Well the new no smoking rules are now in operation throughout Bangkok, presumably banning lighting up in all airconditioned places, including any parts of restaurants or bars. There has been a full 3 weeks to get used it, and already we have been hearing of cries of doom and gloom from some restaurant owners.

The lobbies of 5 star hotels have seen some thinning of customers. The Novotel Siam Square lobby bar had all the atmosphere of the city morgue, the more gregarious smoking types relocating to the footpaths, possibly from where they would suffer death from heatstroke even quicker than cancer.

Smarter guys are pulling down the shutters. A well known Irish pub in Sukhumvit is pulling down the blinds street side, though you can easily discern smoking punters amidst a white foggy atmsophere inside. Seemingly the only coppers who walk down the side have reason to ignore such illegal activities.

Bangkok's small bars, always operating on the edges of the law, seem to be completely ignoring the ban, while most up market restauranters have started to offer outside tables outside for those who just can't resist a smoke after dinner.

The general feeling is that the rules may well be relaxed on the basis that so many are ignoring it. But as usual in the Land of Smiles, life goes on regardless...