Enjoy your trip, Carol. I think we'll just miss you since we'll be in Bangkok from 28 January to 2 February.

Seriously just HOW many times do you get to go to BKK a year!!!! Very jealous.

Smeagol, this is #5 this year. I was there in January (end of LAST years holiday trip, if that counts), then again in April for DS's birthday bash at Tawandang; July was for the birthday of DS's girlfriend, plus I flew on to Sydney for two more birthday parties; and then October was for no special reason, just fun; and then we're back to December's holiday trip!

Have (another) great trip...

bon voyage...

simpsonc510~ I am up for a get-to-gether with you! My dear friend who travled with me in Up With People is from there. My days of saying, 'I should come see you' are over. Our plans are to be there (BKK) during Christmas week. Only 1 week, but a good introduction week, nonetheless. Please let me know if you'd like to meet for a coffee or (what-ever-there-is-to-do in Thailand.
12345

Coffee would be great, onetwothree. As I mentioned, I will be in the Sukhumvit area on soi 8. Let us see what we can manage!

Arriving Chicago by Amtrak! Uneventful 3 hour ride. Now to get to my OHare hotel......

Have fun!

Happy Travels!

Guenmai, I really wish our BKK schedules would have been in sync!

Just had a very nice margherita pizza and glass of Italian red wine at a very good restaurant at my OHare (Intercontinental) hotel. Very tasty for hotel fare... My room is really very spacious. I'm in a corner room, but that doesn't mean that I have two walls of windows. When you come into my room, there is an "entry" area, and then you turn left to go down a 'hall' that passes the nice bathroom on the way to the sleeping/TV area. I'd stay here again!

DS left for BKK this morning, and is right now on his way to NRT. He will reach BKK about the time I'm flying out tomorrow, since it is a 24-hour trip, pretty much.

My schedule changed as of yesterday and I'm rebooked for a couple of weeks later than the original booking, thus cutting my BKK time in half, if the trip happens. The airline was quite understanding. I don't want to get into the circumstances.

Have fun and one day we'll hook up.

Happy Travels!

Guenmai, I really hope you don't have to cancel your entire trip! But I understand your situation, what with aging parents... been there myself.

I didn't sleep much last night (excitement I suppose). I'm having my coffee and will head to OHare around 9:30-10:00. My flt is at noon. Plenty of time to enjoy the International First Class (IFL) lounge.

Having my breakfast at the international first class lounge at OHare. Nice selection!

Have a fantastic trip!

Havea great trip. Enjoy that nice warm weather...cold, wet and icey here today.

Made it to Bangkok tonight. My flight (Thai from NRT in 1st class) landed about 10:45, and then I had the royal treatment (the buggy ride to immigration, someone to collect my bags and take me to a taxi) and was checked in at Adelphi by 11:45. A quick jaunt down to say hello to a few friends at Sports Academy, and then I hope to get some sleep.

The flight from ORD-NRT was uneventful. Smooth as silk. Not a single bump until we got close to NRT. First class seating is very comfy, with lie-flat seat/bed. United now does a turn-down service, where they put your seat down and then put a pad on top of it, to sort of buffer the various bumps and seams in the design of the seat. I didn't personally feel much difference from the normal feel of the seat. I managed to sleep some, which is what I really like to do on that long haul.

We left ORD about 30 minutes late, which concerned me because my connection time was 1 hr 15 minutes to begin with. The pilot made up the time in the air, and we landed on time. I had a very quick visit to the ANA international first lounge. I was not hungry, so just had a coffee and used internet.

The Thai flight left about 15 minutes later than scheduled. The first class cabin on this aircraft (Jet Airways) is really unique. I was in the center of the 1-2-1 configuration. There was a "wall" that popped up between myself and the person in the next seat, so privacy for sure. Then, the compartment has a sliding door. There's even a sign that you can turn on... Do Not Disturb! How 'bout that!

The lights are never completely turned off. Cabin lighting includes tiny little lights that look like a sprinkling of stars on the ceiling. Nice touch!

The bathroom gets serviced very frequently. What a neat touch.... the end of the roll of toilet paper is folded into the shape of a bow!! I tore off the end and kept it! The towels for drying are really face cloths. There are little clear plastic tubes containing toothpaste and toothbrush, so I indulged, even though the amenities kit (from TUMI) already has this sort of stuff in it.

The TV screen has listings for movies, TV, games, and then there is "telephony".... you can make a call to the ground, but you can also call from seat to seat!! I've not seen that before.

Loved loved loved the massaging seat!! I think I used it for the last 1.5 hours of the flight! It felt soooo nice after sitting on planes for nearly 24 hours.

The food was very tasty. It was pretty much a Thai meal, although there were sushi offerings with the appetizers. The entree choices were beef, chicken, and fish. I typically do not have the main course, just doing the appetizers and then dessert. The appetizers were 3 courses in and of themselves! There was a white bean soup that was really delicious! There was a chicken satay sort of thing, very delicious, and a duck liver pate with wasabi and spring roll and a lobster piece. Dessert was the fruit and cheese plate.

Another dessert just prior to landing was some Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream!!

All in all, it was a very nice trip from ORD to BKK. Now I here, and I can relax and soak in the warm temps. It was 83 and clear when we landed.

