One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster . . . . . well, so goes the song by Murray Head from the musical Chess, but as we had two nights in Bangkok then who knows?

After arriving at Hua Lamphong railway station we dodged the traffic after finding our bearings and headed across to the Prime Hotel Central Station. The hotel was just a few hundred yards from the station, but with the need to cross at least four roads to get there.

Once checked into the hotel, we quickly unpacked and then walked across to the Laap Paak restaurant adjacent to Hua Lamphong station. It looked like a decent place when checking on the internet, and fortunately it lived up to this. A great evening meal for two, with a beer and glass of wine for around £16.00 - fabulous value.

Heather managed to recollect that we were first in Bangkok 21 years ago and on this, our fourth visit, it is still somewhere that we definitely feel happy to be in. This time, as we had no real plans, we decided just to walk, avoid all Tuk-Tuk drivers wanting to make a few Baht "Mr, Mr, where you from? Good price, where you going Mr?" and just stroll and see where we ended up as we were in no real rush. The real reason for being in Bangkok was the following day (Saturday), so on the Friday we could do whatever we wanted with no real constraints.

Our first proper stop was the Shangri-la Hotel, a place we have visited numerous times, but given the recent events in Sri Lanka it was notable just how much security was in place at the hotel. Sitting and enjoying a drink overlooking the Chao Phraya River, watching the boats zigzag around each other could keep me entertained all day . . . . . but we had to move on and a lunchtime stop at Boz, just up the road from the Shangri-la, was a good stop. Lunch and drinks for less than £15 was the order of the day.

Wandering around the Silom Road area after lunch we called in at the Holiday Inn (where we first stayed 21 years ago) to 'use the facilities', before calling in at the Silom Village dining and shopping area. We did not need food, nor did we want to buy anything, but it was nice to have a look around. It's definitely a tourist friendly area.

After an ice-cream stop we started back towards our hotel as I had booked an hour long Thai massage session at the hotel spa (included in our room rate) at 17.30. On the way back we happened to see a rather interesting looking temple complex down a side street, so we wandered in to have a look around - and we were pleased that we did.

Wat Maha Pruettharam was what we stumbled upon and it really was impressive and devoid of the tourist throngs that you get at places like Wat Traimit (very close to our hotel) who rush there to see the reclining Buddha statue. Wat Maha Pruettharam had a massive reclining Buddha statue as well as other fantastic temple buildings, but it didn't have all the people so was also very peaceful within a bustling city.l

After a final check at Hua Lamphong railway station ahead of our departure the following day, we were back at the hotel. The Thai massage was very good - the therapist didn't speak too much English, which was a little bit awkward, but as I could still walk afterwards she must have done a decent job. I didn't realise my limbs were so flexible!

Before heading out for dinner there was a chance to enjoy the hotel rooftop bar which gave great views over Wat Traimit and the cityscape alongside the Chao Phraya River. The temperature was a balmy 33°c and it was happy hour - what is there not to like!

We again walked across to Laap Paak for dinner as it was easy and we were impressed the previous night. Again, for less than £15.00, we had a feast and left fully stuffed after eating spring rolls, mixed vegetables, and two pad Thai dishes between us.

As an aside, we had earlier in the day called at the Lebura Hotel to enquire about making a dinner reservation at their 62nd floor Skybar restaurant, having checked out the menu we decided not to return as they were asking THB 2,150 (or £52.00) for a roasted chicken breast . . . plus you needed to order sides to accompany it. We didn't have the 62nd floor view, but we certainly had much better value at Laap Paak.

With a few hours to fill before we could check in for our train departure from Hua Lamphong station on the Saturday afternoon we arranged a late check out from the hotel. With plenty of time to re-pack our bags for the forthcoming train journey, we could grab some lunch and then walk across to the station. There is no real need to go out and get hot and sweaty before catching the train.

The next leg of this trip is but a few hours away!