Elenka and I took the overnight VIP bus from Bang Niang to Bangkok. Big mistake! The seats are uncomfortable; they serve no food; and it's expensive. 

 
We'd booked the Chatrium Riverside Hotel, the same place we stayed the last time we were here, after our Indonesian experience. This time around we booked a regular room overlooking the river. When the clerk took us to our room on the 8th floor I pulled the drapes open and jumped back. 

 
"This will never do," I said to the clerk, "there's construction going on right outside our window."He asked us to come back down to the lobby with him to see if there was anything else available. Next thing we knew we had a 21st floor suite, about twice the size of the original room. Thank god for the construction.   

 

Notes only: