Sleepless at about 4.50am a few days ago, I decided the only way forward was to tire myself out. There are several ways to do this in Bangkok, but I decided a walk would make for more family-friendly reading.

So I popped out of the apartment building on New Petchburi Road, walked all the way down Thong Lo, turned right onto Sukhumvit, got stopped and searched by the police (a first – they were very polite and courteous, and didn’t solicit a bribe), wandered from soi 55 to soi 7/1, went into Subway, had a Meatball footlong meal, read the paper, walked back to Soi 21, turned left down Asok and walked up to New Petchburi Road. By this time the sun was well and truly up, and I was sweating vigorously. The thought of getting a taxi for the last mile and a half did occur to me, but I braved the conditions and made it back in one sweaty, gibbering piece.

Total distance, 6.6 miles.
Total time: 2hrs 30mins, but I spent at least 30 mins stuffing my face and reading the paper in Subway.

Conclusion: Walking in England was a lazy way to exercise. Pop the iPod on, and wander about for a bit. It never got particularly hot, and whilst Milton Keynes wasn’t completely flat, at least the inclines were reasonably gentle. Bangkok is a different matter – all the city streets I walked along had at least six lanes of traffic, and the only ways of crossing are either by footbridge or suicidal dash. Even at 5am the heat and humidity are incredible.

Here’s my route, courtesy of the Gmap Pedometer.