Banging Around Bangkok

I was waiting till tomorrow to start working on my bike but Red Baron have started work without me and already cleaned my bike - it glistens, but probably not for long. They've also checked my valves. Hopefully I will be able to get most of the other things on my list done tomorrow before the public holiday on Saturday for the Kings birthday.

I've managed to find a shop that sells Ortlieb soft luggage (better for the bike offroad) so plan to invest in a set of those rather than the Pakistani 'Pouratechs' that I currently have - lesson learnt : Invest in decent stuff that you will be happy with before you leave rather than bodging your way around the World. My only concern is that they will not be as secure as the Aluminium panniers but I am also going to get a pac-safe locking system for my important stuff and will try to get a tankbag suitable for a KTM too, most things are too big without adequate fixings. They have KTM dealers in Malaysia so I may have to wait till then...

I have sorted a lot of my luggage out and reckon I have managed to decrease the crap I'm carrying 'just in case' by half. Instead of having 2 tool boxes and a tool bag, I have attempted to fit most things into a bum bag I bought, meaning that if I decide to go off road with no luggage, I can just take the essentials with me, or at least that's the idea. Now that I have almost repaired pretty much everything possible on the bike, I have a very good idea of what tools I need and what I don't.

I really feel at home in the guesthouse we have found. It's run by a Thai family with 'Mama' (grandma) calling the shots. She seems to approve of our bikes though.

The food here is absolutely amazing. Every 10 metres down a street is a small restaurant or barrow selling some awesome smelling goods. Every 20 metres is a 7-11. There are so many here that you can often be stood in a 7-11 on one side of the street looking at another on the other side.

Even the most basic stuff is much better than anything I ever had in India. I was really looking forwards to some good curries, but the best I had was a Jalfrezi in Pakistan. I had some noodle soup here the other day and had to spend 10 minutes picking out chillies, lemon grass and ginger with chopsticks before I could even start eating. I am slowly getting fatter and fatter. If I'm lucky i'll end up becoming one of those fat ex-pat old men who hangs around with a young Thai girl on each arm. I need to leave Bangkok soon.

I find it amazing that there is such a huge culture difference even though India is not so far away and the same resources exist in both countries. Here, people know that they don't have to work all the time to enjoy life. Over there, it's chaos.

I think that is all for my musings tonight.