The Thais that Bind:
Our 20th Anniversary Trip to Bangkok.
Our 20th Anniversary Trip to Bangkok.
Our last day and the trip home
Tuesday
No alarm this morning, but we still awoke on the early side. That allowed
us plenty of time to get up and get ready at a leisurely pace. We checked in
electronically for our flight the next day, enjoyed a couple of pastries from
the gift shop, then made our way downstairs. On the way out, we stopped
at the concierge desk and made reservations for dinner that night at Ban
Chiang.
We ferried across the river, then hopped an express boat to Chinatown
where we got off and walked around for awhile. Chinatown is like one
massive, colorful, jam-packed flea market. Wall-to-wall humanity,
inexpensive merchandise in crowded, tiny stores, ubiquitous food vendors
and noodle shops, gold & jewelry shops…all as far as you can see.
We doubled back after about 45 minutes and took the boat to Phra Athit
pier, with a plan in mind to ferry across from there to the Royal Barge
museum. But, the woman at the makeshift ticket-booth there would only
sell us a ticket for the full khlong tour. All we wanted was a simple ferry
service across the river, but she wouldn't budge. So we shrugged it off and
started walking toward the madness and mayhem of Banglamphu and
Khaosan Road.
This area has long been the center of activity for expats and backpackers,
and it’s like a non-stop party most nights along the streets surrounding
Khaosan. It was somewhat subdued at mid-day, but still an interesting
collection of sights and sounds, stores and boutiques, restaurants and
snack shops, cafes and restaurants…all busy with tourists and locals
alike.
We took it all in, then started back toward the boat dock again. Along the
way, we stopped for lunch at Ricky’s Coffee House on Phra Athit Road,
which offers Thai and western food, including decent sandwiches, wraps,
etc. plus coffee and drinks. Nice, low-key little place for a quick stop. We
chatted with a couple of American college girls at the table next to ours
before we left.
We were feeling a little blasé at this point, so we headed back to the hotel
and decided to spend a little time (again) down by the pool. We ended up
relaxing there for a couple of hours before heading back up to the room for
some preliminary packing.
After freshening ourselves up a bit, we headed out for drinks at Sky Bar.
After ferrying across the river, it was actually a very easy walk to the State
Tower. The elevator quickly whisked us up to the outdoor bar area, where
we quickly discovered what the fuss is all about. That really is a nice view
up there, and our pictures simply don’t do it justice.
The self-illuminated bar changes colors continuously, adding a slightly
surreal effect to the deck and surroundings. We bellied up and ordered our
drinks like knowing sophisticates (martini for him, chardonnay for
madame), bracing ourselves for the ridiculous bill that would surely come.
And it sure did. For the price of two drinks up there (about $35), you could
give a longboat full of Vikings alcohol poisoning at one of those little bar-
vans parked on Khaosan Road. But we only live once…
After nursing those drinks as long as we dared, we headed back down to
the street and walked a few blocks further to Ban Chiang. We noted the
horrendous traffic snarled at Silom and Surasek, and counted our lucky
stars that we weren't stuck in it.
Ban Chaing is in a comfortable old Thai house, an inviting throwback in the
middle of the concrete jungle. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the
service is fairly decent as well. And by 7:30 pm, the place was pretty well
full. We enjoyed a spicy green papaya salad and shrimp pancake for
starters, then feasted on a delicious red curry chicken and beef with basil
and vegetables, plus steamed rice for two and a couple of beers. The total
was only 880 baht (about $25), which is a terrific bargain. We would
definitely go again.
After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll back to the Peninsula dock. Along the
way, we came across a mahout and elephant…something you don’t see
every day in Chicago, at least.
We headed back to the room and finished our packing. And we set our
alarms for 3:15 am.
Wednesday
Yikes!!!!!!!! When two different alarms, one Blackberry and a wake-up
phone call all assault your senses at 3:15 in the blessed morning, it gets
your attention.
We took our showers lickety-split and hustled our bags down to the lobby
and grabbed a cab. It took about 25 minutes to get to the airport, with our
driver cruising at breakneck speed. The service was swift, efficient and
less than half the price of the limo.
After checking in at United, we headed to the Thai Royal Silk Lounge and
waited a short while for it to open at 5:15. We have to say, this is one of the
largest, plushest, nicest airport lounge we've seen so far, anywhere
(Qantas was awfully nice, too). We enjoyed a good cup of coffee and some
tasty snacks from their generous spread. Too bad we couldn't enjoy this
place to its fullest potential at that early hour of the morning.
Everyone had to withstand the gauntlet of double check points, with all
carry-ons searched by hand, before being admitted to the departure gate.
Boarding proceeded on-time, however, and once again we were born aloft
in the upper-deck of the 747. Accompanying us was an incredibly high-
maintenance woman in the seat in front of Chris. Across the aisle from
Marisa was a 6’6” Hare Krishna with drum, robes, and rolling carry-on with
laptop, iPod, Bose headphones and Jim Thompson shopping bag. What a
world, huh?
The flight to Tokyo/Narita was uneventful, followed by 4 hours at the Narita
Red Carpet Club. Our flight was delayed about 45 minutes due to a late
arrival of our plane. We made up most of that time, thanks to friendly 150+
mph tailwinds. The food and movies heading back were fairly average, and
we were able to sleep for much of the time (even Chris, for a while!). We
landed at O’Hare around 2:35, exited customs by 3:00 and made it home
shortly after 4:00.
Vacation over. Time to start planning for Japan in March!
