Bangkok
We were exhausted when we finally arrived in Bangkok at the ridiculously early hour
of 6:30 AM after traveling over 24 hours. The trip included an 8 hour layover in the
extremely boring and uncomfortable international waiting area at Haneda Airport, and
we shared the flights themselves with some very, very disgruntled babies who made no
secret of their displeasure. It's hard to be unhappy, though, in a place that is known
as "The Land of Smiles", and we were soon feeling a lot better.
The airport is located at one end of the Airport Rail Link, and the five star hotel
which we had booked for a surprisingly low price is conveniently located at the other
end. Taking the train was much more appealing to us than crawling through the crowded
streets in a taxi. Finding the train, paying the fare, and walking the very short
distance to the hotel's air-conditioned lobby couldn't have been much easier.
Although there are many interesting things to see and eat in Bangkok, we planned to
spend most of our time in the city relaxing and enjoying the hotel's amenities, and
the hotel did not disappoint. Upon arrival, we were promptly shown to the executive
lounge where we were offered a cold drink, and we were soon escorted to our room although
it was hours until the official hotel check-in time.
This was our view.
The view could also be enjoyed while soaking in the bath and munching on the gift-wrapped
cookies which awaited us.
Every evening we enjoyed Happy Hour in the Executive Lounge. The smiling, energetic staff
offered fresh drinks as soon as we emptied our glasses, and a large assortment of tasty food
was provided at no additional charge. We only ventured elsewhere for dinner once, and the
service in that restaurant was so slow we gave up on trying to order a second drink and
instead raced to the Executive Lounge before Happy Hour ended.
Our attempts at leaving the hotel and exploring the city were mostly unsuccessful. Once
we explored one of the city's many gigantic shopping malls, but we had no real interest
in adding anything to our luggage this early in the trip. We did manage to find a store
that made prescription sunglasses at a low price, and we each bought a pair.
On another day we took the elevated train line to the Chao Phraya River to ride the Hop
On Hop Off Tourist Boat. The boat had an enclosed air-conditioned cabin and an upper
open-air level. I headed for the air-conditioning, but Walt chose to brave the open air
in a quest for better pictures. He lasted about a half hour in the sun before joining me
in air-conditioned comfort.
We disembarked at the end of the line, walked down a long narrow corridor packed with
stands selling touristy stuff, and emerged on Phra Athit Road where we found the pleasant
Santichaiprakarn Park. There were several places of interest in the park, like Phra Sumen
Fort and the Santichaiprakarn Throne Hall, but the heat was overwhelming, and we soon
returned to the dock.
We had planned to stop at one of the temples like Wat Arun, but the boat was now packed with
people, the air-conditioning had ceased funtioning, and our energy was drained so we decided
to just return to our delightful hotel.
In the end, we didn't see much of Bangkok, but we enjoyed interacting with the people we met
and when it was time to move on we were well-rested and ready for our tours.
