The Thais that Bind:
Our 20th Anniversary Trip to Bangkok.
Our 20th Anniversary Trip to Bangkok.
Getting there, and getting acclimated.
Thursday
Getting there was, itself, a significant undertaking. Door to door, we spent a
total of 26 hours in transit. But despite all that could have gone wrong, it
was an exercise in pure smoothness. We traded in a mass of United
Mileage Plus miles for business class upgrades on all four legs round-
trip, all on the upper-deck of the 747. To help ensure a smooth in-flight
experience and boost our flight-crew karma, we brought along a big bag of
leftover Halloween candy for the crew to share. It was very well received,
and resulted in plenty of friendly refills for Chris.
Chris still couldn't get to sleep on the plane, despite all the drink refills and
prescription Ambien. (In fact, he struggled to find a decent sleep rhythm
during the entire trip.) It seems that all we did was eat during the flight—
and the food wasn't too bad, either. Particularly the mahi mahi and green
curry chicken.
We stopped at Tokyo/Narita for a couple of hours and hung out at the Red
Carpet Club…home to the famous automatic tilting beer machine. Our
flight to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport was about six hours, and we
touched down just a little ahead of schedule. We found the AOT transport
desk easily enough, and got a ride to the hotel in an Isuzu SUV, with a
driver who wasn't afraid to step on it (price, 1,100 baht). Since it was
midnight when we cleared customs and we were in a bit of a fog from 26
hours of travel, we wanted just a bit more assurance in getting to our
destination without difficulty. If we were repeat visitors, we likely would have
hopped in a taxi.
Check in at the Bangkok Peninsula Hotel was easy as can be…and they
greeted our “special occasion” with an upgrade to a superior deluxe room
(similar room but higher floor) and a HUGE piece of delicious chocolate
cake!
We checked out the room, ate some of the cake, did some
unpacking…then crashed in our very comfy bed.
Friday
Due to our woefully out-of-kilter body clocks, we both were awake long
before the sun came up. We had a very light breakfast of fresh fruit, which
was a nice touch provided in the room and replenished every day. Chris
immediately noticed the lack of a coffee maker in the room, and went
downstairs to ask for one. It arrived about ten minutes later, on a large tray
with about a pound of ground premium coffee, two fine-china cups and
saucers, a selection of teas, sugar, Equal and Coffee-Mate, and a couple
of extra water bottles, carried by a valet with white gloves and full uniform.
Nice.
We took our time getting ready, then found our way down to the Pen boat
dock for a ferry shuttle across the river to the Oriental Hotel pier. We then
caught the Chao Phraya Express Boat (public transportation on the
river…14 baht per person) and took it to the Grand Palace / Wat Phra Kaew
complex in the heart of the old city. We walked straight there from the pier
and, just as everyone had told us, someone approached us less than
halfway there to tell us it was closed for the day and he would take us to a
better place to see. This is an extremely well-known scam, and as
predictable as a weather forecast of “muggy” in this area. We just ignored
the guy, politely.
We spent considerable time walking through and wandering around the
many colorful, ornately decorated buildings, temples, shrines and chedi
towers of this complex, including the incredible Temple of the Emerald
Buddha…the holiest site in all of Thailand.
Frankly, words fail to do justice to this place. Not even our photos are
sufficient to capture the splendor--the vivid colors and shapes and patterns
and forms that are completely unlike anything we've seen before. We spent
some time watching some sort of changing of the guard drill outside the
Grand Palace before deciding to move on. This was about a week before
the funeral for the king's sister, and some elements of the Grand Palace
seemed to be closed.
Our next stop, the Wat Pho complex just to the south, was less crowded,
but still very impressive…particularly the jaw-droppingly massive reclining
Buddha, clad in gold. To call this immense horizontal statue merely “large”
or “impressive” is to do violence to the language. It is truly awe-inspiring.
We then wandered throughout the entire grounds, admiring many other
ornate and colorful buildings and declining the opportunity to get foot
massages (we may have thought differently later in the week).
Afterward, we set out for lunch at a spot we had read about in the vicinity,
called Coconut Palm. At this point we were both very hot and sweaty, and
Chris was starting to feel wobbly from dehydration. We enjoyed a delicious
green curry chicken entrée, some flavorful curry fried rice and spring rolls,
beer, coke for only 300B (about $9!); The air conditioning was a priceless
bonus. As far as we could tell, we were the only tourists there for most of
meal.
