Didn't sleep that well on the train, and after a hot day doing the rounds of the temples, I was feeling pretty tired by the time I eventually checked in properly to the hotel in mid-afternoon. With effectively free nights of accommodation before and after, I decided to splash out (figuratively speaking) in Bangkok, which meant I was staying in a place with an 11th floor infinity pool - which I took to after a hookup with the OA governance working group (the pleasures of sporting administration...). This was great for doing a workout with a view of the sun setting over the city; unfortunately, there was a bit too much sunset and the pool wasn't very well lit (I didn't help matters by bringing my darker goggles), and after banging into the wall a couple of times I decided to cut the session short. Still nice to get into the water.
The temples were indeed impressive, although the Grand Palace and surrounding complex were a bit too overrun by tour groups (a hazard of major tourist sites, I guess). The city generally wasn't as chaotic or as polluted as I was expecting, although I'm aware that it's a Sunday so tomorrow might be more revealing on that front. Managed to avoid any solicitations from tuk-tuk drivers (some visitors feel they need to do it once for the experience, but having already done that in Luang Prabang and Nong Khai where they're the only transport option, I felt no need to do it in Bangkok, which has a decent public transport system, and proper taxis if you want one).
Naturally,
this was my session earworm. (Can anyone who was there remember how it came to be the theme song of the 1996 Victorian Schools trip to Tasmania?).