สุขสันต์วันปีใหม่  

Suk san wan pee mai  2558, or Happy New Year’s Day for the year BE 2558 on Thailand’s Buddhist era calendar.

I barely made it to midnight last night, I was having a couple of very quiet drinks with friends when another friend turned up and insisted we started drinking whisky chasers …the good stuff not the usual cheap Thai “whiskys”. I’m usually just a beer drinker but I must admit the Glenmorangie went down rather well

As soon as the “Countdown” had finished on TV  I made my excuses and staggered home, I’m long past staying up all night !

New Year’s Day is the first official day of a 4 day holiday, but many people having been heading home to the provinces since last weekend, and Bangkok is rather quiet now. Indeed, it’s a good time to enjoy Bangkok at the moment, with no crowds on the BTS or MRT, less traffic on the roads and delightfully cool weather. Much better than crowded holiday resorts or risking your life on the roads with drunken idiots speeding home or back to Bangkok. I will never again drive over New Year or Songkran, it’s just too dangerous. According to the Nation newspaper 128 people were killed on the roads in 2 days before the official holiday had even started.

I am going away on January 5, I’m off to Myanmar/Burma for a couple of weeks, starting in Mandalay then down to Bagan and finishing in Yangon. I expect to have lots of photos of golden pagodas and temple ruins to bore you with !

Until then, here’s hoping you all have a safe and prosperous 2015, or 2558 for those here in Thailand.