Once they realised they could watch all the TV they wanted this pair were never going to sleep!

Arrived at 6am, a short kip later and we got out to see the city. Starting with the canal boats- cheap and fun public transport

Our first big old statue at Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan…

This is a huge temple dating back to the 1700s, with great views of the city from the top. Thunderstorm approaching…

After the rains passed we ran into some Asian Monitor Lizards in the park!

They looked pretty fierce but they are mostly harmless.

Next to “Wat Pho” one of Bangkoks biggest and most extensive temple complexes

Golden statue, one of many more!

One of the absolute highlights was catching the monks at their afternoon chanting! We were able to go in and sit amongst them, they were very accommodating of some gormless tourists. It was really special to witness.

Reclining Buddha!! Huge. 46m long and 15m tall. That’s a lot of gold.

Kids were knackered so we bailed to a rooftop bar with more incredible views, across the river Chao Phraya to the Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan

And back, to Wat Pho

Then a wander amongst the alleyways of old Bangkok, the street life is fascinating here

Finally, a mad tuktuk ride home. The kids absolutely love them!

It is Jonas’s birthday! So after a late and jet-lagged start, we sat together in our tiny hostel room whilst he opened some gifts from us all. Thanks to everyone who sent him birthday wishes!

Everyone is still suffering the effects of the long flight so we had a late start before taking the sky train and metro across to Khlong Toei wet market, the largest in Bangkok. These markets still serve a big boss and peoples lives out here.

The sky train is very modern and very cool!

The kids loved seeing the wide variety of foods on offer, and I think it was eye opening for them to see how so many of the locals live, and the conditions in which they work.

After that everyone was a bit hot and tired, so we went to Terminal 21, mainly for the food court that was recommended by my friend and our expert local guide, Anthony.

Sadly I forgot to take any photos in the mall but the kids were delighted by the high tech toilet seats so they get a mention!

We’d asked Jonas what he most wanted to do on his birthday. He chose the Aquarium (SeaLife Bangkok) which is in the opulent Siam Paragon mall.

Sadly I forgot to take any shots of the mall itself, it was very glamorous! \240Not the sort of place we’re used to being in at all, and a stark contrast to the morning in the market. Everything was very clearly aimed at the most wealthy in society, and we saw a tall mixture of people there, from Asians, to Arabs, Europeans and Americans.

His request for his birthday dinner was Italian, so we treated him to Bolognaise at a tourist restaurant. The highlight was the Happy Birthday serenade from the staff, turns out Thai people sing it to a different tune!

The end of another busy day

We’re leaving city tomorrow…

Enjoying a stroll around the Bangkok streets after lunch

It was time to leave our hostel, which had served needs but not much else! Basic at best!

Packed up and ready to move on

The kids are doing a good job of looking after their stuff and carrying it around for short distances.

Ready to travel to Pak Chong

Saskia loves her rucksack and has embraced the packing cubes!

In the afternoon we arrived in a resort just North of Pak Chong. Very nice to be somewhere quiet after the bustle of Bangkok. This is our base for 2 days of trekking in the nearby Khao Yao National Park now before we return to Bangkok to get the night train to Chiang Mai.

Suitably warned, we enjoyed a trek in the woods, where Mai showed us lots of huge spiders, elephant droppings, bear scratches on trees, and lots of cool bugs and plants.

After lunch we did some more driving and looking for animals, then stopped off at this lovely waterfall which was in full force during the wet season.

After dinner we were lucky enough to spot a bull elephant some distance away.

The day ended with a night safari drive where we spotted a number of barking deer, some nightjars and more sambar deer. We were under strict instructions not to get out of the truck as this is hunting time for the carnivores. At the very end of our drive we spotted a single jackal in the darkness.

It’s been a long day and we are all knackered, but looking forward to some more adventure in this park tomorrow.