2nd Day

Wednesday 29th July
Woke up to find Dad looming over me grinning like an older balding Cheshire cat. He is beside himself with happiness at getting a suite, and ill confess its beyond impressive. The suite itself is nothing compared to the hotel though. I have never been in a 2 star let alone a 5 star hotel. If however this is what they are all like I promise that I will try to stay in them from now on. Ill try to stick a photo or two up at some point.
When we first walked in my Brother and I literally gasped, I guess the impact will be lost if you are looking at a photo but its almost like a 21 stories floating on air.

Anyway breakfast. Amazing. As I said never been in a 5 star before. I had no idea that beef bacon even existed. Its delicious by the way. Must have eaten a whole leather jackets worth. The staff are all very friendly and take their jobs very seriously. One man wouldn’t let me take my cereal back to my seat and insisted on carrying it for me. I don’t know, I guess its what you are paying for (unless you have a free double upgrade!) but I am really not used to/ comfortable with people doing everything for me. At the very least I should have the right to carry my own breakfast bowl.
Looking at the server though it was as if the very idea was similar to me spitting in his face. Found a lady who makes pancakes just before breakfast ended today. Over the next day or two she is to become my constant breakfast friend.
J’adore pancakes. Especially avec maple syrup.

After breakfast I left in search of a phone to use or an unlock service for my existing crappy one I brought with me. I found neither, although I did open a bank account. In about 10 minutes. Without any papers or documentation. Never would have happened in Britain. That done I spent the rest of the day just wandering around the area, not having any internet, money or phone severely limits what you can do in a day.

However that’s not to say I didn’t have fun, the people are all so friendly and cant seem to do enough for you although you catch a lot of them just staring. Maybe its because I’m dressed as an absolute stereotype. Shorts, sandals, Wife beater and sunglasses.
I don’t think I could look more white and on holiday if I tried. Actually I take that back. I could have sunburn as well. Don’t worry though, I’m sure that’s coming.
Actually again, I take that back. I could be my Dad.
Love him to pieces but the man is every bad thing about the British in another country there could be.

“DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?” has become his equivalent to “hello”. Once assured that whoever he is speaking to does speak English (as everyone does) he replies “OH GOOD” and then starts to state what he wants slowly getting louder and louder. To the point of which he is actually shouting. Then come his listening problems. He cannot understand accents. At all. So when he gets the reply to his questions he always ends up asking the same thing or what he was just told 3 or 4 times. Handily I seem to be able to understand everyone so I have been stepping in before his shouting at someone on the street alerts the police or something.

Should probably talk a little about the weather here as well. Its sunny. Gloriously sunny. About 30 degrees and 24 at night. Its sticky hot though, the kind of sunshine that makes you sweat through everything you are wearing in about 20 minutes. 3 showers a day I am on so far and I’m convinced that I will need more so as not to repel everyone I meet. I hope I will get used to it.

Also went to the gym today with my brother and embarrassed him with my awkward stretch routine in the centre of the gym floor. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool for a bit. Im dangerously out of shape I think and was absolutely knackered after that, had to come back to the room for a little rest.
A lot of people seem to swim here, I forgot how good it was for you. Felt ever so slightly whale-like in the water and found it hard to believe that I was the same person who used to train for swimming 3 times a week and could shoot through the water like a bullet.
I am a larger, fatter bullet now, but its something I can work on. Its important to have goals so they say. Went out for dinner in the CBD. Very nice but kind of small portions. I guess that’s why Asian people as whole seem healthy and skinny, they don’t eat till they are nearly sick like some people back home. Came back and got “No country for Old men” from the concierge to watch with Brother and Dad. Awesome.

Oh, forgot to mention while taking one of the underpasses avoiding a main road came into a huge underground hall. It was filled with young men and women break dancing. Not as in an organised lesson but just circles of the youth in different groups practicing handstands and the six step. I had to stop and stare for a second. I would have taken a photo but was slightly worried I would be set on by a gang of agile ninjas for my cheek.