Well well well, who'd have thunk it, I have now, OFFICIALLY survived 100 days of travelling. 100 days of sun, sea, sand and...erm...well sex changes apparently! That's right, what better way to celebrate your 100th day travelling with you're best friend than to go see a nice cultural show...it just so happened the idea got even better when the agent said, with a sly grin (like she though the Surrey Gals couldn't handle it), "You know, Thai cabaret, they the Lady-boy?"
Well no actually we did not...but now we do...god we wanna be one!! Seriously, if I could, I'd slip through that net in a second; for the costumes, the music, the jazz hands...and the surgeons. No not like THAT (all though despite being in the front row, even my biology a-level couldn't help me work this one out), these people are just BEAUTIFUL, best figures you'd ever clap your eyes on- the whole thing was actually thoroughly depressing. Yes, yes that's right, I never though I'd admit it, but not only was I, but also my undying love of all things pink and or sparkly, were well and truly upstaged by this group of men. I'm just glad we bothered to put make up on...especially when, me and my big jinxing mouth struck again, and I had us briefly mistaken for the opening act. Easily done....?
Not sure if you'll have guessed but we have, by now, ridden the bamboo train (literally) out of Cambodia and arrived in Thailand!!! It seems we were caught in a brief time warp of being lost in Bangkok, or should I say more specifically one road of it (the shops, the clothes, the accessories-the chance to branch out in my hair experimentation...I say we start a "Braid the Brodie" campaign) for about a week- it was fabulous!
Course, being intrepid TRAVELLERS and not wanting to miss out, we did go crazy and venture to two entirely different streets on two entirely different occasions (I know). Once was a very lovely night, if slightly bizarre, visiting my cousins in their new abode- bizarre only as it is about as far removed from the sleepy Teddington Street I last saw them in as it could be. We went for a very nice meal, complete with an ACTUAL cultural show by the table and ever so slightly more traditional dancing. The second occasion, though now perhaps equally as part of the culture...was...somewhat less...erm...lovely.
That's right, we hit Ping Pong alley! Now those of you keeping up to speed with London's Olympic preparations may well be aware that Thailand is not actually renowned for their love of, or skills in, the game, so much so in fact that they've invented a whole new way of playing it. Mmm-humm, that's right, pussy ping pong. "Super Pussy Does Ping Pong," a neon sign I never expected to see. Super pussy also did whistle and candle blowing, coke-a-cola drinking and pouring, bottle opening, smoking and general...storage...? Its amazing what you can find up there if you're not careful, ribbon (meters of it), fruit, a little alarmingly strings of razors and (even more alarmingly when they fly so close to you're leg that Libby thinks you've been struck) balloon popping darts. The thing with it all was that it was as far removed from a sex show as I could possibly imagine anything being. Thankfully, not at all the seedy den of exploitation and horrid sweaty sex tourists I imagined, but more just a bit of a giggle- for everyone involved. And what better to do after a night of Super Pussies, then to go mooch around a designer market and then dance the night away...apparently with a terribly famous ex-Footballer no less!!
After Bangkok we ran for the hills, with such great gusto we ended up breaking into a hotel for the night. Action Angelina's strike again...To be fair it was 5 am, freezing, we did try our best to wake "security" before leaving a confessional note of our key steal-sorry BORROWING crimes. Turns out the reason we couldn't wake "security" and the reason we are not fugitives, is that he was drunk and passed out (on duty), so really we are ALL lucky the situation didn't occur with some one else, some one with less of a sense of humour/guilt! Things rather calmed down after that as we headed out into the hills for three days of rafting (not quite white water due to lack, of, erm, well, water!!), walking, swimming (IE: jumping in, squealing at the cold, clambering out) in the biggest waterfall in Thailand and elephant riding.
We spent the first night camping out and woke to the sound of Gibbon's call and the second night in a bamboo hut in a village, sung to sleep by the wild elephants in the hills. (It was at this point Libby realised she was no longer in England. Bless her, all over that ball...maybe going blonde wouldn't be such a bad idea after all). Just, well, being in Thailand (though we were in the hills and had been warned it did get "a little chilly" at night) we weren't quite expecting it to get cold. Really REALLY cold. Like, I've done a sleep out, in January, at the English sea side when its being battered by Russian winds and that was POSITIVELY BALMY in comparison type cold. BBBBRRRRRR. Still it was an amazing experience and really reaffirmed why we are best friends, still, despite our lives taking very different turns...who else can you wake up next to, shivering, at 5am, in the dark, needing the spider infested loo, and still find it enjoyable, funny even- slightly hysteria inducing actually! We had some amazing chats and did a lot of planning of all the adventures we're in for when we stumble home (eventually) and are now very excited. So a 100% awe inspiring few days then really.
And now here we are, day 101 and still loving every last one of them! Besides which THEY HAVE REAL ICE CREAM HERE!!!!
C x
