Sa-wat-dii Bangkok

I caught an afternoon Air Asia flight from K.L to Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. I had planned to catch the 'jungle-line' third-class train from Gemas to Kota Bharu in Malaysia, however warnings of civil unrest on the border convinced me otherwise. I was a little sad as it's described as one of the most amazing train journeys in the world.

I caught a taxi from the airport to Chris' office with some over-the-phone directions from one of his colleagues and we headed back to his (very nice) apartment for a few bottles of Chang beer and a catch up. He only arrived here a few days earlier but he's already a bit of a guru on the city.

We took a Tuk Tuk to his local bar (where everybody knows his name). I forgot the advice I received last time I was here - don't smile when the driver grins at you in his rear-vision mirror - it only makes him go faster.

We settled in for a few beers, some pool and a light dinner of satay, a hot curry and rice. Despite his modesty, Chris is already chatting away in Thai. I was struggling to pick up anything more than a few simple words.

We finished off with a night-cap at the swanky bar at the bottom of his building and made estimates on how long it would take to polish off the hundreds of bottles of sprits carefully suspended in a 10 foot tall glass case over the bar.