I have been to Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city many times over the last 10 years. Also referred to as Krung Thep, Bangkok has to be one of the most fascinating and exotic cities that I’ve been to - and truth be told, despite my numerous visits there, Bangkok still remains an unsolved puzzle to me.

Walking through the Streets of Bangkok, you’ll find a vibrant urban culture – street vendors selling an assortment of goods and makeshift portable restaurants on wheels as well as ornate Buddhist shrines and spirit houses in front of many buildings.

Throughout uptown Bangkok, there are some very elegant HISO shopping centers like the Emporium, the Siam Paragon and the new KP Village. It seems that in the heart of the tourist district – along the Upper Sukhumvit Blvd - that every other shop is either a massage parlor or beauty salon.

Sadly, you’ll also encounter some of the poorest segments of Bangkok’s populous begging on the streets and near the entrance of the many Skytrain stations – mostly the crippled and deformed as well as homeless mothers with infants.

Admittedly, I have a love/hate relationship with “the City of Angels” but I keep on going back there, hoping to solve the puzzle which is Bangkok.

I returned to The NEST at the end of my stay to get a better feel for the place. The club has been hyped up in several publications including Conde Nast Magazine as the new “in place” in Bangkok. The club is especially popular with young, professional Bangkokians who are status conscious and want to be part of the scene. Taking a look at the drink menu, the club has sunk to the lowest common denominator by naming drinks with such sexually suggestive names like Blowjob etc. Now, I am not a prude or anything but you would think that a high-class club would refrain from this type of gutter vulgarity

Despite my disdain for the names of their drinks, I went ahead and ordered a Blowjob anyhow - which I affectionately renamed Blowjob by the Sea - since it was my last night in Thailand and I wanted go out with a bang. It was supposed to be a mixed concoction consisting of Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua topped with whipped cream. When the waitress served me my drink - a tiny glass that consisted mostly of whipped cream with no more than 3 tablespoons of the liqueur sitting at the bottom - I voiced my displeasure. I was really expecting a more substantial drink in a larger glass (with considerably more alcohol) – it was like paying for a blowjob without getting blown. My date ordered some sort of fruit juice cocktail sans alcohol. Total damage 21.00USD. I sarcastically remarked to my ladyfriend that this was robbery but in a way I expected as much. Jokingly I said, “I should have ordered boom-boom in the jungle instead.”

While taking some pictures of the Bangkok Skyline, I chatted with four young upwardly mobile Thai ladies from Bangkok who were sitting together on one large love seat - one of the young ladies asked me if I wanted to take a picture of them but my date came over and voiced her displeasure, so I decided to forego the photo. The young ladies seemed to be enjoying themselves - it seems that Thais really don’t mind being ripped off as long as they go to a place which is considered high class. Would I return? Most likely no - maybe if they had an African or Reggae DJ night but hip-hop and the musical fare that the DJ was spinning is really not my cup of tea.

In summary, I was somewhat disappointed with THE NEST. While the club has some outstanding views of the Bangkok skyline and a cozy ambiance, the service is mediocre, the drinks are overpriced (which is standard for trendy clubs in Bangkok) and the entertainment fare is not up to my eclectic standards. My overall rating 5.5 out of 10!

I finally had the opportunity to visit THE NEST, Bangkok’s new rooftop open-air club and nightspot located on the top floor of the Fenix Hotel in the heart of the tourist zone. Since its grand opening earlier this year, The Nest had received a lot of publicity in various travel magazines as well as some hype from Calypso Island Chronicles

As my visit to The Nest coincided with the three day royal funeral ceremony (November 14-16) for the King’s recently departed sister, Princess Gaylani, I knew in advance that there would be no entertainment or alcoholic drinks being offered that night. Not a big deal for me! Before heading over to the club with my ladyfriend, I called up the Nest to see if they had a dress code. Apparently, they didn’t understand what I meant by dress code, so instead of wearing my usual shorts, T-shirt and flipflops, I opted to wear some slacks, one of my classy tropical shirts and dress shoes for fear of being turned away at the door.

After arriving at the club, I surveyed the scene – business was understandably slow due to the lack of entertainment that night; there were about 10 other customers, mostly couples Looking at the way the other patrons were dressed, I realized that I could have come to the club a little more scantily clad, as there was no apparent dress code. Lying down on one of the small, round comfortable beds with a small low lying white table situated in the middle, I ordered drinks - I had a pineapple juice and she had a passionfruit cocktail. After receiving the bill of $10USD for two fruit juices, I had a good laugh over the stateside like prices with my date. I wasn’t really shocked about the bill as I expected as much from this type of club. Before leaving, I took a couple of pictures of the Bangkok skyline at night.

Overall, the Nest is quite a romantic place and the view is outstanding. Upon my return to Bangkok, December 9-12, I will have to visit the Nest again to sample their entertainment and one of their intoxicating, exotic sounding cocktails.