Since the train trip out east sucked so badly I decided to take a bus back to Bangkok. It was the best bus I ever rode anytime, anywhere, with comfortable seats and a bathroom in the back. Our flight crew consisted of two drivers and a stewardess. That's right, and she wore the cutest little hat.
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| The six hour trip included lunch and two snacks, distributed by a stewardess |
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I'm a VIP...check....we did have some movies in Thai, but no one sang karaoke...
comfortable seats, check...I think that last symbol means "NO DURIAN"--thank Buddha! |
I thought I'd go back to Rangsit because I just couldn't see staying an entire week in the middle of Bangkok again, but I want to do some things there. This hotel looked good on paper. I found a pretty good deal online and they are a fancy outfit. They told me the hotel is only a short distance away, but it was right about 5:00 PM. I hopped in a taxi as soon as I got to the bus station. What I didn't realize is that the hotel is a resort and an island that is rather hard to get to. It sits alongside a major expressway and inbetween two turnarounds that are about 4 KM apart (I'm not going to try and explain it any better than that). I think I could have have walked there quicker than the taxi. It took about an hour moving most of the time at a crawl. When we eventually caught sight of the hotel in the distance, the taxi driver tapped his fuel gauge and smiled at me: we were running on fumes. We made it there OK though, I hope he didn't run out of gas before he got to a station. Upon check-in I found that the online booking didn't take, and I had to go pay the three bucks to check my email and print out the itinerary and take it back to the front desk. Then everything went smoothly. Got to my room, dumped my stuff, and went back downstairs looking for a stiff drink. There is a very, very fancy karaoke bar here, I've never seen anything like it. Maybe I'll drink too much tonight and show them how it's done. Well, I ordered a bourbon and it came on the rocks. Hardly enough booze in it to wet the ice cubes. I smiled and told him to make it double, and it finally looked like something I could drink. Two minutes later I asked for the check. It was 500 baht. That's $15.77. Promptly went out the front door, caught a taxi and went to the 7-11. Bought a bottle of Black Label, 3 bottles of soda, a bag of ice and some ibuprofen for about 1200 baht. The rest of the night went rather well.
The only way out of this complex is to take a taxi or ride the shuttle--it's free, but it's a long drive. Well, that's the worst thing about it--everything else is OK: very posh with the cloth napkins, lady in a red dress singing to a grand piano on the lobby, tennis courts, driving range, big pool...I'll try to get used to my first world problems. I took a tour of the grounds this morning. It's extensive to the point of having their own outdoor concert stage. Today it is the site of a big heavy equipment show or something, lots of earth movers on display by Kobelco.
Five nights here...hmm...what to do? Today I'm spending a few hours at a big mall. My big fancy hotel wants to charge me three bucks an hour to use their internet so I'm here at an internet cafe for a while. Tomorrow I'll go spend half a day or so at Ayutthaya...but then what? Heavy drinking and sunburn at the pool?
My flight sure leaves early in the morning on Wed. Jan 11, 5:55 AM. They say I need to be there 3 hours ahead of time for an international flight....that's 3:00 AM. Is that
really necessary? I suppose there might be delays and whatever. I have three days left here (not including today, it's already almost 1:00 PM). Anyone have any ideas what I should do during that time? Keep it clean.
OK, nobody had a single suggestion, not even a dirty one. That must mean it's only me here.
I stayed around the hotel most of the day, went swimming, and never went to karaoke. Probably for the best. Later in the evening went to a "food court" called the FoodLoft. It was really something, nothing like any food court I've ever been to before. You enter through an entrance like a turnstile, and exit through a cashier. At the entrance you are issued a big card that has 1,000 baht credit on it. Then you browse through about 20 different kiosks that present specialized food. You make your order, hand over your card and they charge it. Food is brought to your table. I sampled a lot of things all at the same time: Korean pizza, french fries, Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, lasagna....I can't remember what else. The area you go to eat is like a night club, upscale and seductively lit with a performing group. It was a very nice place to hang out. I think it's a great idea, would be nice to see something like this back home. I took a few pics, but was informed that it was not allowed, so I just post the ones I got away with.
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| Really big card that has the credits on it |
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| Swanky nightclub-like eating area |
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| Typical kiosk |
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| Another kiosk |
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| Fru-fru drink. It was yummy. |
