Timed Out

Waking up this morning was completely different to how we woke up yesterday. It was raining heavily. The issue with this, is that everything that you could pretty much do is based on the beach and all the local vendors run for cover.

After bickering for 20 minutes, we all opted for foot massages and ice cream. Should have been a simple decision really.

The way home was extremely uneventful, as everyone was completely timed out after their massage. Not to mention the 32" TV that came down from the roof of the bus, which made sure everyone was kept stum.

Local Delicacies

Waking up to a desolate sea and a morning sunrise was astonishing.

Apart from the walk to get a massage or food, I was pretty much horizontal for the majority of the day. I did however make time to Skype my family and girlfriend from the beach, which was pretty special.

The evening consisted of eating sweetcorn while watching fire shows, drinking Sang Som whiskey out of beach buckets and dictating what the DJ should play all evening.

Ko Samet

Straight after class today, we jumped into our 12 seater party bus and headed for Ko Samet, located on the eastern seaboard of Thailand. For the next few days we have white sand and blue sea to look forward to.

To get to the island from the main land we had the option of a 40 minute ferry that is renowned for breaking down, or a 20 minute speed boat. No brainer really on what we opted for!

When we landed, we dropped our bags of at the lodge, jumped into our bikinis and ran straight for the sea. So excited for this weekend!

J' Raf's Grilled Cheese

A few of the American interns are struggling with the local cuisine at present. With a few of them already having taken a day off to rid of their issues. Enough said about that.

Not to worry though. One of the interns, Justin Raffaeli or J' Raf for short, has set up shop and is producing Grilled Cheese sandwiches on request. He will provide the produce, you just have to hand over a measly 30baht. He will even cut it into the shape of your choice. I chose triangles.

An entrepreneurial spirit of the highest calibre!

Field Trip

We went on a field trip today. The first one I have been on since sixth form. It was to Tilleke and Gibbons, a legal firm based in Bangkok. They were to talk to us about brand protection and combatting product fraud.

After the presentation they took us around there Museum of Counterfeit goods. It is pretty astonishing at what can be copied and in what detail as well.

The moral of the field trip today was that if it seems to good to be true, then it usually is.

Love It or Hate It

After class today, I spent my evening researching and building a presentation around Marmite's attempted entry into India. This was for a group presentation that I will be involved in later this week.

The result. They hated it. Interesting research project though on how products need to be adapted to suit cultural variations.

Normal Duties

Occasionally, normal activities have to resume. After searching around the whole apartment building for the washing machines, I eventually found them 20 minutes later. Outside, at the back of the car park.

After hopping over a couple of cockroaches, I threw in my washing and ran off. Sweating over the fact that I am going to have to return in an hour to pick it all up and dodge the roaches again.

Pool Day

The sun was shining (kind of) and what better way to spend it than on a rooftop pool.

As it is the rainy season at the moment, we have not been blessed with that much sunshine. Just an exceptional amount of humidity, and yes, you guessed it, rain.

The boys got straight on the sun loungers and started catching the rays. I was up to my usual tricks of slapping on factor 50 in the shade, then skulking to my sun bed and hiding under towels until it was time for a brief dip in the pool.

As laying down for to long makes me irritable, I started a diving competition between everyone. Aaron came in with strong swan dives, I provided height in the take off, a fat bum and lots of splash, while Joe pulled of the best dive out of all of us. He clasped his hands, crouched down, rolled his weight forward, and let gravity do the rest. A solid performance from an elite variety of athletes I would say!

Fun Planet

This place goes without much explanation. A planet of fun...

After mastering the 20 foot robot through the streets of Bangkok, I turned to a game of air hockey against Simon. After a 9-8 win for each of us in the previous 2 games, it came down to a tense tie breaker. Fortunately (for me), I prevailed and won the series. Until next time Pawson!

The next stop for us were the racing cars. We were inspired by an elite force of Asian enthusiasts who were taking their races very seriously. With the upmost of ambition, we tried to replicate their enthusiasm. Unfortunately however, our ability could not reach the same levels and we all lost miserably against the computer.

#JustSaying: That the descriptions above may have been exaggerated for entertatinment purposes.

Street Whiskey

This place is a revelation. Down a small little side street, a few blocks over from our apartments, stands a little stall that sells one thing. Street Whiskey. 

Essentially moonshine, these two Thai gentleman cook up the concoction in their apartment and distribute it for TB250 a bottle. They have four different variations, which are sweetened with honey. As appetisers to our whiskey, we had prawn cocktail crisps and chilli cockles.

These two gentleman, were by far the best hosts that I have experienced our here so far. Admittedly they were probably trying to get me absolutely 'wardrobed' (Michael McIntyre quote) on their homemade liquor, but it was still fun to enjoy while I could still walk.

Twins

Clearly didn't get the memo this morning to put on the white polo and matching bag combo today. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee!

Traffic Beater

When the traffic is back to back like it always seems to be in Bangkok, the only way to get around quick is on the back of a moped.

They can barely go at any speed, but they can hop in and out of the jams which is quite useful. Also the fact that they are 2p for roughly every 10 blocks makes them extremely cheap.

Korean BBQ

We ventured to one of the 277 malls in Bangkok tonight, Central Plaza. After unproductively walking around for a while, our attention turned to food.

As with any other mall in the world, there is an abundance of restaurants and eateries to choose from. Central Plaza is no different. Blinded by a sign that said,  'All You Can Eat for 90 minutes', we headed into a place called KimJu.

The aim of the game is to order an array of meats and vegetables, which will just keep coming until you either explode or run out of time. You then cook it all yourself at your table. 

After a gut busting amount of food, we called it quits having truly destroyed the hot plate that we were cooking on. We may have even had a few minutes to spare, just to show that we were not complete animals.

Bagged Food

This peculiar looking bundle of food was my dinner for tonight. Prepared by the stall outside of my flat, they cooked it all up in front of me and bagged it up so I could sit eating it on the roof looking over Bangkok.

At the time it tasted fantastic. I guess I will find out tomorrow if it was nutritious...

Waterfalls, Speedboats and Leopards

What a way to spend a Sunday!

We started off with a morning swim at the Sai Yok Noi Waterfall. Without doubt, one of the most invigorating experiences I have ever had. 

Next stop was the River Kwai Bridge. We had a guided tour over it, ate looking at it and then zoomed under it, on a monster of a speed boat.

I then fell in love with the cutest little leopard. While I was feeding it with the bottle, it was making 'nom nom nom' sounds.

What a first weekend in Thailand! Elephant rides, leopard cuddling, speedboats and waterfall swimming. Truly amazing experiences.