Raj's Round The World Trip

I'm feeling a lot better today and regret having booked another night at the hotel; I could have left Bangkok. I'm a little bored. I've heard there are some strange clubs that open in the evening around here where there's dancing goes on a stage and they do odd things, like firing ping pong balls. I can't go into specifics, but it's not table tennis they're playing. I don't fancy going there. Alternatively, I could watch Muay Thai (Thai boxing) but the main events are on Saturday night so I'm limited with options.

I go to Khaosan road early in the evening to get something to eat and do a little people watching. A little old lady, who I've bought fruit from before, sees me and asks me where I've been. I guess I must stand out a little, I haven't seen many people who look like they're from 'India', although there was one guy who looked like he was genuinely from India, as he was wearing a turban, he wanted to read me my fortune. I have a lucky face he told me. I suggested to him that in his present and future he wouldn't be getting any money from me. I explained to the old lady that I've been to Koh Tao. It was nice to speak to a friendly local for a change.

Earlier, I booked an overnight sleeper train to go to Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand. It will take fourteen hours to get there, but at least I'll be able to sleep a little and it's another mode of transport I've never used.

4:30 am and, following a long journey, I'm back in Bangkok. For the ten days or so I was on the island of Koh Tao I only ever wore flip-flops on my feet (unless I was diving) and it's quite liberating in a small way. Now I'm wearing shoes again.

We get off the bus and, here we go again," where you going ? " My patience is wearing thin, but if one of them asks me if I want a massage I might lose it.

I don't want to book into a hotel just yet, but I'm not sure what to do. How about 24 hour McDonalds ? At 5:00am I'm eating a Big Mac with fries and a large coke (diet, don't want to get fat or anything). I'm not the only one doing it either. Shortly thereafter, they change the signs in McDonalds and you can order breakfast. I know what you're thinking - no, I didn't.

After a little wonder around, I'm back at the hotel I stayed at last time - it's about 7:00am now. I book into the hotel for two nights.

I didn't get much sleep last night, so it's nice to have a shower and get forty winks.

I haven't been for a number two since Tuesday when I took two tablets, so now I take a tablet to help me to 'go'. The result is I'm going a bit too much again. I don't stray too far away from the hotel.

I leave the Koh Tao diving center at about 2pm to travel by taxi, boat and bus. It will be 4:30am the next day when I arrive in Bangkok.

Delhi-belly again !

It's a bit worrying as I have a long journey ahead of me and I can hardly pick up my rucksack because I feel weak.

The local clinic gives me some antibiotics and I'm given two tablets to take so I don't have to keep going to the toilet.

I go to the travel agent to see if I can delay my journey for a day. Luckily, I can so I spend the rest of the day in bed.

I'm taking it easy again today. There's always a price to pay after diving for me. I go deaf a little because of the water getting in my ears and generally a little tired.

I bump into Pete a little later in the day and we agree to meet up in the evening for a drink. He tells me how when he first came to the island he bought cheap bottle of suntan lotion from a shop. Why buy an expensive one - that's for girls. However, no matter how much he kept putting on he was still getting sunburned. The explanation for this turned out to be a simple one - It wasn't suntan lotion in the bottle it was shampoo. They still laugh at him at the shop and always ask him if he wants to buy conditioner. This is doubly funny because he has a shaven head.