DAY 1: Arrival in
Bangkok
When I was getting ready to fly from Cairo to Bangkok, the whole thing
with the British bomb scare had just happened and there was all this
talk of how you can't take liquids onto planes and blah blah
blah. Well, when you're flying Egypt Air and not going to the US
or UK, those rules don't apply. =) And besides, Egypt Air
was using
real metal utensils for their meals...spoons, forks, and sharp knives
that could actually cut the food. So I don't think they were too
concerned about security--I guess they know they're not the target,
right?
After about a 7-hour flight, I arrived in Bangkok around noon. It
was warm and muggy, and everything was so nice and
clean. After I got my luggage and changed some money, the first
step was to get to my hotel. I had done some research before
leaving (well, actually, I had done LOTS of research, as you'll see),
and found that there was an airport shuttle bus which ran from the
airport to a street near my hotel, which was MUCH cheaper than taking a
taxi. I followed the directions I had to where the airport
shuttle buses were, and lo and behold, they were actually there!
So I walked up to buy my ticket and told them I wanted Bus #1, because
I was going to Silom Road. They said okay, sold me my ticket, and
then pointed me to a bus labeled "Bus #3." I walked up to that
bus, and I asked the guy taking my luggage if this was really Bus #1,
going to Silom Road. He said yes. I asked why the sign said
"Bus #3." He peeked his head out of the bus to look at the sign
as if that was new information to him, then shrugged his shoulders and
said, "We haven't changed the signs." Well, that was good enough
for me, so I got on the bus. The bus did indeed go to Silom Road,
and I got off at the cross street for my hotel. I walked a block
down and a block over, wheeling my luggage behind me. I soon
arrived at my hotel, checked in, and promptly took a nap.
Then I got up about 4 or 5 and decided to go out on the town. I
walked down to the front desk and asked if there was a Starbucks
nearby. The clerk said, "Oh, yes...there are Starbucks
everywhere! One down the street on the way to main corner, and
then one on Silom Road on the way to the Sky Train.
Jackpot! So I stopped by and got a coffee on my way to the Sky
Train, which is akin to Chicago's Elevated Train. Everything was
automated, and there were actually escalators running up to it instead
of just stairs. And everyone waited in line in the designated
areas--no pushing and crowding the doors like in Egypt and Atlanta (and
Paris and Frankfurt and New York and DC....). I had never seen
anything like it, and I didn't know quite how to behave. I didn't
figure out at first that people were waiting in line, because when I
first got there, there weren't that many people. So when the
train came, I just walked to the door, still in the mentality that if I
didn't push and shove my way in, I might not get in before it took
off. Then I realized that no one else was doing that, and that
the train was waiting until everyone got on. Okay.
I soon arrived at my destination....the geek heaven that is Panthip
Plaza. It is a six-story mall that is ALL computers and
electronics and just plain geek happiness. You can buy all sorts
of things there--genuine AND bootleg. I didn't buy any bootleg,
but I DID purchase a new digital camera, since my old one (the
venerable SpyCam) was starting to act up. I got the new camera
cheaper than I would have in the U.S. or Egypt, and it has worked
wonderfully.
Panthip Plaza
Waiting in
line at a Sky Train Station (with
a TV for entertainment)
After buying the camera and checking out some of the other items in the
mall, I headed down to the Food Court. And guess what they had
there? An A&W, serving REAL hotdogs with pork in them!
So of course I just HAD to get one. After the delicious hotdog, I
walked back to the Sky Train and headed back toward my hotel.
However, on the way to my hotel, I saw a place advertising spa services
for really low prices. These places are all over Bangkok, and I
had thought earlier that it might be nice to get a massage, since it
would be cheaper there than on the boat. So I went inside and
ended up getting a pedicure and a 75-minute massage for a grand total
of $14. Awwww yeahhhh! The massage was funny though,
because the masseuse was really determined to get the knots out of my
shoulders. In this parlor, and since this was just a neck and
shoulder massage, I kept my clothes on and just had the massage out in
the front room where all the other customers were, and where people
from the street could look in and see. Well, the massage started
out with me sitting in the same chair where I had had the pedicure
done. But after a while, the masseuse realized he wasn't going to
get the knots out with me in that position. So he had me put my
knees on the pedicurist's stool and lay my elbows in the seat of the
chair. Then he went to town on my shoulders. At one point
he had me put my arms behind me with my hands joined together. He
grabbed my hands and pulled back while pushing his knee into the knot
to get it out. He finally succeeded, but the whole thing must've
looked incredibly painful because one of the other customers
hesitatingly asked, "Now the massage I signed up for isn't gonna
include THAT, is it?"
With knot-free shoulders and beautiful red toenails, I continued on my
way back to
the hotel. The streets were really alive; I guess Thais are into
late-night culture just like the Egyptians are. As I lay down to
go to sleep, it hit me that I had
not heard the Islamic call to prayer all day! That thought, along
with the realization that I would probably NOT hear it for about 17
more days, sent me to sleep with a smile on my face.
DAY 2: Bangkok and Embarkation
Southeast Asia
home
Wandering Penguin