Not long after we get up in the air, dinner is being served

Dave goes for the pork noodles and Daisy the stewed beef

The flight is almost entirely in the dark so we try a little to get some rest, though this is nearly an impossible task for poor Dave

Nevertheless, we get to near the flight and have breakfast served too: scrambled eggs with sausages for Dave and shrimp noodles for Daisy

It’s around 5 am local time in Haikou, China, when we’re making our way through customs in order to collect our checked bags and start the process again for the next flight

When booking, we opted for the cheaper version of flights that meant a hefty 11-hour layover here…

However, we speak to someone at the flight enquiry desk and are magically bumped up to another flight happening in just a few hours – result!

We check our bags again and grab a coffee from the McCafe before heading through security

The offerings once through security were limited but we got another coffee and it became time to board the plane

Thankfully this flight is a lot shorter and also still has catering included – we are loving Hainan Airways!

Finally, at just after 10 am local time, we’ve landed in Bangkok ????????

The journey took us just a mere 18 hours, but this is better than the 25 we were anticipating

Having experienced here a handful of times before, it’s a rather well-oiled manoeuvre to grab the checked bags, order a local eSIM, order a discount taxi to our hotel and get on the road

Sounds odd but it’s probably easier to just get a Grab taxi to wherever you’re staying as the public transport system still has a little work to be done – the hour drive to our hotel cost less than £9!

We get to Nappiness Hotel before midday so can’t check in but do drop our bags and stroll around the surrounding area in search of some lunch

The local area includes some places we’ve visited before, including Khosan Road and the Democracy Monument

Pat Café BoRaan (แพท คาเฟ่ โบราณ) is on the corner and provides us with pad Thai, fresh orange juice, a beer and a new thing we’ve not found here before: green curry with rotis

It’s still not time to check in yet after this so we wander towards Mahakan Fort, which is another place we’ve visited before, to do a loop before getting back to the hotel

Along the way, we start spotting monitor lizards lounging in the sun – this was one of the smaller ones, mind you

We finally check in and relax for a couple hours

As it starts getting dark, we head out again and find that the canal is filled with fish that seem to be feeding on bugs just above the surface

We roam around before finding SO Samsen for dinner

We’re served chicken satay, chips, green curry, a mojito and a fanta

After, we make our way back along the canal again and find a bunch of giant bats messing around the trees – just another extraordinary animal to add to the list of seeing already!