ducking and diving at Rangoon airport

Thursday 17th January

Schwedagon stupa Rangoon

Up at 5.30am to catch the free bus that traverses Rangoon and eventually ends up at the airport. Some creep carries my rucksack 10yds and wants some Chat. I give him an earful of chat he didn’t want. Spend last few chat instead on breakfast and tea. Pass through check in, immigration, customs & currency control without any hassle. I just had to show the camera I declared on entry. My official currency form, which had to be marked every time I changed money, was remarkable for its lack of entries. Smuggle the walkman out of the country having smuggled it in. Check-in refused to let me take my little rucksack as hand luggage, but this was not a big issue has I helped myself to it moments later at customs. The whole departure lounge is basically one large room and you proceed from desk to desk. Getting my luggage back saved a lot of time at Bangkok which was heaving with two recently arrived jumbos.

Meet two drunk Iranians in the airport and share a few pistachios and jokes about crazy Khomeni.

Stop off at Huallampong rail station by stunning use of bus map and buy ticket to Sungai Kolok for Sunday. Second class seat 390B. Guess there must be a cheaper way but these ‘International Express’ trains don’t do 3rd class. Still not hungry but drink plenty and enjoy an ice-cream. Bangkok’s dairy is a Danish concern and very reliable, pasteurised milk is readily available everywhere.