After lunch, we took the Express Boat back to the Oriental and then the ferry
back to the Pen. Up in the room, we changed into our swimwear and set
out for a couple hours at the pool. The Peninsula’s poolside salas
(essentially, raised teak wood platforms with decorative wooden roof
coverings, each with 2 reclining chaises) are very nice indeed. The pool
scene was fairly dead in the mid-day haze, but a few guests wandered in.
Some ordered a light lunch; we stuck to the overpriced drinks.
We returned to the room just before the rain came. We showered and
changed, then strolled around the area while waiting for room to be made
up. We ended up walking through a narrow alleyway near the hotel, a
typically dense urban street scene with a throng of uniformed school kids
heading in the opposite direction. What a different experience to be
immersed in, just yards away from our five-star resort!
We took the Peninsula’s new cocktail cruise; for about 1,500 per person,
you get unlimited drinks and ample appetizers. The water was a bit choppy
that evening, so we really did have to hold on to the drinks. But, it was nice
to see the sites along the river at sunset. And, because the Pen uses one
of its regular boats, which has been adapted for the cruise, it is a small
group—not one of those huge party boats with blaring music. There were
only eight guests, plus a staff of four. Pricey, but nice…plus you get a
wonderfully scenic view of the river in the fading romantic light as buildings
began to light up all around us.
Dinner that night was at Tongue Thai, just around the corner from the
Oriental. A heavy security detail surrounded the hotel and environs that
night; we ducked in to take a look at the lobby, and were given the very
distinct impression by one of the staffers there that we didn't belong in the
Oriental lobby and should leave. The place is just kind of like that, I think,
but this night had some particularly heavy security vibe going on.
Dinner at Tongue Thai consisted of a spicy banana flower salad, chicken
with cashews, apples and onions, sauteed scallops with garlic and black
pepper, steamed rice, two beers and water—all for 850B (about $25). Very
tasty stuff, but not a very busy place that night; only three other tables were
occupied while we dined.
Tired and full, we returned to the Pen and turned in for the night.
Next: Diving a bit deeper
See all of our Bangkok photos
our travels
home
contact us
Thursday
Getting there was, itself, a significant undertaking. Door to door, we spent a
total of 26 hours in transit. But despite all that could have gone wrong, it
was an exercise in pure smoothness. We traded in a mass of United
Mileage Plus miles for business class upgrades on all four legs round-
trip, all on the upper-deck of the 747. To help ensure a smooth in-flight
experience and boost our flight-crew karma, we brought along a big bag of
leftover Halloween candy for the crew to share. It was very well received,
and resulted in plenty of friendly refills for Chris.
Chris still couldn't get to sleep on the plane, despite all the drink refills and
prescription Ambien. (In fact, he struggled to find a decent sleep rhythm
during the entire trip.) It seems that all we did was eat during the flight—
and the food wasn't too bad, either. Particularly the mahi mahi and green
curry chicken.
We stopped at Tokyo/Narita for a couple of hours and hung out at the Red
Carpet Club…home to the famous automatic tilting beer machine. Our
flight to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport was about six hours, and we
touched down just a little ahead of schedule. We found the AOT transport
desk easily enough, and got a ride to the hotel in an Isuzu SUV, with a
driver who wasn't afraid to step on it (price, 1,100 baht). Since it was
midnight when we cleared customs and we were in a bit of a fog from 26
hours of travel, we wanted just a bit more assurance in getting to our
destination without difficulty. If we were repeat visitors, we likely would have
hopped in a taxi.
Check in at the Bangkok Peninsula Hotel was easy as can be…and they
greeted our “special occasion” with an upgrade to a superior deluxe room
(similar room but higher floor) and a HUGE piece of delicious chocolate
cake!
We checked out the room, ate some of the cake, did some
unpacking…then crashed in our very comfy bed.
Friday
Due to our woefully out-of-kilter body clocks, we both were awake long
before the sun came up. We had a very light breakfast of fresh fruit, which
was a nice touch provided in the room and replenished every day. Chris
immediately noticed the lack of a coffee maker in the room, and went
downstairs to ask for one. It arrived about ten minutes later, on a large tray
with about a pound of ground premium coffee, two fine-china cups and
saucers, a selection of teas, sugar, Equal and Coffee-Mate, and a couple
of extra water bottles, carried by a valet with white gloves and full uniform.
