We’re back in Bangkok for the third time. Our plan for this trip was to relax in our apartment, see friends, go on nice walks in the park and visit the dentist!

We definitely managed to do all of those! To the left of our accommodation was right by the huge Benchatti park which we walked, cycled and ran through, as well as the famous skyline (a walking path above the city).

Though to the right of our accommodation was a much seedier red light area. It was an interesting contrast that reminded us just how many different worlds can exist side by side in Bangkok.

As for relaxing in the flat, I played lots of super mario odyssey and Bryson enjoyed drawing and making super mario maker courses. Each night we alternated between ordering Thai food and dim sum (Bryson’s favourite) via our favourite app GRAB.

One day we took the train to Ayutthaya, the old ancient city of Siam. It was an hour and a half journey but our train ticket cost 50p! What a nice change from the 70 pound return tickets to London. We rented bikes and spent the morning cycling around various ruins before heading home after lunch. It was interesting, beautiful and I was in my element.

Another day we hung out with some friends from when we lived in Suffolk. We walked around the park, took a boat to the old town, spotted some giant monitor lizards, had lunch together and caught up, which was really nice.

My gums had been hurting and I desperately needed to visit the dentist. Unfortunately the NHS has surprisingly few dental clinics in Southeast Asia, but luckily Bangkok has some of the best affordable dentists in the world. I got a full cleaning, check up and fluoride coating for the equivalent of about 30 pounds!

Overall, we enjoyed our third time in Bangkok and were delighted to once again be surrounded by friends and Thai food!