AmyHuang
9 hours and several confusions later....
Arrived in Bangkok last night (Bangkok time) at 11pm. The flight was fine. I flew British Airways coming here so no troubles on the Qantas front. Sydney airport was eerily quiet, not sure if it was due to the strike, or just a quiet flight time.
As I arrived late I spent a night in one of the cheap hotels close by the airport. I have chosen 'Convenient Hotel' from the long list of hotels servicing travellers only stopping over the night, and this appropriately named hotel was indeed convenient, but nothing else. Bland (but big!) rooms and basic facilities, it served its purpose.
Hey, for AUD16 per night, this is fantastic value.
The hotel provided free shuttle transfers to and from the airport, however they don't come meet you at the gate, you have to meet them at one of the meeting points. Bangkok airport is a little confusing if you don't know where you are going, as I learned the hard way. Running up and down levels 2 and 3 I was trying to find this meeting place at the same time as everyone else trying to find their families and friends. It was utter chaos. Thanks to some friendly staff at the tourist info desk and the security guard nearby, I found my man, and was safely deposited to the hotel.
Lessons learned: Cultural differences means never say 'ok' just to acknowledge you've heard someone. It will literally mean 'OK = Yes' in their ears. Upon check in to the hotel I was told "We have 24 hour massage services if you want (points to prices on the wall)". I said 'Ok, thank you' only to find someone knocking on my door at 1am asking me if was ready for my massage!
(On the hindsight, she may have asked "We have 24 hour massage service
<comma> do you want?" but hey, I was tired!)
The flooding situation:
No doubt those of you who keep a close eye on international news would have heard about the flooding in Thailand. Bangkok itself is currently ok, however there are evidence of risk that flooding could easily come into the centre. There are pockets of ankle deep water and large pools by the roadside. The good thing about Bangkok is, the efficient SkyTrain keeps you moving and if you didn't want to, you never had to set foot on the ground ever.
Just watching the BBC News on TV and looks like there are floods everywhere else.
Oh dear.
As I arrived late I spent a night in one of the cheap hotels close by the airport. I have chosen 'Convenient Hotel' from the long list of hotels servicing travellers only stopping over the night, and this appropriately named hotel was indeed convenient, but nothing else. Bland (but big!) rooms and basic facilities, it served its purpose.
Hey, for AUD16 per night, this is fantastic value.
Room 417: bland but enough for a good night's sleep
The hotel provided free shuttle transfers to and from the airport, however they don't come meet you at the gate, you have to meet them at one of the meeting points. Bangkok airport is a little confusing if you don't know where you are going, as I learned the hard way. Running up and down levels 2 and 3 I was trying to find this meeting place at the same time as everyone else trying to find their families and friends. It was utter chaos. Thanks to some friendly staff at the tourist info desk and the security guard nearby, I found my man, and was safely deposited to the hotel.
Lessons learned: Cultural differences means never say 'ok' just to acknowledge you've heard someone. It will literally mean 'OK = Yes' in their ears. Upon check in to the hotel I was told "We have 24 hour massage services if you want (points to prices on the wall)". I said 'Ok, thank you' only to find someone knocking on my door at 1am asking me if was ready for my massage!
(On the hindsight, she may have asked "We have 24 hour massage service
<comma> do you want?" but hey, I was tired!)
The flooding situation:
No doubt those of you who keep a close eye on international news would have heard about the flooding in Thailand. Bangkok itself is currently ok, however there are evidence of risk that flooding could easily come into the centre. There are pockets of ankle deep water and large pools by the roadside. The good thing about Bangkok is, the efficient SkyTrain keeps you moving and if you didn't want to, you never had to set foot on the ground ever.
Just watching the BBC News on TV and looks like there are floods everywhere else.
Oh dear.
