We left Chiang Mai on the overnight Special Express train, which leaves at 5 o’clock in the evening, and gets you back into Bangkok at 6 o’clock in the morning. As usual, it was a pretty smooth trip, with comfortable sleeping berths, and a good Thai meal in the restaurant car, looking out onto the sparse forest through the open windows. Arriving in the city so early was a bit of a problem, as we couldn’t get into our guest house room straight away, and we all felt dirty and smelly from the overnight trip (felt? – after an overnight journey in Asia you’re definitely dirty, the dust and grime covers everything, from your hands to your clothes and rucksacks). But eventually we got into our room, had a shower and a nap – the girls were so excited last night, they didn’t go to sleep on the train until 10:30, and we had a struggle getting them up at 5:30 in the morning!

We also made sure all the arrangements are in place for our week with the BBC next week. We’ll be filming for the last programme in the Holiday series, around Bangkok (temples, temples), and out to the floating markets and Kanchanaburi (most famous for the original bridge over the River Kwai).