Face the facts

No matter how quick or mundane the interaction, the hotel staff always end it with a very enthusiastic 'Merry Christmas and Happy New Year'. It's very endearing.

I went for a very long walk around the city, taking in the main sights and temples. Bangkok has so much to interest a visitor. In 2013 when I was living in Cambodia I celebrated my birthday in Bangkok with two friends from work, one of whom has the exact same birth date. We visited the backpacker den of the Khao San Road, which, mostly because everyone else seems in a similar state, is impossible to go down without thinking of Robert Carlyle off his face on something in the opening scenes of The Beach. I had to go there this time for an onward bus ticket as I couldn't find a travel agency in other areas of the city, but I beat a hasty retreat as soon as the ticket was in hand because I was getting so mithered by people selling suits and tattoos. However it did remind me of the comical story I heard from a friend about encountering a guy on the Khao San Road who after a heavy night of drinking removed the hands from his sobbing rueful face to reveal a freshly done entire facial tattoo of Spider-Man.

During one of my pitstops, the matcha caramel latte was a mistake. I'm always a sucker for interesting sounding coffees but I now remember that I don't like matcha because it tastes like putting your face in freshly mown grass cuttings.