the other guys number to set him up with a Thai girl for his stay in Bangkok.  She actually tried to set him up with another Thai girl on the plane, which was great to watch.

Entry into Bangkok was also very smooth and we arrived at our room very tired and hungry.  After filling our bellies with room service, which was pork fried rice, fried Morning Glory, a crispy glazed chicken dish and of course two Pina Coladas we fell into bed exhausted.

Charlie woke way way way before the birds or the sun were even thinking about showing their faces and after struggling to get her back to sleep we gave her ‘blue’ for a while.  I think we rolled out of bed just before 6 so all in all it was better then the last trip (where I think she woke up ready for the day at 2am).

It is amazing to be here again and the hotel is so much better then last time. 

Due to the flooding last time the restaurant that is out on the deck by the water was closed.  It is open this time and just beautiful – it was so lovely to eat breaky there this morning.  The skies were blue and there was a nice cool breeze coming off the water.  Whilst eating our perfectly cut pineapple and papaya watching Charlie smother yoghurt all over her face we both had huge smiles on our faces.  It is such a dramatic change from grey, cold old Melbs.  We love you Melbourne but it is nice to spend some time apart once in a while…

After breaky we headed to Wang Lang market via a ferry boat ride.  This time the ferry’s are going to be awesome…..we can access the ferry’s straight from our hotel (this was not possible last time due to floods) so that makes it nice and easy.  Charlie was very funny – she got scared when we got onto the pontoon.  The pontoon bobs quite a bit in the water and Charlie was convinced she was going to fall in the water – she has this nervous laugh/cry thing that she does and it is really quite funny to watch.  She was also not too fussed when we got on the boat either but I am sure after a few rides she will get used to it.  I remember last time we were here she spent most of her first tuk tuk ride crying ‘I don’t like tuk tuks’ but by the end of the trip was begging to take a ride in one.  So I will confidently assume the ferry rides will be the same.

Wang lang market was great – last time we were here it was also flooded so this time we got to see a lot more.  There was an amazing array of street food and treats spread out through the alley ways which were also littered with cheap clothing stalls and nik nacks. As always there are many interesting sights to see, I loved the parrot happily sitting on the counter eating rose apples that had been placed there for him by the owners of this restaurant.

Speaking of rose apples they are just beautiful here - we first tried them at David Thompson's Nahm restaurant last time we were here and have struggled to find them in Melbourne.  They are in abundance here....

Charlie is of course once again very popular.  She is constantly touched by the Thai people and they always are in her face wanting to talk to her.  Sometimes Charlie plays up to it, especially if it is a group of giggling girls but sometimes she gets annoyed with it all.  I would too - random people constantly squeezing your cheeks could get a bit tiresome.  Oh well, its hard to be a celebrity I guess.  Below is a photo of a guy who took quite a fancy to Charlie - at first she wasn't into him but after a while she didn't mind him especially when he helped her put baby into the pram.

Oh and this is baby for those who have not met her yet (birthday present from Nanna).  I have a feeling baby may be a bit ratty after this trip as although she is deeply loved she is also thrown around quite a bit.  Poor baby.....

After spending a couple of hours here we headed back to the hotel to re-group and then went to lunch at a restaurant across from the Nang Leung Market. Krapow blog will have all of our eating experiences documented by Andy for those who are interested. After lunch we went across to Nang Leung market and wondered around...this is a food market and although we were fairly full from lunch we just had to grab some Thai desserts so we sat down and devoured them with gusto.

After the market we headed back to the hotel for a well earned sleep.  After our rest we headed out to do more exploring only to be caught in quite a downpour.  We were on a street with not much cover but managed after a while to get a Tuk Tuk to a well known Pad Thai restaurant.  We hadn't planned to eat so early but there was not a lot of options with the rain. The rain was still in full force after dinner so we decided to head on home.  As Andy was looking after Charlie I had to stand in the rain to try to hail a taxi.  The Thais are so lovely that upon seeing me standing in the rain a young Thai man came running out and held an umbrella over me while I was trying to get a Taxi.  Andy informed me later that this was after the Pad Thai restaurant owner order him to do so.  I must say I felt a bit like a celebrity while I was standing there with someone holding an umbrella for me - now I know how Charlie feels....