You may not be surprised to hear that we were not as early to rise as we had been to bed. Nor that day 2 was a bit uninteresting. Once again we took the boat. This time a little further. A few essentials were on our shopping list including sunblock shampoo swimtrunks. The Skytrain took us to the new shopping malls including one where goods matched Harvey Nichols for style and even price and all we had was a frozen yoghurt. Thais had taken to the streets in protest at their allegedly corrupt Prime Minister Thaksin ('the Berlusconi of the East') but Boots the Globally Ubiquitous Chemist was a safe haven and provided for many of our needs before we browsed a little further round a more local and sensibly priced set of emporia.

Then it all went slightly wrong. We got the Skytrain and Metro to Hua Lamphong before heading into the old city. From here we intended to walk along a khlong (canal) and visit a few of the temples. I particularly wanted to stroll up the Golden Mount and also to see if I could find the cheap and cheerful looking hotel I remembered seeing in 1987. We wanted to find a more central location for later in our stay.

The sights smells shops of old Krungtheep were fascinating. I'm at a loss to explain the complete absence of a photographic record from the afternoon. Maybe heat fatigue jetlag. Whatever. Along the bustling khlong were stalls selling all kinds of goods all manner of foods. In neighbouring streets whole rows of shops selling woks televisions engine parts silks timber (irritating to a man who had just spent weeks back home trying to find wood just to make bookshelves!).

Heat and fumes are tiring. Jetlag plays havoc with time perception. And Thais keep hours that differ wildly from those of students and dilettantes (wasters). Maybe I still think in Spanish hours. Thai attractions close so early! It was barely 4:30 when we reached Wat Saket only to be told by a friendly young man that the Golden Mount Park closes at 5 ~ and even the fit couldn't walk up to the chedi in that time.

He suggested a couple of other temples that might be open and even hailed us a passing tuk-tuk. The driver kept offering us lower and lower prices to take us to a couple and assuring us we could squeeze them in but we were knackered and just wanted him to take us back to the river to get a boat. But this he was not prepared to do whatever the price (I am not a rich man but I would gladly have paid two whole pounds). There's more to be said on the subject of the various cabbies of Bangkok but let us leave that to another page. As it is dear readers we were forced to walk all the way to the nearest by which I mean quite distant pier and forego visits to the National Gallery and Museum which also open and close at hours quite uncivilised.

Waiting for the boat back we heard a the owner of a long-tailed boat tell two farang girls they'd have a long wait for the last boat so he'd kindly take them to their destination for only 400baht and they duly climbed in. The real boat came ten minutes later and we paid our 22baht and went back to the hotel.

In the evening we walked across the bridge to the restaurant and entertainment complex of Tara Tara. This is also owned by Khun Dech's family and we highly recommend the food and the setting if not the karaoke. The huge freshwater prawns were the stars and possibly the best-tasting seafood I've ever eaten (with the exception of percebes or goose barnacles in Spain).