The Chinatown Bug

Oops, in my rush to get my post for yesterday done, I completely forgot to acknowledge that one of our lovely guests has now returned home. We no longer have Ms R with us. We had a fairly easy day recently, as we knew we would be taking her to the airport later in the day, as she had an early morning flight (something like 01:05 hrs!). Of course, I never really slept a wink that night, as I had to keep checking her flight(s) on the “FlightAware” app on my phone to make sure her flights were all fine and that she arrived back in Glasgow ok, which she did – it’s obviously a ‘parent thing’. Ms R was an absolute pleasure to have with us, and despite the size of the case (the biggest and heaviest one), the number of items brought (outfits, shoes, cosmetics, washing pods, etc.) and then the newly purchased items, she carried it all off seamlessly and without a hitch or whinge. Into the bargain, both she and S managed to see and do so much of Bangkok (and other parts of Thailand) that we didn’t have any need to worry about their capabilities – they both hit the ground running from the moment they arrived. Well done, girls – you both did very well!

Following R’s departure, we were back to continuation mode and our new dynamic of having three additional guests with us. We weren’t sure how this was going to work out as sets of two are good, but we expected that S would take turns of going with either A&A or R & me, depending on where we were going. Of course, there were some places that we all went together initially and then would separate so we could explore in our own ways.

So, onto today’s plan. We decided to head over to Chinatown via the public ferry. The main reason for this trip is to take A&A over to Chinatown to explore the area and to show them the various modes of transport to get there and back again. We all head off after breakfast. We took the shuttle bus to the BTS station, and then took the train to Siam (Central), where we switched from the Sukhumvit line (light green) to the Silom line (dark green) to the Sathorn ferry terminal (Saphan Taksin). From there, we took one of the public ferries a few stops to Ratchawong (N5).

After we arrived at Ratchawong, we gave A&A a little orientation, and then we left them both in the capable hands of S, who has already explored this area previously with Ms R. R and I then headed to explore some of the area that we hadn’t seen before.

Now it was just about this time when I started to feel a little strange. My nose was running a little, and my throat felt a little odd, so I started to suspect that I may be starting to come down with something. Visions of last year were already making their way to my head. However, we had just arrived, so we would do a little bit of exploring, and I would probably know soon enough if it was ‘anything’ or just a short-term allergic type nothingburger reaction. Given that I was a little preoccupied with the thought that I was coming down with something, and that I didn’t want to pass anything I might have on to any of the others, especially so close to Christmas, I probably wasn’t completely in the ‘zone’ for checking out my environment properly.

I can usually tell when I’m not ‘feeling it’ as I don’t take my usual (ridiculous) number of photos on my phone, and this was certainly the case on this occasion. We walked past some very interesting places that sold either car, tool or machine parts, which I couldn’t help but fondly think my dad would have just loved. He’d have been in his element in this area – in fact, he’d probably have been in that area all day trying to talk to the men about their wares! Perhaps it was also the smell of oil and grease, and the men with the tanned arms with dirty oil-stained fingernails, but whatever it was, we both commented on how my dad would have loved it. Strangely enough, I was also thinking about my dad the other day, when I was sitting on the apartment balcony just looking out in the evening at all the buildings and lights, and it made me think he would have absolutely loved Bangkok – perhaps he’s sending me a little sign that he is actually with me….

Then we also passed an area where everyone was selling glasses and spectacles (heck, this is another area where my dad would have been happy in – God help us if he’d have discovered the watches section too!). Now I usually buy my prescription glasses online, and they come from China, but from what we could see, this area looked like it could easily be doing the same sort of business.

Wat Chai Chana Songkhram

Next, we came across Wat Chai Chana Songkhram, which is right beside the tool and mechanical stores area. It was quite a pretty little temple, and we just walked around the area, but did not go inside. It was nice to just rest and have a drink from our water bottles in the serene area of the temple.

After this, we continued on some more and decided to head towards the canal and get the canal ferry back to Wireless Road and walk back to the apartment from there. We passed some old and unusual buildings on our way, but I was getting a bit weary at this stage and just wanted to get back home, so I knew I had some bug. So that is exactly what we did.

Needless to say, we were the first back to the apartment. I took a shower, some ‘cold care’ tablets, masked up and just rested with my book. R was keeping a safe distance away from me too…. My main concerns at this stage were whether I would be okay for Christmas Day and whether I could be selfish and keep this bug to myself. I looked up the current flu strains for the UK and Bangkok, and they were the same, so even though we both got flu and COVID shots before our trip, here I was with something like them. We had done pretty well to date, so I guess it was a matter of time before one of us got some sort of flu bug, even though I am still quite careful when out and about.

Of course, you know who had already started to blame me for licking windows yet again!!

The ‘kids’ all had a longer and better day exploring Chinatown, and with S, they managed to see most of the key areas. With the 360 app that R, S, A & I are grouped on, we can all see roughly where people are, so that has been really handy to have a general idea of where each of us is at any time. In the evening, we played some cards, and S had bought a pack of tarot cards for us, so we each took a turn with these. My cards were as follows:

The Past: The Hierophant – signifies a past rooted in tradition, established belief systems, and seeking guidance from authority figures or institutions like schools, family, or religion, representing a time of learning established rules and finding security in conformity and structure, perhaps even a strong cultural identity or a mentor figure who guided you. It shows you were learning important lessons, adhering to social norms, or valuing wisdom passed down through ancestors or organised teachings, seeking conventional paths rather than forging your own.

The Present: Justice – means you're facing a crucial, often life-altering decision requiring objectivity, truth and fairness, urging you to act with integrity and accept the natural consequences (karma) of your actions, whether good or bad, potentially involving legal matters or profound personal choices that establish future foundations.

The Future: Judgement – signifies a major awakening, transformation, and a call to self-evaluation, pointing to rebirth, new beginnings, and spiritual clarity after a period of introspection. It suggests you'll soon face significant choices or realisations, leading to shedding past limitations and embracing a more purposeful, renewed phase of life, often bringing rewards for past efforts.

Not sure what this might all mean (although some of it does sound like me!), but you will need to stay tuned to see how we fair or will the Christmas curse be upon us?

Our route today: 

Day 28: 22 December, 2025

Bangkok, Thailand