After a brilliant but brief visit to the UK I returned to Thailand in comfort in Thai Air's Business Class - a friend got me a real bargain price, only 6500 baht more then economy. I had overloaded my cabin bags with a small case 16 kilos, a heavy suit carrier, a laden shoulder bag and two large bags of duty frees. Imagine my shock when arriving at 05.45hrs in the morning, not only did I have to lug these downstairs from the bubble but then no direct tunnel attached, it was lug down a staircase and onto a bus to the terminal and drag the stuff up and down escalators.

Happily my room at The Pinnacle was waiting. Mr. Jimmy told me that it was impossible to book a room for the night of the 26th arriving early morning on the 27th. I never heard such rubbish. He relented and said he would go and check me in on the 26th so that they would not cancel the booking at midnight.

Snacked at Dick's Cafe - always a very warm welcome there, delightful staff - we watched the boys arriving to work at the bars and were taken with some young gods going into Dream Boys. So we had to go there and were very surprised to find the bar had only two customers around 9.30 p.m. but what they did have was lots of handsome athletic guys 'dancing' flirting and joking. A delightful time and I noticed that the drink prices were back to 200 baht on weekdays.

Tawan Bar was busy as the show was on when we arrived about 11 and all the superstars seemd absent - offed or holiday? - Still there were plenty of handsome musclemen to keep me amused and dishing out chunks of the the huge Toblerone bars of white chocolate that I got in the UK for 140 baht each. Mr Lex was looking spectacular snake dancing in the candle show and showed me telephone videos of himself in the Muscleman competition on the 24th - either the camera or I was out of focus. He got third prize.

I noticed that 'Vincent's Restaurant and Seven Rooms' across from the Pinnacle was nearing completion at the old Stud Sauna site. I had a preview look around and it seems very nice indeed. The staff are all gay and some I recognised from Pattaya. The rooms are very comfortable ( mattresses same as Hyatt?) big beds tv, fridge, shower room and reasonable size and from about Bt850. Opening anticipated in mid July.

After all that luggage handling, I went for a massage with Khun Tien at his new Spa called www.gentstime.com. He is a terrific masseur and the place is very nice with a jungle of plants at the door and inside. Lockers are poky but the showers good and lots of towels, slippers and robes before you go to your private room for lemon grass oil ( or a choice of 7 fragrances ) blissful massage with happy endings optional. The current introductory rate is 700 baht for 90 minutes. There are now 4 gay massage spas in the Rama IV Court complex!

Outside the Pinnacle towards Rama IV there is a newly opened Internet cafe with good speeds, nice and clean and large flat screens. There are only 7 stations each with big comfy chairs. They charge 30 baht and hour and you get a free hour after 5 paid hours. There is a similar, maybe even nicer one next to O Ho restaurant.

Aperitif time at Dick's Cafe was a delight as ever - I must get to Soi 4 before the Balcony bosses chastise me - Mr Lucas was there and told me all about Bangkok during the King's Diamond Jubilee celebration - He said the city was never lovlier with all the sidewalks cleared and clean, light traffic and everyone on yellow shirts. He told me of the Friday 9th evening in Duangthawee Plaza when The Boys Bar doused their lights and put candles all around the portrait of the King outside. All the bars turned off their lights and then boys and guests gathered in the soi, lit candles and sang the Kings song with the television. His other bit of news was that the Police had told him to close at midnight that - Thursday - night as did all the Plaza bars but not Tawan or Jupiter.

Future Boys was packed long before the cabaret and they have some very handsome athletic types and a few musclemen. The show had some terrific moments. There was one mock katoey who sang a torch song which brought the house down. The huge appendage show had many eye popping in disbelief - mostly females. All this and drinks only 200 baht again.

It's nice to leave Thailand and come back it re-awakens appreciation of the place. It is cheap - mind you, almost anywhere is after London. Why do they remove or disable the seatbelts in the back seats of taxis? I saw a Muslim girl in headcover and yashmak a passenger astride a motorbike with her skirts hiked well above knee level and hanging onto the driver. Thai Buddhist girls sit side saddle without touching the driver and don't seem to fall off much. I tend to hang close to the driver!!!!!

London taxis do charge about 20 times the Bangkok price but at east they know every nook and cranny of the huge city. I had a much overlong long journey to Modern Home Tower on Nongsee Road - yes I had not taken my map as it's a well known road. We had to telephone them to give the driver directions in the end. Still the journey there and back cost less than a London taxi minimum charge.

I went to the advertised Sale at Central Chitlom but most things were only on sale to Siam Commercial Bank Visa and Mastercharge Holders - very odd. Not even a Central card gets you the discount. Never mind I got a 20% off a nice cetaphlon omelette pan.I also enjoyed a splendid light lunch in Loft their super food court ( Royal Garden Plaza is a very pale copy ) though they still don't sell alcohol between 2 and 5?

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I was a Bangkok resident as lived there full time for 26 years, I did not and do not hear of this well-known road!. Do you mean Chong Nonsee Rd ?.

Good to know. Thanks. The Digital Cafe acroos Rama 4 block CFS site and staff do not seem to look after their PCs well as one of them had virus and spyware when I used it a couple weeks ago. But where exactly is this new internet cafe, please?. Do you mean it is close to the barber shop outside the Pinnacle ?.

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The internet cafe is almost next to the corner video shop,close to the barber.Btw I was at the barber on a recent Saturdayand saw a Thai fellow having his haircut about the same time as me.I wondered if he was a model.

The new internet cafe near Pinnacle and the one near oho cafe make the old Cafe Digital look a bit tired and sad.The only points in Digital's favour are a bit more privacy and you only pay for what you use where the one near oho is in 30/60 min blocks.

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This barber charged me 70 baht because I am Thai but charged farangs 120. Still inexpensive anyway. They did a good job, after I had a hair cut here then went to Albury the same evening the masseur told me I looked SEXY. Maybe that's why it is popular among models.

I have got a feeling that the Vincent's Restaurant and Seven Rooms is going to be popular. It looks good from outside and 850 baht a night is a bargain. I guess it won't probably care too much about joiners given it is gay owned and operated.

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Can see the mad scramble to book one of those 7 rooms at that price.Hate to be working in reservations.

Reading TP'S post re Pinnacle would also add it is not unusual for them not to have your room available at 2pm.Am aware of 2 occasions of this occurring,admitedly on busy Saturdays.

While waiting you can always go to the nearby internet cafe,have a haircut and maybe see a model type or just collapse.

Don't know if the QB barber chain has reached Bangkok but it is a boon in Asia for short haired or buzz cut types.In Tokyo you pay just 1000 yen for 10 minutes and in Hong Kong $50HK for 10min.I guess when in Bangkok it would be 100bht for 10 mins.In Tokyo it is a huge saving and in Hong Kong it is hard to find general barber - mostly you go to a salon.

Here's more from a web business page:

The innovative concept is the brainchild of QB Net Co Ltd, which operates Japan's largest chain of hair salons. The cylindrical-shaped 'salon', known as QB Shell, takes up only 3.6 sq m and can be set up in just three hours.

To get a haircut, a customer gets a queue number, waits for his turn, and then insert a $10 bill into a cash machine as payment. He can then relax and watch entertainment programmes on an LCD monitor while the stylist gives him the well-groomed look.

At the launch of the four QB Shells, QB Net also announced that it had set up its first overseas headquarters in Singapore. Known as QB Shell Pte Ltd, it will bring the QB Shell concept and brand of services to Asia, Europe and America.

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they already have it last year. it is located in the second floor of thaniya plaza (bts wing). and you're right, it is 100bht.

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