Health Land Spa is somewhat of a chain, with three locations through out Bangkok.  I went to the Sathorn location after dinner one evening.  They have onsite parking and valet parking.  It is a large upscale building with a lot of waiting area and store to purchase beauty supplies.  There is a lot of staff and a very busy place.  I only wanted a foot massage.  It was a reasonable price at 350 Baht, considering the decor and number of staff.  After a short wait I am escorted to a large room where a number of other people are getting a foot massage.  You are provided a loose pair of pants to change into at a small room on the side.

I can say my attendant really knew her stuff.  Very professional reflexology massage.  The only downside is there is no soothing music and there is a lot of noise from the hallway by other attendants talking. To look at the glass half full, it did keep me awake to enjoy the foot massage.  Normally, I would have fallen asleep.

They have nine other locations in addition to this one.

Address: 120 Sathon Nuea Rd, Khwaeng Silom, Khet Bang Rak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Bangkok.

Hours: Monday through Sunday, 9:00am to 11:00pm

Thanying bills themselves as “Genuine Royal Thai Cuisine” because the granddaughter of the king was the head chef for the Queen.  It is an upscale dinning establishment in a converted home.  There are several small dinning rooms throughout which adds to the charm and showing how the home was converted to a restaurant.

I noticed on the menu Gra Tong Thong which is a small pastry shell with minced curry chicken and corn.  It is also available with minced shrimp.  I ordered the one with chicken.  For the main course I ordered the Gang Ga Hree Gai which is sweet curry Chicken with coriander seeds, caraway seeds, curry powder and tumeric.

For the Gra Tong Thong, you receive eight small pastries.  They are very good and a nice start to the meal.  The main course was also very good and I would definitely order this again.  The entire meal was very reasonably priced with the appetizer at 180 Baht and the main course at 200 Baht makes this an affordable fine dining experience.

Address: 10 Thanon Pramuan (Pramuan St.), off Silom Rd., between Silom 17 and 19, Bangrak, Bangkok (Surasak BTS station)

Hours: Monday through Sunday, 11:30am to 10:00pm

Patara Fine Thai Cuisine is not an easy place to find.  They do provide decent directions.  It is a residential area and the restaurant is in a converted home.  A very nice home.  They also have onsite parking which is uncommon in Bangkok.  The interior is one of the nicest decors for a restaurant I’ve eaten at in Bangkok.  I went by for lunch and ordered the Chicken Satay to start and the Stir Fry Thai noodles with Tofu and Pad Thai sauce.

The Chicken Satay was very good but the portion was rather small.  Same with the Tofu Pad Thai.  Very good but small portion.  Overall, a very good meal.  A little expensive for lunch.  I would try again for dinner.

Address: Soi Sukhumvit 55, Khwaeng Khlong Tan Nuea, Khet Watthana, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Bangkok

Hours: Monday through Sunday, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6:00pm to 11:00pm

A common Thai greeting is to place your hands together in a prayer like position. All the greetings I’ve experienced were held close to the mouth. I am told the the height of the hands shows respect. The higher the hands the more respect. This gesture is accompanied by a slight bow and the greeting “Sawasdee” pronounce “sawatdee.” This is done quite often by all Thai people. As you can see in the photo, the younger gentleman initiates the greeting with respect and the older gentleman will respond.

I did research before this recent visit to Bangkok (May 2015) about how I can get to Ayutthya without hiring a private taxi or tour company. The information was a bit vague, with most reports stating just to go to Victory Monument where the vans are. Well, when you first see Victory Monument Circle it can be pretty intimidating. The circle is huge with many vans and buses. I took the time to find the right place to go.

Take the BTS Skytrain to the Victory Monument BTS station. When you exit the train, you descend one level and turn towards the elevated walkway to Victory Monument. It could be right or left depending which direction you arrived from. It is easy to figure out but the most important thing is not to go down to street level yet. When you reach the Victory Monument on the elevated walkway you can turn left or right. Here you have a great view of the Monument. As you look out at the Monument, you can see the elevated walkway continues halfway around the circle to the right. Turn RIGHT! this is the easiest direction to go for the vans to Ayutthya. As you near the end of the walkway, halfway around Victory Monument Circle, there is a staircase. It is not the first staircase you encounter. I have attached photos of the stairs to descend. These stairs take you to a small shaded concrete park called Victory Point. There are several shops and food vendors. You will see a row of tables with all the writing in Thai. The table and person on the far right is who/where you can purchase a ticket to Ayutthya. The ticket is only 60 Baht! The vans are just behind on a narrow side street when walking away from the circle.

The vans run every 30 minutes starting at 5:00am. However the BTS system does not start until 6:00am so plan accordingly. If you are early or close tot he time they will depart, you will be directed straight to the van where you will pay the driver. I was a solo traveler and found this to be quite easy and affordable. Once I figured this all out, I made plans to arrive early the next day and went to Ayutthya for the day. It was awesome and cheap!