Bangkok
In Pai Simon's friend Irish woman, Rain, suggests getting a longer visa by going to Malaysia , this would mean not seeing BKK at least for now and having to come all the way back up if I want to. I guess many people stay here for a few months but I dont have such desire.

I leave Pai on 9th April, intending couple of days in Bangkok. I catch a sleeper train and soon fall sleep on the two facing seats that pull out to form the lower bed, it sis only about 6 p.m but I'm tired and hot. The seats are leather/plastic covered and sweaty. Later I notice that the staff are making the beds, the bedding is stored overhead in the top bunk which when closed looks like a big aeroplane overhead compartment. The bed is very comfortable indeed and I get some reasonable sleep.
 
We were due to arrive 6.50 a.m. after a 14 hour trip. I woke up at 6.30 in a stationery train, so rushed around to get ready but we are stuck at Rangit due to some accident and delayed by a few hours. I lie down to rest but told to change train, to a local train with hard seats full of rush hour travellers and hot. On arrival my complaint re lack of A/C is not accepted as it was apparantly working but did not work fully so that is why the fans were on too, to help the A/C!

I will try and renew visa here and luckily took taxi as it was very warm and further I thought. A wasted trip as it turns out to be the wrong place and has been relocated. I met and shared taxi with an Argentinian couple back to station. They had their passports stolen and wanted the new ones to be visa stamped. I am still carrying my luggage and no room reserved yet. We take train to Leksi and shared cab again to immigration, the driver tries to charge 100 THB despite the 41 on the meter and tends to laugh out loud over anything. After wondering around a huge building with a lower foyer larger than an oval football stadium and long queue I get to the kiosks and meet met Lawrence (French girl). I am offered 7 day visa for 1900 THB ($60), but it does not make sense as I would need to renew again, so I decline. A long bus journey with Lawrence to Bamboo guesthouse which is offering single room for 400 (my earlier phone calls from the station were around 800THB). All the day has been spent chasing visa and stuck in traffic (I find out later that some of the traffic congestion was due to Red-shirts blockading). I grab shower and get chatting to L'chelle studying a book on buddhism in the foyer and later we meet her friend Gary (who is also going to Kohtao for diving and I meet a few times there) for a drink and walk through Kosan road. Nothing special, lots of bars and a very busy market road and the scene of later shootings.

Later I am sitting reading in the communal area and am told to turn off light be landlady! next day trip on the river nice, interesting sights being pointed out. I get a one day ticket for the skytrain which turns out to be a waste of time as the cityscape not terribly interesting. I got off and went to a Chiropractor I had found on the net for $80, expensive I need a checkup. when I return the station is closed. The red-shirt protestors and police present. There are also hundreds of spectators, some foreigners lined up along the street or on the staircase and bridge to the station, taking photos. The protestors jeer every so often and occasionally distribute food and drinks and dust masks to the police. It is very hot, and I took lots of photos very close to the two groups. there are some police taking rest nearby with their sheilds and gear lined up on the ground. A few of them are taking photos too. Some protestors and police are also taking photos of the setting as well as standing with the opposition. Some of the plicemen look rather mature, in their 30's at least. I have seen a few being carried away I think due to heat exhaustion as they are in full riot gear. I start walking along the skytrain route hoping I find an open station, not so. The protestors have closed a lot of roads and there are large groups and speeches next to all the stations that I see. Lots of food and refreshment stalls and people selling red Tshirts and related publicity items are also present. At one point I am let through barrier as fallang (foreigner). The city is in standstill, kept walking due to closed stations eventually catch a bus to station and boat back to hostel. As I walk to the gueshouse along the river I hear and get chatting and share cigarette with a Japanese guy playing an Indian flute. minutes later I hear and get chatting to a few Germans (Stephan, Johan and Isabel) and take their photo with the suspension bridge in the background.

About an hour later while in my room I hear the gunfire and explosions, and found out they were apparantly down Kosan road which is about 10 minutes walk away. I dismiss the idea of going back for observation and photos, may be I should have as it was an unusual event for me. In a nearby cafe/bar which I have usually seen half empty thererare lots of foreigners congregated away from the torurist sites, some news on the TV but mostly repeats and in Thai. I have lots of pool games which I won. Get chatting to Richard from the Uk and then Elle French/German. Richard bores us both with his story of buying computer cables.

11th streets are pretty empty and quiet. I walk along the river and visit the Royal palace and WatPho with an interesting 41 meters long sleeping budha. There are lots of stalls selling amulet which is a major interest here. There are guys examining these under lenses, it is serious stuff and I have seen lots of people wearing one or more of these around their necks. These are usually see-through clasps containing a buddha or similar item.

I am not going to get down about how little time I have had here.