Bangkok
We duly booked our seats and were looking forward to the break. We arrived at the airport around three hours before the flight, checked in and settled into the lounge. The pre-flight drinks and meals were most welcome. Around 45 minutes before the flight, the lounge hostess came around to say boarding had commenced, so we made the short walk to board. We have been very lucky to have flown a few times upstairs on the A380, and it still impresses so much as an aircraft. All seats are set out in pods, Jane and I had selected two in the centre so we could chat, or synchronise our viewing, or in Jane’s case, put the screen up between us.
All too quickly the flight was over (a short two hour, 17 minutes tonight) and we were through immigration and customs to our waiting car. The drive into the centre took around 45 minutes, on very quiet roads. We checked into the 20th floor of the Rembrandt hotel and promptly crashed out.
Next morning, after a relaxing breakfast and a couple of hours relaxing and swimming, we showered and changed and made our way into the centre.
The Skytrain was just at the top of the road, only a few minute walk, and we bought our very cheap tickets, around 60p for the trip to the centre. Day tickets are 110 THB. We took time to wander the streets, popped into MBK and Paragon Malls (not for shopping, more the welcome air conditioning) and generally take in the sights and sounds of the city, one of the most fascinating cities of the world to visit. I think we were all still getting over that late arrival, so we grabbed a tuk-tuk (something you have to do) and made our way back to the hotel, decided to get some food and have a later start the following day.
Sunday was another glorious day, the roads and streets were crowded with people. For one of our party it was their first visit to Bangkok, so we decided he had to see at least a few magnificent temples on this trip.
We grabbed a taxi outside the hotel and visited Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) which is still as magnificent a site as it was on our first visit 30 years ago. Entry is cheap (100THB) which includes water. The temple complex itself is quite large, with many pavilions, though the main attraction is the Reclining Buddha, long and gold glistening in the sun and the flashes of the tourist cameras. After the visit, we decided to forego a visit to the Grand Palace as it was as crowded as ever we'd seen.
We walked the short distance to the river to catch the public boat back to central piers. The local boats are full with people and cheap at 14THB for the trip. The pier is joined to the Skytrain station, and within minutes we were on the train to Chatuchak weekend market in the north of the city, stopping off on the way at the Hard Rock cafe for some welcome refreshments. This particular market is huge on every scale, from some stalls that line the streets to endless covered warrens which sell anything you never knew you wanted. We spent around an hour here, just wandering, and we did pause to buy the odd souvenir.
We managed to find our way out to be surprised we were nowhere near where we thought we would be. Thankfully we almost walked into a parked taxi and negotiated a good price for the trip back to the hotel, around £4. I think in that heat, we would have happily paid double.
We had decided to take our friend on his first foray into the tourist side of the night markets in Bangkok. We had a very passable Thai meal, accompanied by a huge case of welcome ice cold beer, before setting off by taxi to Patpong. Here the streets are lined with stalls selling clothes and souvenirs, and of course the mandatory girly bars for which the area is famous. We took a walk, being approached many times to visit the bars. We heard music coming from the other side of the stalls and found a bar with a live band. After a few songs and drinks we decided to move on. Though this area shows the seedier side of Bangkok, life still goes on, with the children playing in the streets, and we even saw a girl doing her homework behind her mum looking after one of the souvenir stalls. The people watching experience was incredible. The drinks were expensive for Bangkok (though interestingly not compared to UK costs). My advice would be if you want to visit, try not to be offended, and approach the area with an open mind. I don't think it’s something you'd experience anywhere else in the world.
It’s also worth mentioning the lanes are full of tourists, groups of ladies and men, curiosity taking over. It’s always safety in numbers. We retraced our steps to the market entrance, easily finding a taxi.
Next morning at breakfast we compared notes and thoughts over the previous evening’s events, all having different opinions on the experience. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2pm. The hotel pick up and journey was smooth, efficient, and air conditioned.
There were no queues at the Business Class check in, and with Priority Lane Passes we were quickly though security and heading towards the lounge. This quickly filled with familiar faces, most of them having been on the flight from Hong Kong with us. We boarded shortly before take-off and settled into our seats. On this flight we all had individual pods at the outside of the aircraft. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, perfect for flying. After a short delay holding for a runway inspection, we were airborne. If you haven't flown on the A380 it is an amazing aircraft, when it takes off it almost becomes silent, as if the engines were off, so smooth is the ride, it really is something special.
We settled down individually to relax, watch some TV and reflect over a great weekend away. All too quickly (though for the route quite a long 2 hours 45 minutes) we were on the ground in a now dark Hong Kong, and back to reality.
Any visit to Bangkok has to be approached with an open mind. The city is always busy, hot and humid, even in winter. The people are very welcoming and friendly, it isn't called "The Land of Smiles" for nothing.