Nice.
We took our time getting ready, then found our way down to the Pen boat
dock for a ferry shuttle across the river to the Oriental Hotel pier. We then
caught the Chao Phraya Express Boat (public transportation on the
river…14 baht per person) and took it to the Grand Palace / Wat Phra Kaew
complex in the heart of the old city. We walked straight there from the pier
and, just as everyone had told us, someone approached us less than
halfway there to tell us it was closed for the day and he would take us to a
better place to see. This is an extremely well-known scam, and as
predictable as a weather forecast of “muggy” in this area. We just ignored
the guy, politely.
We spent considerable time walking through and wandering around the
many colorful, ornately decorated buildings, temples, shrines and chedi
towers of this complex, including the incredible Temple of the Emerald
Buddha…the holiest site in all of Thailand.
Frankly, words fail to do justice to this place. Not even our photos are
sufficient to capture the splendor--the vivid colors and shapes and patterns
and forms that are completely unlike anything we've seen before. We spent
some time watching some sort of changing of the guard drill outside the
Grand Palace before deciding to move on. This was about a week before
the funeral for the king's sister, and some elements of the Grand Palace
seemed to be closed.
Our next stop, the Wat Pho complex just to the south, was less crowded,
but still very impressive…particularly the jaw-droppingly massive reclining
Buddha, clad in gold. To call this immense horizontal statue merely “large”
or “impressive” is to do violence to the language. It is truly awe-inspiring.
We then wandered throughout the entire grounds, admiring many other
ornate and colorful buildings and declining the opportunity to get foot
massages (we may have thought differently later in the week).
Afterward, we set out for lunch at a spot we had read about in the vicinity,
called Coconut Palm. At this point we were both very hot and sweaty, and
Chris was starting to feel wobbly from dehydration. We enjoyed a delicious
green curry chicken entrée, some flavorful curry fried rice and spring rolls,
beer, coke for only 300B (about $9!); The air conditioning was a priceless
bonus. As far as we could tell, we were the only tourists there for most of
meal.
After lunch, we took the Express Boat back to the Oriental and then the ferry
back to the Pen. Up in the room, we changed into our swimwear and set
out for a couple hours at the pool. The Peninsula’s poolside salas
(essentially, raised teak wood platforms with decorative wooden roof
coverings, each with 2 reclining chaises) are very nice indeed. The pool
scene was fairly dead in the mid-day haze, but a few guests wandered in.
Some ordered a light lunch; we stuck to the overpriced drinks.
We returned to the room just before the rain came. We showered and
changed, then strolled around the area while waiting for room to be made
up. We ended up walking through a narrow alleyway near the hotel, a
typically dense urban street scene with a throng of uniformed school kids
heading in the opposite direction. What a different experience to be
immersed in, just yards away from our five-star resort!
We took the Peninsula’s new cocktail cruise; for about 1,500 per person,
you get unlimited drinks and ample appetizers. The water was a bit choppy
that evening, so we really did have to hold on to the drinks. But, it was nice
to see the sites along the river at sunset. And, because the Pen uses one
of its regular boats, which has been adapted for the cruise, it is a small
group—not one of those huge party boats with blaring music. There were
only eight guests, plus a staff of four. Pricey, but nice…plus you get a
wonderfully scenic view of the river in the fading romantic light as buildings
began to light up all around us.
Dinner that night was at Tongue Thai, just around the corner from the
Oriental. A heavy security detail surrounded the hotel and environs that
night; we ducked in to take a look at the lobby, and were given the very
distinct impression by one of the staffers there that we didn't belong in the
Oriental lobby and should leave. The place is just kind of like that, I think,
but this night had some particularly heavy security vibe going on.
Dinner at Tongue Thai consisted of a spicy banana flower salad, chicken
with cashews, apples and onions, sauteed scallops with garlic and black
pepper, steamed rice, two beers and water—all for 850B (about $25). Very
tasty stuff, but not a very busy place that night; only three other tables were
occupied while we dined.
Tired and full, we returned to the Pen and turned in for the night.
Next: Diving a bit deeper
See all of our Bangkok photos
our travels
home
contact us
Anniversary treat at the Peninsula
Waking up to the Bangkok skyline
Along the Chao Phraya
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Pho, Reclining Buddha
Wat Pho
Grand Palace from the Chao Phraya
