When I say 'up-market', I mean it literally: with striking similarities to the fururistic cities potrayed in so many Sci Fi movies, like Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982), in Bangkok the wealthy live above the workers. Siam Square to Chidlom, without a doubt, reveals class structure through its verticle architecture. I think back to our first taste of Bangkok, and immediately think of it as the decaying part of the city that has not kept up with the ...

I love Bangkok for one reason...massages!  We've had a foot massage for 120B (approx. £2.50); you lie back in a beach chair at the road side so you can people watch. As you may have anticipated, David's size 14 feet did get commented on. We've also had one of the most up-close-and-personal massages I have ever had: an oil massage. It was 300B (approx. £6), they give you a disposable pair of black undies to change in to (apparently the same size fo...

Oh my god! NO, I don't want to buy a suit! Within a two street radius of our guest house we have now been accosted by, I'd say, at least twelve suit salesmen. And they have all got me more than once.The only thing that seemed to stop them was telling them that I no longer had a job. Well, nearly. The best guy (and the one I'd actually most like to buy a beer...he was quite witty and admirably persistent) barely missed a beat before moving tactics to:...

Ignoring signposted warnings of "beware wily strangers", David and I found ourselves being taken under the wing of a gentile Thai local (from Chiang Mai) who seemed delighted to help us in exchange for the chance to practice his English. Or at least we hoped that was the only price! He pointed out a number of not-to-be-missed attractions, such as the Standing Budda, Golden Mount and Grand Palace, as well as a government sponsored tourist office which offered deal...

So we have arrived! Slightly hot and bothered after not being able to find the promised 556 bus at Makkasan station. Grumble. But that aside, Bangkok is something else. Hot and humid, it bombards the senses. The streets are awash with bright colours; constant chatter in Thai (really, I am sure sometimes they just broadcast for the sake of it), as well as a multitude of foreign but recognisable dialects; oh and lots of strong aromas...both tantalising and, well, t...