Rakhi: Earlier this week, I finally met up with my Thai-Indian Bangkok family whom I hadn’t yet met. My mum has a pretty big extended family and I don’t know all the second-cousin, once removed blah blah terminology so I can’t explain exactly how we’re related. Actually, it doesn’t really matter because I feel like I’ve known them forever.

They are absolutely lovely people and have shown Joel and myself amazing kindness, taking us out for dinner, having us over for dinner and most significantly insisting we move out of our guesthouse… into their empty 43rd floor apartment in the famous State Tower overlooking the Chao Phraya River! It’s actually just a stone’s throw from the plush hotel we stayed in for Joel’s birthday with even better views. At the top of the tower on the 62nd floor, is one of Bangkok’s (and the world’s) best bars and restaurants where none other than the King of Thailand dined last month for his son’s birthday. I feel very lucky.

Since leaving Takhli and recovering from Joel’s shock snake confession (if I’d have known, I’d have packed my bags and been off in a flash! Good on him for keeping it from me), we’ve been pretty busy traversing the streets of Bangkok in the name of various chores. Yesterday, we received our Vietnamese and Indian visas without any hitches and nearly everything else we had to do is done and dusted now as well. All that’s left now is to get Joel doped up on prophylactics! Thankfully, the last time I went to India I had ten year booster jabs so I’m still covered for most things.

On Monday, we’ll be swapping our luxury condo for a sleeper train and heading to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. It’s supposed to be a beautiful state with lots of wilderness and greenery. It’s also famous for treks to remote hill tribe villages- something utterly voyeuristic which doesn’t really appeal to me (with thousands of tourists traipsing through every month, how authentic can they really be?). I read that unless you sign up for one of the treks offered at every guesthouse, some of them will evict you- we’ll have to be on our guards.

And, after a week in Chiang Mai, we'll be returning to Bangkok to meet Mr Haynes- I can't wait. It's great being unemployed!