I think I’m becoming something of an early-bird. It was only six o’clock this morning (mind you I was in bed by 7.30), up on the roof-top restaurant with this very sweet but often grumpy Thai lady serving the most rotten instant coffee. At 30 baht (70 cents) this coffee is a rip-off, but I suppose you pay for the view.

Sunrise and sunset are speculative in Bangkok. The pollution is so dense that you can safely watch a bright red ball heading towards the horizon, when all of a sudden the sun just disappears before even coming close to the horizon. The same goes for sunset. It doesn’t matter, it’s still peaceful and a good way of greeting the day.

However, the last couple of days have been sunny and hot, and they tell me it’s winter. I’m not sunburnt (yet), and the mozzie bite count is moderate in the low 20s, that’s seriously nothing compared to the perforation I experienced in the Florida Everglades.

I will be leaving Bangkok tomorrow. Off to Ayuthaya, just a quick train ride north of Bangkok. This is the freedom of travelling I wanted. Just leave when you’ve had enough. I will be back to Bangkok though and leave congested markets til the end of my trip.