Trat-a-rat-a-tat

We're now in a small eastern town called Trat, or Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrat, as you have to pronounce it before the Thais understand where you want to go. It is a maze of narrow alleys between wooden buildings buzzing with hundreds of mopeds. Walking around it is probably as close to getting an idea of what it must be like to be a slow, old hornet living in a hornet colony. The night market has probably one of the best places to eat we have found so far. All of Thailand is one big open-air restaurant with lots of vendors cooking up great stir-fries, soups and salads at each city or town's market. It is like having a vast open-air restaurant at each place with numerous kitchens and chefs to choose from. You can make up a three course meal in the same place from different cooks.

We're now on our way to an island for a couple of weeks holiday and snorkelling before our first antenatal check-up. We've already got advice on which clinics to go to, when, and translations of the questions we want to ask.