Things One Should Really Avoid When In Thailand (or: ...WHAT????)

1: Getting One's Bag Lost or Stolen. This will result in a World of Pain. See below for more.

2: Needing the Thai Police's help when one's bag has been Lost or Stolen. This will only be beneficial if you are a VIP. If, on the other hand, you are a poor falang (foreigner) girl, freaking out because her bag has gone missing, you will sit in the police station for half an hour, then decide it is all too much and you can sort it out yourself, thanks very much anyway.

3: Relying on CCTV footage to find out where said bag may be. Yes, the hotel has CCTV cameras everywhere. But are they operational? Can you see anything whatsoever other than a large black blob? No? Funny that!

4: Staying at the First Hotel in Petchburi Road, Bangkok. One of the following is almost inevitable (and each has happened to at least one person on our trip): a) bedbugs; b) inadequate cleaning; c) water gushing in through the roof; d) a toilet that doesn't flush; or finally e) they will put your bag in a room that isn't yours, put a do not disturb sign on the door and refuse to go in it because of that sign, be completely rude and useless when you can't find your bag for 3 hours, refuse to let you use the phone to make a toll free call to your insurance agency, scowl at you the whole time, and when it is discovered that they were at fault for the lost bag, not apologise, not help and not make recompense at all. Hmmmmmmm. If you are on a Geckos trip that leaves from there, spend the least amount of time possible at First Hotel. Take your - wait for it - $60 a night - elsewhere (in Bangers, that will get you something gold, rather than what has just been described).

So that was my day yesterday! Definite low-light of the trip thus far, but all ok now, and I am flying to Vientiane again tonight to spend another week in Laos, chilling out...