The flight to Bangkok was about 3 hours long and uneventful. Like most budget airlines, they cram in as many seats as possible so I barely fit in the seat.The ticket was $94 one-way so it was worth the discomfort. I spent most of the timing reading my new book and napping a bit. The book is Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crighton. I think this is the first non-school related book I've read since starting the MBA program.
We touched down in Bangkok around 1 and cabbed into the city. The airport was much nicer than I remember when I came to Thailand in 2006. Our hotel in Bangkok was called Furama Silom Hotel in the Silom area of Central Bangkok. The hotel was actually much nicer than I expected...for around $40 a night. It had a large glass-enclosed bathroom with both a tub and shower. After dropping off our stuff and resting for a little bit, we decided to go do a bit of exploring. We hadn't eaten a proper meal so we went in search of food. We walked around the Silom area and went into a few shops. Somehow, we started talking to a Thai lady on the street (I think we asked for directions) and she ended up really helping us out with where to go for food. Now normally, I’m a bit hesitant of talking to people on the street. In Thailand, you are constantly propositioned by locals to buy souvenirs, food and taxis. Plus, there are plenty of scams on tourists so you have to be careful. We approached her for directions though so we felt a bit safer taking her advice. She pointed us in the direction of a good Thai restaurant and also told us how to get to the train station. She even grabbed a tuk tuk driver to take us around for only 30 Baht ($1 USD). Bangkok’s streets are noisy, hot and smog-filled, but the most best way to see them is by tuk tuk (a hybrid moter bike on the front and carriage on the back). Below are a few pics from the tuk tuk.
First, our tuk tuk driver took us to the Thai restaurant. The food wasn't too bad, although it was a bit overpriced. It had air conditioning though so we were paying to pay the premium. We got a few dishes and shared them all. Funny to say, our favorite was the Pad Thai. After eating, we told our driver to take us to the train station. He had other plans though and took us to a travel agency. He apparently got "credit" if he brought us to the agency so he did. We went inside and talked to the travel agent to inquire about transportation to Cambodia and to Siem Reap. We did a lot of research beforehand and not surprisingly, the agency charged quite a premium for their services. We decided to make our travel arrangements on our own and left the travel agency. We told our driver (once again) to take us to the train station. At this point, he kept suggesting we go to another travel agency or a souvenir shop. We firmly said no over and over and after a few minutes, he finally took us to the train station. At the train station, we learned that the train to Cambodia there were only two trains - one at 6 am and the other at 1 pm. So if you missed one, you'd have to wait for the other. The bus, however, left every half hour. More importantly, train did not have air conditioning. Can you imagine five hours on a train in 90 degree heat and high humidity without any air conditioning? Thus, we opted to take the bus. Finally, we headed back to the hotel and freshened up for dinner. For dinner, we went to a restaurant not too far from our hotel, called Taling Pling. The food was amazing. A good first day in Bangkok.
Justin
First, our tuk tuk driver took us to the Thai restaurant. The food wasn't too bad, although it was a bit overpriced. It had air conditioning though so we were paying to pay the premium. We got a few dishes and shared them all. Funny to say, our favorite was the Pad Thai. After eating, we told our driver to take us to the train station. He had other plans though and took us to a travel agency. He apparently got "credit" if he brought us to the agency so he did. We went inside and talked to the travel agent to inquire about transportation to Cambodia and to Siem Reap. We did a lot of research beforehand and not surprisingly, the agency charged quite a premium for their services. We decided to make our travel arrangements on our own and left the travel agency. We told our driver (once again) to take us to the train station. At this point, he kept suggesting we go to another travel agency or a souvenir shop. We firmly said no over and over and after a few minutes, he finally took us to the train station. At the train station, we learned that the train to Cambodia there were only two trains - one at 6 am and the other at 1 pm. So if you missed one, you'd have to wait for the other. The bus, however, left every half hour. More importantly, train did not have air conditioning. Can you imagine five hours on a train in 90 degree heat and high humidity without any air conditioning? Thus, we opted to take the bus. Finally, we headed back to the hotel and freshened up for dinner. For dinner, we went to a restaurant not too far from our hotel, called Taling Pling. The food was amazing. A good first day in Bangkok.
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| Hua Lamphong Train Station |
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| Dinner at Taling Pling |
Justin
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