Khlong San

The night was somewhat short. The fridge in our room was agonisingly loud and a whistling gecko trying to vie for attention and outdo the crickets made things worse.

However were we were in a good mood on the way to Bangkok.... until the traffic jams started just before Bang Sue. This town is where the really high rise buildings start to sprout on the horizon. About 30 km north of Bangkok it boasts an enormous rail station which sprawls alongside the expressway.

Trying to find the parking bay at the car rental station was a nightmare, but we managed. Getting a taxi to the hotel was much easier and within minutes of arriving, we were ushered into the very air-conditioned cafe by a spruce, charming young man for a delicious welcome drink.

The Shangri-La in Bangkok is one of the most luxurious hotels I have ever stayed in. The public spaces are over-sized (and over-priced) but totally elegant. The rooms have seen better days but are also spacious and luxuriously furnished. The bathrooms cater for Western guests and have no useful toilet shower. It took us no time at all to get settled in, then we toured the hotel facilities and checked the times for the boat shuttle

Actually we were keen to stretch our legs, so our first venture was to walk the streets surrounding the hotel, which are full of tailoring businesses and jewelry shops and massage parlours. But there are also local outdoor cafes and tantalising whifts of ginger and garlic filled the air. The rest of the afternoon was spent on two sunbeds overlooking the Chao Praya.

The boat shuttle to the new shopping mall on the opposite side of the river left shortly after five, so we arrived at a good time to have a pre- dinner cocktail. The mall itself is pretty fantastic, boasting the highest fountains in Asia and various other superlatives. On the 6th floor we found a terrace restaurant which served a pretty decent Singapore Sling and I'm afraid we let ourselves be beguiled by the constant flow of French fries passing our table and ordered hamburgers..... which I never, ever, ever eat! The beat part of the evening was the enchanting view over the river as the sun dropped and the dark sky lit up the illuminations.

We finished the evening back at the hotel, from where we were able to see two firework displays from different malls.Lue lisää