Part 1 - Bangkok & Myanmar
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Part 1 - Bangkok & Myanmar
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Up early 8.30 for breakfast which was the same except a change of fruit. Was ready to go out when I saw a note on my bed to go reception which I did and was told that because of the bed bugs they were closing my room so I would have to move and they would refund me one nights stay. So I packed my stuff in storage and went out to the bus stop half a block away with no real sign and waited a while for the number 2 bus which I'd been told to take. And just like the Runcorn girls the night before had said nobody on the bus asked for money instead the woman who was the conductor seemed to just count passengers on and off. So I got off with lots of other people and headed towards the national museum and there were groups of people everywhere mostly in black to mourn the death of the king. I had seen a notice in the lift of our hostel saying some things like Khaosan road were not open like they usually are and I thought that may have reduced flight prices and stopped some people coming here only I checked and I booked my flight 2 days before he died. So I walked towards the museum and there is a big oval park where a lot of the mourners were congregating and getting free drinks and snacks and walking together in big groups so I took a few photos. The museum was shut because it was the wrong day of the week according to a man who worked there who said it was free otherwise so come back tomorrow. He also said the mourning happens every day and they are waiting for the prince (his son) to arrive and some people have come from all over the Country. The Grand palace was also shut so I decided to cross the river for 3 baht as it turned out (8p) and see Wat Arun the temple of the moon which is like a really steep pyramid. I walked around some of the outer areas but the main temple had scaffolding and cost 100 baht to enter so I took the boat back. Wat Pho with the reclining Buddha was open but also 100 baht and I'd been there before so I carried on walking to a few other temples listed on google maps before going to the Golden mountain (40 THB) which has views of the city, a temple on top and also gongs and bells to hit on the way which kept lots of tourists amused. After that it was getting on and I hadn't really eaten or drunk much and it was hot and I was a bit sunburnt so I headed back and caught a different bus which did charge me and was just less pleasant and more crowded but I survived despite not feeling good from heatstroke so I had a rest and shower back at the hostel. I got up and checked the internet and I had been given the Myanmar visa already so I headed out to get the bus ticket but it was close to 7pm by the time I got there and they were shut. I used the internet a bit outside the bar again and then headed to fortune town which is good for computer stuff got there and had a cheap but not very nice chicken teryaki as the meat was not up to standard. by now it was quite late and most shops were shut. Went back to hostel and I was sitting at the main table in the hostel with my book and a bottle of water and the Indian guy from the night before and the Korean girl started playing Uno but they didn't know all of the rules so they asked me and I told them and soon after they let me join them and we were still playing Uno when several other people came to sit and drink at the table so I talked to some of them while playing Uno and met JP and Devon both from New York who act on Broadway but didn't have too long a holiday and I told them about the bed bugs and having to move room. Later we moved on from Uno to play poker but not for real money, the Americans went to bed and some other people came back from a ping pong show where they were the only people there, the girls were old and not attractive and they had tried to make them pay 6000 baht for the pleasure but had managed to only pay a more reasonable amount. The Americans came back downstairs as they had bed bugs in their room and so wanted to move room. I carried on talking with some people after winning the poker and the guys I was playing with headed to bed before calling it a night around 1 or 2am.
Answer from yesterday is Woolworths - it does still exist in Australia and probably South Africa in a different form though. Marks and Spencers are looking to expand.
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