April 14th 2002

We fly home tonight. Went out for some lunch, walked down the Khao San Rd, it looks so bare without it's stalls, all the shops are boarded up against the water. People are smearing and squirting as if their lives depended on it. Pick up trucks roam full of kids throwing water over the crowds. Packs of youths on motor bikes rev and backfire till you can't bear the noise! The traffic is at a stand still, this Is Thai New Year. The celebrations continue for 4 or 5 days.

We go back and pack. Andrew goes for a massage at Audy. We read and laze around. At about 6pm we realise that one end of our street is blocked. The other end leads on to the Khao San Road, jam packed. We decide that we ought to find a taxi. Reception had laughed at Andrew when he tried to book one this morning. I looked out of the bedroom window. Eventually I spotted a taxi heading for the hotel. Andrew dives downstairs from the fifth floor and catches him, and he agrees to take us. Andrew fetches the luggage and I. We pack the car and I chat to the driver while Andrew checks us out.

We arrive at the airport at 9pm, just as well we left when we did. Andrew is wet, our taxi driver had a water pistol too. When he opened his window to squirt they both got hit by a larger pistol. We check in, I have my bamboo parasol wrapped separately and put through to the hold. It's classed as a pointed weapon and I am not allowed to board the plane with it!

Peruse the airport map and discover a Japanese restaurant so we go to find Sushi, sake and beer - all very good. We linger over dinner as we don't leave till midnight. Do some last minute shopping, an elephant bag for me and 2 of the long cushion things I've been trying to persuade Andrew we need for the garden. We get them as he doesn't have to carry them anywhere! The shop assistant wraps them and passport control send them down to the hold for us. We are ready to depart and I wish we were just arriving. We have both enjoyed this holiday tremendously.