Bangkok

I don't know if anyone will ever read this but, if you are and you intend to fly out from Heathrow Terminal 3 in the near future, be warned: the security queues are somewhat surreal. After an hour packed in like sardines to check in with Thai Airways we then joined an even more bizarre queue for airport security stretching all the way around the terminal as far as car park 3 before winding back on itself like a demented conga in slo-mo; a queue of confused people trying to join the proper security queue, weaving in and out of each other, up stairs and down corridors, all thinking, "why are we doing this?". We timed 60 minutes to do what we've always done; put our coats, bags and keys through the x-ray and step through the portal. Plenty of Blitz humour and mock-outrage in evidence during that hour as you might imagine.

Needless to say we made it to Bangkok 11 hours later, not too worse for wear, followed by a succession of sleep, food & drink routines for the next three days. Bangkok was as I remember it, hot and busy; every street a panopoly of food stalls, cafes, stairs, walkways, frenetic traffic, massage palours, high-rise shopping centres, incomprehensible advertising and perfectly-formed local inhabitants. The bars were as culturally interesting as expected as a few late nights ensued for me and Mr C. The Thai food was, to use Linda's oft-employed expression "to die for"; red curries, green curries, sweet and sour fish, hot and spicy soups, tempura prawns. etc. In short, all the spicy exotica you can imagine. In one food court you could even get English pie and chips or Greek kebabs alongside the Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese stalls (no I didn't but the Chinese food was nothing like that dished up in Blighty).

All in all, three days is not enough. You're just getting over the jet lag and getting your bearings when it's time to leave. I know it was only supposed to break up the 24 direct flight to NZ but the city sorts of sucks you in. In terms of sight seeing, we didn't even get as far as the Chao Praya river which was only a mile or so away (I suppose that's what comes to staying out to 2 and getting out of bed at 12!). Never mind. Auckland next. Perhaps we'll be more sensible . . .