Foreign pie news

 

Chicken and mushroom                      (Starbucks, Don Mueang Airport Bangkok)

At last! 

After 6 pieless days we came upon this beacon of hope.

The pie itself was entirely constructed from puff pastry (which, let's be honest, doesn't do well in a microwave). 

Initial sogginess aside the filling was actually quite pleasant although in a blind tasting I'm not sure I'd be able to identify the ingredients. 

Perhaps just as well......

A definite hint of chicken and lots of pepper but no mushroom taste.

However JB says that the black specks dotted about in the sauce were almost certainly/possibly mushroom.

Overall, a reasonable effort.

 

Canals, storms and temples

 Buoyed up by yesterday's non appearance of rain we booked a cruise by longtail boat through Bangkok's canal system.       (Allegedly the Venice of the East )

*Important point: said boats have rudimentary roof and NO coverings on the sides.

Within about 3 minutes of leaving the jetty we heard the first rumble of thunder......

Shortly after the now familiar deluge began. 

And continued for quite some time.

Once we were thoroughly drenched the boatman obligingly moored up under a bridge for shelter.

At last, we were able to press on. (I've never before been at risk of drowning whilst still ON the boat)

I have to admit that eventually the trip was worth it, we saw kingfishers (not captured on camera) and several monitors lizards  (see below).  

We also took part in a longtail Canal Lock traffic jam (a first for this blogger and every bit as thrilling as it sounds)

And saw some fairly wobegone shacks too.....

After that it was time to retreat to the relative tranquility of Wat Pho, a massive temple complex containing a (and I quote) "humongous " reclining Buddha.

 (15m high and 46m long, so no pics available)

Here's a flavour of the day:

Jim Thompson's House

I won't lie to you blogmates, I misheard the venue for today's outing.

I thought we were en-route to view the (unlikely as it seems) Bangkok home of homophobic right wing 'comedian' Jim Davidson.

Imagine my surprise (and immense relief) to discover that in fact we were to visit the home of American silk factory magnate Jim THOMPSON......

It's definitely worth a look if you're in the area (if not pics follow)

....

The Grand Palace

 Today, during a short break from the thunderstorms and armed with snorkels, we visited Bangkok's Grand Palace.

It's most definitely Grand. 

And to maintain the refined atmosphere, there's a no-shoulders- or-knees-on-display rule which is firmly policed.

Luckily there is a shop selling the right sort of togs at less than reasonable prices.........

Anyway once suitably covered we entered the Palace. It was stunning.

And very, very glittery. 

There's an Emerald Buddha too. (yes, that's how Grand it is)

We then took the free bus to see the Masked Dancers perform.  

Mere words cannot do justice to what we witnessed. Both myself and JB were left stunned by the experience, combining as it did the very worst aspects of pantomime, interpretive dance and musical theatre.

And when we came out of the theatre it was raining again.......

We weren't allowed to take photos during the performance but here's a few more of the Palace.

Bangkok Baby

 

So.............Bangkok...........

Where to begin?

After a paltry 16 hours sleep we emerged from our hotel and stumbled into Khao San Road.

Not for the faint hearted this place.

Still, we managed to avoid the deep fried scorpions and the over friendly scantily clad girls and got a few beers in.

As expected, beer in Bangkok very cheap. 

And plentiful. 

Anyway........

I should probably mention the rain.

Serious, knows how to get the job done rain.  And so I bid you a fairly soggy good night.

8

Done over in Dubai

 A very warm welcome to you blog mates.

And to any new readers I may as well say now that it doesn't really get much better than this post.

And this post, frankly, is rubbish, concerning as it does the beer-based bare-faced robbery that was visited upon us in Dubai.

Picture the scene: Dishevelled (slightly) and definitely dehydrated we stumbled off the plane and into Dubai Airport seeking a tasty beverage.

Two pints were ordered and payment of £27 was requested.

My travelling companion (renowned beer scholar JB) tells me that this price is higher than that of petrol.

And let me tell you blogmates at that point I would have probably drunk petrol.

Needless to say we shunned his overpriced offer and settled for a still eye watering £30 bucket of beer which I am reliably informed contained a mere 3 pints.

Next stop: Bangkok where the beer is considerably cheaper.........