And so begins my fleeting romance with Thailand

Lawwwwdy, Bangkok is big. And hot, very, very hot. Having spent the day walking around yesterday, I've come to the realisation that Bangkok is not an ideal destination for those who have little money to their name. I'm not a big shopper, but I even I was tempted to just to empty my bank account and throw money at almost every stand I passed at the market I visited, gleefully yelling "I may have no money left, but look at alllll the beautiful t-shirts I have. La la la la". I managed to control that urge, mainly because I was hungry and so decided that, in that moment, food was preferable to a traditional Thai silk suit (which I would have bought otherwise, obviously, and paraded around Braunschweig in).
I arrived here the day before yesterday, after a very short flight from Saigon. The last day in Saigon was unexpectedly busy: I had banked on just a bit of shopping, a lot of eating, and a great deal of overheating, but Saigon had other plans for us. First of all, culture was the name of the game, and we dawdled off to the War Remnants museum, wholly unaware of what awaited us. I don't really want to write too much about it, because it really was quite harrowing. It was definitely an effective exhibition, but it was incredibly difficult to look at.
After that, we both needed a pick me up, so we went off in search of everyone's favourite friends, carbs and sugar. Sugar arrived in the form of a totally ridiculous oreo-flavoured drink. Actually, drink is not the right word: it was more like a huge melted ice cream with oreos in it. That lasted all of ten minutes (by which, I mean 5) once it came to the table. Fin wasn't too keen on the idea of a sugar coma and instead, opted for that Vietnamese classic, a bacon sandwich. It was a fine specimen, I must say and from the ensuing silence, I think Fin enjoyed it as well. That too was devoured at lightning speed. A couple of hours later, we headed out to meet a friend and for our last meal together in Vietnam. To mark this momentous occasion, we naturally went to a French cafe- tres normal. The night ended in an airplane themed bar, where all the staff were dressed as air stewards. And that, dear friends, was that for Vietnam.
Bangkok is like another world. Unfortunately for my hair, and general outward appearance, the heat and humidity is even more intense than in Saigon. It's lucky I'm not out here looking for male attention, because I have a feeling that I would scare the living daylights out of any poor, unsuspecting objects of my desire. Having made some strategic allies on the plane (this was when I still looked vaguely normal), I was at least confident that I would eventually make it to my hostel and not end up wandering some back alley like the Wild Woman of the West. My comrades and I spent the afternoon and evening together, sampling the delights of the famous Khao San Road: gangs of giant, loud lads in singlets, girls in barely-there shorts, older gents prowling around for young meat- a real treat. Well, less treat, more awful, seedy horror. I called it a night and thankfully found my way back to the hostel without a single wrong turn! Be proud, dear parents.
As I said, yesterday was full of walking. 7 hours to be precise. In 32 degree heat to be even more precise. Despite that, it was very enjoyable to see the city alone but I  must have looked like a total madwoman: every time I checked the map and realised I was exactly where I wanted to be, I couldn't help but grin and nod in self-congratulation. Sometimes I even threw in a little celebratory hand gesture. No wonder no-one spoke to me all day. The only time I had a slight panic was when I couldn't find the way out of a shopping centre, but we've all been there, right?
Hope everyone is well and in the festive spirit!