Bangkok in the heat of the noon sun

Did I mention that Bangkok is hot?

So after we leave the computer market we decide to go to a wine bar in the Sofitel for lunch. This was in a guide that Victor found. We have no idea where it is, so we decide that a taxi is the best approach.
"Sofitel Hotel"
"Which?"
"The one with V9, Sofitel"
"Which?"
This goes on for a bit. I wonder how hard it could be to find the Sofitel and am thinking we should head back to Hong Kong or something. Well, this driver decides it is best for him not to take us. So we head back inside the Pantip Plaza, computer market to find out the full address for the Sofitel. As luck would have it there ARE several Sofitels here in Bangkok! Silly Us. But now we are properly prepared and do find a taxi that takes us directly to the door. A lovely hotel, but the V9 doesn't open until the evening. We are not batting well today.

We are on Silom Street, a busy one too! Walking towards the river we pass several restaurants and choose the one with outdoor seating. Was this necessary at 90+ degrees and without raining humidity at seemingly 100%? Well, yes! This is an incredible people watching town and you have to sit near the street to watch people. Traffic is a show in itself!

We have a fantastic Japanese lunch, sushi, teriyaki salmon, miso soup, gyoso and more! And at a great price too. We are encouraged by our success!

We take another taxi back to the Condo, this driver speaks good English and we exchange phone numbers. We call him several times for special pickups. He is going to come and get us for dinner so we can go back to the Sofitel when they are open.

Our goal this afternoon is to try to get the computer work. We fuss and plug and unplug and restart and all the rest. When we hook back up, we now have a Thai keyboard. This isn't good. We are sure that we have done something irreparable and will have to buy a new computer for the condo. This process of tweaking, plugging and trying bits takes hours, and we fail. Can't log into any website, some security feature. Hmmmmm. Can't print either. Just a total communication failure.

I decide to do something dramatic, try to get our laundry done. Oddly we are able to communicate well with the support lady who speaks not a whit of English, far more success with her than either the trains or computer. So, we are getting our laundry done. Yippee!

Well I think we got our laundry dry cleaned. It cost triple what any other sign we saw throughout the area, but was beautifully pressed upon return. Even the bras, underwear and socks were nicely pressed and folded.

Victor finally figures out how to charge the camera! Another success, we are feeling very confident now

We are such newbies!