All’s fair..

We’re in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. The ancient city is spread throughout the modern town and a stroll in the park has me threading among prangs, chedis and wats. Wat Phong never fails to make me giggle – British toilet humour as refined by years of Carry On culture.

Our days have settled quickly into satisfying routines, with Bill photographing for all he’s worth and me mainly sat on the guest house balcony editing a book on the human genome and taking dips in the pool every now and again.

The Sherwood Guest House is a great find, friendly staff, decent pool, near the main focus of the archaeology and, apparently, usually quite quiet. HOWEVER... 12 November sees Loi Krathong , where Thais flock to the waterways to Loi their Krathongs (send their lights) on the water. We expect merit making (in Bangkok this usually takes the form of dumping sacks, and I mean SACKS, of sliced bread in the waters for fishes to spume over). I think there’s also a tradition of buying caged birds or bagged live fish to release them. We expect candles in the sky and on the lotus-choked waters, perhaps even outdoing the Blackpoolesque illuminations of the main streets.

In association with Loi Krathong the fair is in town – food, food and more food, drinks, darts at balloons to win fluffy Manchester United pillows, stalls full of shades, shoes and tat, piles of wooden furniture including garden pagodas you’d need planning permission for in the UK, kitchen units galore and a glorious plant market bright with orchids, fragrant with jasmine.

Perhaps the most notable feature is the outdoor cinema – we know the thing now, for most countries except UK it seems. And the thing is this: It is NEVER loud enough until it distorts.

Last night a crocodile was eating one half of a student, while his friends tugged at the other – we didn’t sit it all out, but my guess is the crocodile won.