I'm in Thailand!

Yep, the land of smiles. I landed in Bangkok about an hour late, which I'm not complaining about... one hour less to fill before my train leaves. I'm in an internet cafe opposite Huamphalong (I think) Station and have an hour and 15 minutes til I leave. I've got a 2nd class upper berth (it's actually a bed this time, I checked) complete with air-con. Whether or not the air-con will work, I have no clue, but here's hoping.

The plane journeys didn't go too badly, minus the hour delay in KL and my stomach feeling a bit iffy. That problem still remains, but since I'm on an upper berth, I can fart the night away unnoticed and I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow.

First impressions of Thailand are good. Everyone (so far without exception) has been extremely friendly and willing to help and no one has asked me for money or tried to rip me off. Or if they have, they were bloody good because I didn't realise. The taxi driver from the airport even gave a free lesson in speaking Thai! And speaking of which, since I'm a man, if I'm asking for something in a polite manner of even just saying hello, I have to finish the sentance with the word 'krap'. Now I know it's very immature and all, but I'm finding it hard to keep a straight face in these situations. You try it next time you're ordering food. 'Stir fry noodles please... Krap!' It's not easy!

And now for another issue I'm keenly debating with myself and I think I'll need your assistance with. To shave or not to shave? I've got a bit (and only a bit) of a ginger beard going on right now and even though it looks stupid and isn't very comfortable, I kinda like it. So what to do? Shave and only have half my face smothered in hair, or keep it and keep the balance up. I'm gonna let you decide on this one. Cast your votes now!