Next: Logistics and closing comments
See all of our Bangkok photos
our travels
home
contact us
Tuesday
No alarm this morning, but we still awoke on the early side. That allowed
us plenty of time to get up and get ready at a leisurely pace. We checked in
electronically for our flight the next day, enjoyed a couple of pastries from
the gift shop, then made our way downstairs. On the way out, we stopped
at the concierge desk and made reservations for dinner that night at Ban
Chiang.
We ferried across the river, then hopped an express boat to Chinatown
where we got off and walked around for awhile. Chinatown is like one
massive, colorful, jam-packed flea market. Wall-to-wall humanity,
inexpensive merchandise in crowded, tiny stores, ubiquitous food vendors
and noodle shops, gold & jewelry shops…all as far as you can see.
We doubled back after about 45 minutes and took the boat to Phra Athit
pier, with a plan in mind to ferry across from there to the Royal Barge
museum. But, the woman at the makeshift ticket-booth there would only
sell us a ticket for the full khlong tour. All we wanted was a simple ferry
service across the river, but she wouldn't budge. So we shrugged it off and
started walking toward the madness and mayhem of Banglamphu and
Khaosan Road.
This area has long been the center of activity for expats and backpackers,
and it’s like a non-stop party most nights along the streets surrounding
Khaosan. It was somewhat subdued at mid-day, but still an interesting
collection of sights and sounds, stores and boutiques, restaurants and
snack shops, cafes and restaurants…all busy with tourists and locals
alike.
We took it all in, then started back toward the boat dock again. Along the
way, we stopped for lunch at Ricky’s Coffee House on Phra Athit Road,
which offers Thai and western food, including decent sandwiches, wraps,
etc. plus coffee and drinks. Nice, low-key little place for a quick stop. We
chatted with a couple of American college girls at the table next to ours
before we left.
We were feeling a little blasé at this point, so we headed back to the hotel
and decided to spend a little time (again) down by the pool. We ended up
relaxing there for a couple of hours before heading back up to the room for
some preliminary packing.
After freshening ourselves up a bit, we headed out for drinks at Sky Bar.
After ferrying across the river, it was actually a very easy walk to the State
Tower. The elevator quickly whisked us up to the outdoor bar area, where
we quickly discovered what the fuss is all about. That really is a nice view
up there, and our pictures simply don’t do it justice.
The self-illuminated bar changes colors continuously, adding a slightly
surreal effect to the deck and surroundings. We bellied up and ordered our
drinks like knowing sophisticates (martini for him, chardonnay for
madame), bracing ourselves for the ridiculous bill that would surely come.
And it sure did. For the price of two drinks up there (about $35), you could
give a longboat full of Vikings alcohol poisoning at one of those little bar-
vans parked on Khaosan Road. But we only live once…
After nursing those drinks as long as we dared, we headed back down to
the street and walked a few blocks further to Ban Chiang. We noted the
horrendous traffic snarled at Silom and Surasek, and counted our lucky
stars that we weren't stuck in it.
Ban Chaing is in a comfortable old Thai house, an inviting throwback in the
middle of the concrete jungle. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the
service is fairly decent as well. And by 7:30 pm, the place was pretty well
full. We enjoyed a spicy green papaya salad and shrimp pancake for
starters, then feasted on a delicious red curry chicken and beef with basil
and vegetables, plus steamed rice for two and a couple of beers. The total
was only 880 baht (about $25), which is a terrific bargain. We would
definitely go again.
After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll back to the Peninsula dock. Along the
way, we came across a mahout and elephant…something you don’t see
every day in Chicago, at least.
We headed back to the room and finished our packing. And we set our
alarms for 3:15 am.
Wednesday
Yikes!!!!!!!! When two different alarms, one Blackberry and a wake-up
phone call all assault your senses at 3:15 in the blessed morning, it gets
your attention.
We took our showers lickety-split and hustled our bags down to the lobby
and grabbed a cab. It took about 25 minutes to get to the airport, with our
driver cruising at breakneck speed. The service was swift, efficient and
less than half the price of the limo.
After checking in at United, we headed to the Thai Royal Silk Lounge and
waited a short while for it to open at 5:15. We have to say, this is one of the
largest, plushest, nicest airport lounge we've seen so far, anywhere
(Qantas was awfully nice, too). We enjoyed a good cup of coffee and some
tasty snacks from their generous spread. Too bad we couldn't enjoy this
place to its fullest potential at that early hour of the morning.
Everyone had to withstand the gauntlet of double check points, with all
carry-ons searched by hand, before being admitted to the departure gate.
Boarding proceeded on-time, however, and once again we were born aloft
in the upper-deck of the 747. Accompanying us was an incredibly high-
maintenance woman in the seat in front of Chris. Across the aisle from
Marisa was a 6’6” Hare Krishna with drum, robes, and rolling carry-on with
laptop, iPod, Bose headphones and Jim Thompson shopping bag. What a
world, huh?
The flight to Tokyo/Narita was uneventful, followed by 4 hours at the Narita
Red Carpet Club. Our flight was delayed about 45 minutes due to a late
arrival of our plane. We made up most of that time, thanks to friendly 150+
mph tailwinds. The food and movies heading back were fairly average, and
we were able to sleep for much of the time (even Chris, for a while!). We
landed at O’Hare around 2:35, exited customs by 3:00 and made it home
shortly after 4:00.
Vacation over. Time to start planning for Japan in March!
Next: Logistics and closing comments
See all of our Bangkok photos
our travels
home
contact us
Chinatown (and the Colonel??)
Khaosan Road
He's everywhere!
Skybar
The famous Narita Red Carpet Club beer machine.
There's our plane. Gotta go....
