Not getting easier
On our second day of filming, we didn't have much
packed down on the agenda, but the traffic in Bangkok makes it so difficult
to get around - it takes ages to get between shots. Unfortunately the
BBC's hotel is on the other side of town from ours, so we had to set off
at 8:15 in a taxi to meet up with the crew at the Holiday Inn, and then
hop in the minibus and retrace our steps back to the Snake Farm - it was
only a mile, but it took an hour to get there!
Before
we could actually start any filming, we had the usual tedious wait for
film permissions to be signed off - this is incredibly infuriating, just
sitting around waiting outside the gates, instead of being able to wander
around and take a look at the displays like all of the other visitors
(after about 20 minutes waiting outside, Charlotte and I just snuck in
to look at the snakes in their cages, rather than just sit outside for
ever). When the paperwork was finally sorted, we went in to watch the
show of snakes - the King Cobra looked scary close up, especially when
the snake handler showed us his hand with only 3 fingers on it - the fourth
finger had been bitten off by one of the snakes years ago. Then they force
fed a baby python, with huge pieces of chicken (it looked so awful, there's
no way you'll see that on TV!), and milked a cobra for it's venom.
Emily
has been having a daytime sleep all the time that we've been in Asia,
because of the exhausting heat, but she falls asleep at different times
each day - normally on a bus or when we're moving around, or we go back
to our room for a couple of hours while she drifts off. But during the
filming it's more of a problem, because the only break is the lunch break,
and she's not going to fall asleep while everyone else eats lunch! So
today she started lunch in a bad mood, because she needed a sleep, and
this carried on all the way through lunch until we caught the boat to
Wat Arun. This meant that she was irritable (read: stroppy as anything)
getting into the boat, and then fell asleep as we were filming the trip.
It obviously created a bit of a problem for Ginny filming it, but that's
the downside of working with children, especially in hot climates.
So
while we all sat at Wat Arun waiting for the filming permission to be
sorted (another 45 minutes...) Emily slept soundly in the shade. In fact,
she was still asleep when the crew were ready to film us walking around,
so we just had to wait for her to wake up (not a popular decision when
you've got a film crew waiting, and a schedule to keep, but we (still)
think that's the only thing you can do).
But
when we finally got going, we managed to film some of the 'walking around,
looking at the temple' shots, and an interview with us on the steps of
the temple, and then suddenly 5:30 had arrived - we'd been going for 9
hours, and we were all completely worn out from the heat. When the filming
finished, we headed straight back to the guest house for a swim and a
cool down, and then a quick dinner and bed. The girls were both flat out
by 8 o'clock.
Before
we could actually start any filming, we had the usual tedious wait for
film permissions to be signed off - this is incredibly infuriating, just
sitting around waiting outside the gates, instead of being able to wander
around and take a look at the displays like all of the other visitors
(after about 20 minutes waiting outside, Charlotte and I just snuck in
to look at the snakes in their cages, rather than just sit outside for
ever). When the paperwork was finally sorted, we went in to watch the
show of snakes - the King Cobra looked scary close up, especially when
the snake handler showed us his hand with only 3 fingers on it - the fourth
finger had been bitten off by one of the snakes years ago. Then they force
fed a baby python, with huge pieces of chicken (it looked so awful, there's
no way you'll see that on TV!), and milked a cobra for it's venom.Emily
has been having a daytime sleep all the time that we've been in Asia,
because of the exhausting heat, but she falls asleep at different times
each day - normally on a bus or when we're moving around, or we go back
to our room for a couple of hours while she drifts off. But during the
filming it's more of a problem, because the only break is the lunch break,
and she's not going to fall asleep while everyone else eats lunch! So
today she started lunch in a bad mood, because she needed a sleep, and
this carried on all the way through lunch until we caught the boat to
Wat Arun. This meant that she was irritable (read: stroppy as anything)
getting into the boat, and then fell asleep as we were filming the trip.
It obviously created a bit of a problem for Ginny filming it, but that's
the downside of working with children, especially in hot climates.So
while we all sat at Wat Arun waiting for the filming permission to be
sorted (another 45 minutes...) Emily slept soundly in the shade. In fact,
she was still asleep when the crew were ready to film us walking around,
so we just had to wait for her to wake up (not a popular decision when
you've got a film crew waiting, and a schedule to keep, but we (still)
think that's the only thing you can do).But
when we finally got going, we managed to film some of the 'walking around,
looking at the temple' shots, and an interview with us on the steps of
the temple, and then suddenly 5:30 had arrived - we'd been going for 9
hours, and we were all completely worn out from the heat. When the filming
finished, we headed straight back to the guest house for a swim and a
cool down, and then a quick dinner and bed. The girls were both flat out
by 8 o'clock.