Bangkok is sucking me in. Again. I just got off the bus from Hua-Hin where I spent the last eleven days to visit Bangkok for the third time. Its still the same but always different. I take a taxi from the southern bus station to Phra Athit to get back to my headquarter, the Wild Orchid Lodge. It is Sunday the 8th of May and tomorrow I will go to Ko Chang to chill out for a while. This island supposed to be one of the last hidden treasures in Thailand. Today I thought of writing about Bangkok. What can you do here if you have to spent only one day and want it really relaxed like I did, well this is what I suggest.

After arriving at the airport go straight to the departure deck on the first floor where the taxis drop of the passengers. The big advantage is that usually all the taxis leave empty, where as the queue downstairs at arrival can be very long. And it is a taxi drivers dream to drop a passenger at the airport and pick up the next back into the city at the same time. Drive straight to Banglamphu and tell him to drop you of at 7 Eleven in the Phra Athit road. From here its 50m to the Wild Orchid. After check in go to the very good bakery fifty metres down from 7 Eleven and have one of the superb cakes. Afterwards go to the National Gallery and have a look at the great sculptures and the hand painted golden nicely illustrated Buddha manual. Afterwards grab a refreshing freshly squeezed orange juice from one of the street vendors and get a taxi which should drive you to the royal thai massage school at What Pho.

Get an ajurvedic thai massage and relax in this calming atmosphere. This is really great. They know what they do. After you feel refreshed have a look at the Wat Pho or the What Phra Kaew next door which are the most important buddha sites in Thailand. This will take between one and two hours. Now I recommend to do a canal tour on the nearby Chao Praya River and get of at the Banglamphu pier when you are finished. Coming from the pier go to the left to Roti-Mataba on the corner of Phra Atit and Phra Sumen. This tiny canteen is hugely popular for its roti, served with delicious kaeng mátsàman (thai muslim curry). They are also cooking fine mátàbà's (rotis stuffed with chicken or vegetables).

You should not feel hungry anymore and can chill out in your room at the Wild Orchid or at one of the several places around. To get a picture of what Bangkok is at night you have to go to Th Sukhumvit. Book a table for dinner at the Banyan tree restaurant on the 52nd floor which gives you great views over Bangkok. This restaurant is top end and supposed to be Bangkok's best french restaurant outside the big hotels.

After dinner you can get a drink at one of the thousand places on Th Sukhumvit and if you feel like a nice club, I can recommend the "tapas bar". When we were there they played good house music and had an amazing dude behind bongos and percussions. That was really cool. The clubs are closing around 2 a.m. and now you Bangkok a little better.

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