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“No 54,
The House with the bamboo door,
Bamboo Roof and bamboo walls,
They’ve even got a bamboo floor,
At the house of bamboo!”
Andy Williams, ‘House of Bamboo’

For the next 5 days, we’re moving in to the House of Bamboo.  It really is entirely made of bamboo, and the kids adore it.  It certainly has a lot of character, and the location is absolutely stunning: on Ko Kraden’s honeymoon brochure, picture-postcard perfect beachfront.

However, having now removed (or rather, squealed at Fergus to remove) 3 frogs (1 dead, 2 alive), 3 cockroaches (both alive) and a number of unidentified flying insects, I am starting to realise that Thailand has turned me from backpacker to flashpacker.

It’s only a couple of months ago that we were roughing it in the Himalayas with hardly a complaint, but I now find myself craving the comforts of daily bungalow cleaning, fluffly white towels and walls that don’t allow the wildlife in.

I think I better get used to it though, we have just a few weeks of luxury in the most developed nations in SE Asia before we fly to the Philipines, and then to Indonesia, where I rather suspect I may find myself craving the comforts of the House of Bamboo.

Our little semi in suburbia will feel like a mansion when we get back!