An interesting article, not my own but a lot of truth in it

Reports of Thailand's Revival Are Greatly Exaggerated

"Thailand may still be the best place in the world to get a nose job, even after its military coup last spring. But tentative signs of an economic rebound hardly resolve the deep structural problems that continue to afflict its politics, economy and society.

Thailand's Troubled Democracy

The Thai stock market is booming, and growth has ticked upward slightly after shrinking almost 2 percent in the first quarter. The country has retained its position as the world's No. 1 destination for medical tourism, including cosmetic surgeries.".............

Full article here, credit Bloomberg

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-11-27/reports-of-thailands-revival-are-greatly-exaggerated

Asiatique The Riverfront Bangkok

Hi

This is Bangkok`s newest night market and entertainment complex, opened in mid 2012

It is more upmarket than other Bangkok markets, some of the prices can reflect that.

Well located at the edge of the Chao Praya river, I was staying quite near but the opposite of the river, there is a free shuttle boat service from Saphan Taksin pier, which is accessible by BTS train service ( BTS = Bangkok Mass Transit system)

  http://www.bts.co.th/customer/en/main.aspx

When I went the queue for the free shuttle boat was incredibly long so chose instead to go by pay boat, just 20 baht  (66 US cents)

Asiatique opens about 5.00 PM, closes around 12.00 PM, last boat back is around 11.30 PM, you can get back to the other side of the river by taxi if you miss it but traffic can be heavy.

Slightly worrying on the way over when all of a sudden there was a lot of engine noise, 2 of the crew grabbed life rings, and the boat came to a grinding halt.

A fair bit of panic ensued.Nothing wrong with the boat though, very sadly, someone had decided to jump off a bridge in to the dark waters. Another boat also stopped and tried to find the person who had jumped, to no avail.

Sad when someone gets to such a desperate state that they want to end their life.

Asiatique itself a mix of many small shops, some restaurants/bars and a large music stage.
Very popular with young Thais, they can get over for free, listen to some music for free and have an enjoyable night out.Very busy when I was there.

To the left of the following picture is an Irish themed pub, Flann O` Briens quite pleasant to escape from the busier Riverfront area, good polite service there.

A large number of shops to look at

The open air concert area, very busy

In conclusion, very touristy, very busy, prices generally above average but an OK place to visit.

Bangkok Chao Praya river boat system

Bangkok has quite an extensive river boat system, it can be a pleasant and convenient way to get to some parts of Bangkok, assuming one is near a ferry boat pier.
I`ve taken a few trips on them, either as point to point or a little 1 hour tour.

The 1 hour tour costs just 100 baht ( about US$ 3 ) on a reasonable boat, including both Thai & English commentary on the places you briefly stop at (  for customers to get on or off ) as well as places of interest en route.

There are various operators, I`ve used more than one but my favourite is Chao Phraya Express Boat, here is a link to their website giving route and schedule details :

http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/home/

One does need to exercise caution with some of the touts pushing other operators, some of the quoted prices are simply too high but the company I`ve provided a link to is very fair plus you can usually find a fairly good English speaker amongst their staff if you are unsure of where to go and how to get there.

Temple of the Reclining Buddha - Wat Pho Bangkok Thailand

Hi

On a recent trip to Bangkok I visited the well known ” Temple of the Reclining Buddha” located in the Pranakorn District of Bangkok, not far from the Grand Palace.

The compound covers a large area, approx 80, 000 square metres.
In the grounds are many chedis ( stupas ) and it is worth allowing enough time to look around properly.

To enter the building that contains the Reclining Buddha there is an entrance fee of 100 baht ( approx US$ 3 )

An impressive sight once inside, a giant reclining Buddha almost 46 metres long and 15 metres high.
It is a very popular tourist attraction so can be busy inside.

Lan Pho Park naklua Pattaya Thailand

Hi

Lan Pho park is a small public park in naklua, northern part of Pattaya, near to where I stay much of the year.
There is no admission charge and sometimes in the early evening, at around 6.00 PM they hold some exercise classes, cost to participate about 20 baht, ( 51 baht to the UK GBP currently )

It is mostly visited by Thais and can make for a pleasant visit away from some of the more lively areas of Pattaya itself.