Friday December 1st

We have few priorities today so enjoy a leisurely breakfast before we investigate how best to get into town. The hotel is on a major street (Soi Udumsuk) leading to Sukumvit, one of the major arteries into the city. The newish Skytrain elevated railway runs along Sukumvit and terminates about 2 miles/ 3 km from our place so we walk there, checking out the extensive retail, food stall and market opportunities en route. Plus the dreaded McDonalds, a Boots (UK pharmacy chain), Tops market (US supermarket) and finally a huge Tescos (UK supermarket and the UK's biggest retailer). Truly the city is on the cusp of the Asia we have seen in smaller cities and a city back home.

We take the Skytrain as close as possible to the tourist sights (not very close, it more effectively links the main hotels and shops) and walk our way through some rather boring streets. Finally we come across a couple of the many canals here in the “Venice of the East” and soon are among some very impressive Wats. We then meander down to the Royal Palace and finally to the heart of the city, the River. At the jetty where we pick up the Ferry that plies north and south through the city there is a fine selection of food stalls so we invest in some excellent cheap eats before embarking south where we'll rejoin the Skytrain. The river journey is worth doing in itself with some great views of the city.

When we get back to the hotel (grabbing a local bus from the station to Udumsuk) we gethold of Mike and agree to meet him and his “significant other” Som. They soon arrive in a cab and we head down to Patpong (the party area of town I visited briefly with Don and John many weeks ago) and Noriega's, a bar owned by a hashing friend of theirs. It proves a good choice for a Friday with a singer/ guitarist warming us up with a good choice of music to my mind (including acoustic New Order and the Cure) before the main act, Bangkok's top Celtic Fusion band (who played for us at Chiang Mai). Picture an authentically Irish looking singer (who may have been American) leading a group of locals including a great electric fiddle player in Irish and rock tunes!?! I particularly enjoyed their rendition of Irish tunes (especially the “Fields of Athenry” of course) while Tracy did more dancing than was good for her ankle. Getting a cab in Patpong late at night is a challenge so we were lucky to have Som with us to do the talking and guide the driver back to the Niran.