Mick

I stayed at Le Meridien last week. The pool is lovely and quiet, with a very nice bar. (You can see the King Power Mahanakhon building - the one with the "glass tray" skywalk - from poolside.) They resumed the pool area renovations the last day or two of my stay, but it was no problem. Only a small part of the poolside area - maybe 10%? - was blocked off, although I guess that could have changed since I left.

This is part of a series and it's really interesting; the range of things the embassy staff deal with is very informative - helping Australians evacuated from Nepal after an earthquake; visiting Australians in Thai prisons; replacing lost, stolen, and damaged passports. Providing essential paperwork for marriages - many of which seem tragically unlikely to succeed - between Australians and Thais. Explaining Thai customs to young Australian guys who have gotten into trouble and need to be coached into an appropriate attitude. I have watched several episodes and learned a lot. Mick