Packed, breakfasted and checked out by 8 am the following morning, we drive back to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to drop off the hire car. After a few hair raising incidents we arrive 3 hours later, phew!
Using the rail link from the airport to Bangkok central and our hotel, we find it so much quicker and cheaper than catching a cab as we don't have the horrendous traffic jams to contend with.

Walking into the So Sofitel Hotel an hour later we are reminded of how luxurious hotels in
Bangkok can be. Our rucksacks deposited, we are swept up to 9th floor for check-in. The check-in lounge is beautiful with modern and traditional Thai touches; the staff are dressed in traditional clothing based on cave art; all with a twist. Our room is earth themed, with curtains and accessories sporting Thai cave painting prints covered with elephants, palm trees and cavemen. There are really nice touches; fab toiletries, huge pillows, a laptop and switches for everything. All the walls and the furniture are curved - very funky.

After relaxing around the pool, we head up to the rooftop bar that evening as all guests have been invited for an evening drink to meet the staff. Chatting to Fon who works in guest relations and drinking very nice glasses of white wine, we get an insight into the life of a modern Thai woman. She mentions that she used to work at Lebua Towers; it's sky bar Scirocco was featured in Hangover 11. On asking her if she'd seen the film she said 'yes of course, and I checked Bradley Cooper and the rest of the actors into the hotel as they were staying there during filming'!!!!!!! Fon said they were all lovely and so down to earth. What a coincidence!

We head off to Chinatown later that evening for some food where the restaurants spill out on to the streets.The area is always busy with people buying and selling food, gold and Chinese herbs. The whole area is lit up with the obligatory neon signs.
Deciding to eat at the ridiculously busy and very famous L&R Seafood eatery that is situated on a busy corner with tables spilling onto the roadside. We manage to grab the attention of the owner who is standing on a chair giving out meal tickets in a very chaotic but organised manner, and seating diners when there are free tables. We can't believe how frantically busy it is with waitresses defined by their green polo shirts taking orders from standing customers waiting for tables. Having waited for 30 minutes and almost ready to leave, we are finally ushered inside the building and up 4 flights of stairs to a very shabby room full of diners tucking into huge plates of seafood. The food is delicious and we understand why so many people come here prepared to wait for a table. Fon who we meet earlier at the 'get to know the staff' drinks even mentioned L&R seafood, that's how popular it is.
Falling out of L&R seafood we fall into a massage bar and have 'footKirsins'. I wake up half way through mine and look around and to my surprise I see an African chap massaging a client's feet just next to me. In the many, many years I have travelled in Thailand and had many, many massages I have NEVER seen any other nationality but Thai giving massages - how times change.

Running for the last tube we pass the main train station and can't help but notice all the homeless and down-and-outs sleeping outside on the platforms. I guess train stations the world over are full of people down on their luck; it's very sad though.
With 5 minutes to spare we catch the last tube home.

The next 2 days are spent mooching around Phra Athit, Khao San Rd and Silom areas; me having my nails and feet sorted out (trekking is NOT good on your feet), and us both having a few last 'kirstins' before we head home. We have drinks at the famous open air Moon Bar on the 59th floor of The Banyan Tree Hotel where we almost choke on the price of 2 mojitos - £32.00????? The rest of our time (which is very little) is spent relaxing around the pool.