Bangkok

The first thing that struck me upon landing in Suvarnabhumi Airport were the unyielding, no-nonsense expressions on the faces of security personnel. It's not as though I was smuggling anything through, but I just can't help but feel guilty as soon as step into any high-security government establishment, especially with those dead-pan stares and an enormous language barrier.

Haggling the price of a taxi down did not come as easily to us as we'd hoped, and after accidentally climbing into somebody else's taxi, looping around the airport and then being flung back out where we initially began, we weren't able to muster the same level of charm we'd applied the first time around, and so settled for a higher fare - still cheap by normal standards, but some of the magic had been lost after that first confusing encounter. Still, at £6 each for a 45 minute drive to the centre of Bangkok, who's complaining...

We'd arrived off the plane at around 6pm local time. Due to the tilt of the earth, darkness had fallen, and we stared glassy-eyed out of the taxi windows as criss-crossing power lines weaved their way past us, billboards loomed large and alien amidst the shuttering effect of passing headlights and horns blared as traffic rushed past.

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Our taxi pulled into one of the many crowded streets of the city centre. Those prominent power cables which lined the motorway now twisted and knotted in great webs, bunching at precariously tilted posts before swooping low like thick vines which hung idly between the sloped alluminium rooves of shops and the bright neon signs of the city.

Our hostel was tucked away off the road: set further back from the mini-marts, money exchanges and stalls that littered the street. A second loop of the road located the alleyway which led to Nap Tree Hostel - a tree, grown-up through the concrete and whose branches reached high into the rafters beneath the metal ceiling, marked the welcoming seating area which led to another two hostels down the back alley. A dejected-looking mut - who we later learned was much-loved by the throngs of travellers who passed through the hostel - was sprawled out beside the shoe-rack, leant up against the glass-doors which led to the cool lobby. Probably trying to cool down by pressing itself up against the glass.

Enjoying a chang with Mat on our first night in Bangkok

That first night in Bangkok we dropped into the bunkbed, our bodies heavy with the heat of the city and 19 hours of travelling behind us. We fell back into an easy sleep in the welcome cold of the dorm whilst the city continued to swell and buzz around us.