Time for some sleep now, if I can manage to close my eyes. I'm pretty wide awake right now.

Carol

Sounds like a good first class flight!

I hope to fly first class on United some day. However, I am too cheap (not as cheap as Bob though), even with points.

Wake up Carol, time! Lucky you always getting first class. Will be following along too.

Aloha!

Just had a nice breakfast with friends from Samui who are in BKK for Christmas (and baby-to-be) shopping and who are also staying here on soi 8.

Newbies are here in the city for about 5 days, and I do believe I get to be the shopping guide today!!! Whoop whoop!! I can do that!!!

So what did you buy? Any new finds? I loved how PLatinum has divided the floors. Easier to find what you are looking for.

Hi K, we bought scarves (some really NEAT ones... they feel so soft... no idea what they are made of), and of course we bought jewelry at Coco Banana. My newbie did the 'twice around the shop' to make sure she saw everything.

We also hit the stationary department at Tokyu (MBK) and the newbie bought lots of pens, pencils, journals, stickers, and I don't know what all.

The group went to Red Sky for dinner, but I took at nap. I caught up with them later on, on soi 4, at Hanrahans, to hear our friend Lee, the one-man band, do his music.

I managed to stay up until now (after 12:30) so I'm doing pretty good!

Now, if I can just sleep in until at least 6:30-7 in the morning, I'll be good to go.

Carol, we're not shoppers but I feel we should visit one mall just to see what it's all about. Which one do you recommend? We're staying at the Peninsula.

Platinum....easy to navigate, has AC, Lots of interesting things to see. But, there are no electornics. Be sure and take a holtel card with you , to use getting a taxi out of there. Some times it takes us 3 or 4 tries to find on,so don't give up. I brought home 12 pr of shoes last trip.

Thanks, Karen. I think I've owned 12 pairs of shoes in my lifetime!

Marija
Frankly, I would say MBK for someone who will only go to one Thai mall. Much more variety. You will get the 'feel' of the place, and the mobs of people who go through there. If it is just curiosity that takes you there, and not a hunt for shoes or bling jewelry or bags, then MBK will be more interesting.

Yes, I buy more at Platinum. But I'm a shopper!

I slept in to 8 this morning!!!! Woke up at 5 and convinced myself to go back to sleep. So glad I did.

Had breakfast with Samui friends again. They are leaving this morning, so I'm glad I got to see them one last time. Her shopping was at Paragon, Emporium, and Central Chitlom department store. She says she bought LOTS of things.

BTW, the husband says there is a new Central going up on Samui, just north of Chaweng, on the beach road, across the road from the beach. There is a 10 acre plot of land being turned into a shopping venue. GREAT!!!

It's a beautiful sunny day (Friday) here in Bangkok. I slept in until 8 this morning with no difficulty at all... maybe not so much jet lag trouble this time??

Yesterday was a shopping trip to Central Chitlom department store, where I bought a really nice white loose fitting shirt. I have not seen the brand "Sophie" before, but a very nice fitting and comfy gauzy sort of Asia hot-weather top. Nice quality as well!!

Off to Paragon where I shopped the Gourmet Market. I'm a strawberry freak, so I picked up two different containers of them. One container, darker red strawberries (not sure where they are grown) has an almost "perfumed" taste to them. Not sure I like them so much. The other container cost nearly TWICE the price of the already-expensive first selection. OMG, these Korean Organic strawberries are AWESOME!!! If I can afford it, I'll get more!! The price (are you sitting down???) was nearly 800 baht for the container. That translates to about $25!!!!!!! But the taste is unbelievably juicy and sweet. They could become habit forming... yes, an expensive habit!!!

We did two quiz nights last night. We started out at the Beer Vault on soi 15, Four Points Hotel. We were pleased to have Edgar Degas join us for a beer and conversation. I met Edgar a few years ago at the Pickled Liver, when Maeng pointed him out to me. He had been there before and had asked Maeng about me, so she gladly pointed him out to me the next time he was there at the same time I was! In any case, nice to sit and visit with another fodorite in Bangkok! Edgar is a very interesting individual. Maybe I can convince him to come to a GTG in HNL sometime. We tried the quiz but were not really in the running. It's all a picture quiz... ie name the movie and or character in the picture, or name the song/artist that is played on the PA.

The "big" quiz contest on Thursdays is at the Pickled Liver. Wow, what a tough quiz!!! It was a special Christmas quiz. All 6-7 teams had a hard time coming up with answers to the questions and picture "puzzles" but our team came in a very respectable 3rd place!! We beat out 4th place by a half point. We were delighted to be in such close competition with the trivia pros. Some of these teams compete 2-3 nights a week at various locations around BKK. Mostly around Sukhumvit I think.

Today, Friday, is a day for loafing!! I love these days with NO plans and NO particular place to go. I might even get started on a book I brought with me to read. The last three years in a row, I've been doing proofing projects for books that our family business publishes (here in Bangkok). This year I'm not proofing!!! Whoop whoop!!

DH has hopefully survived the somewhat dangerous (blizzard) drive to Ohare and will be flying out to join us in BKK tomorrow. Hopefully no weather issues and delays on Friday!!!! Get those plows out and clear those runways.......!!

I'll report in on exchange rates today as I plan to go to VASU shortly.

Stay warm everyone....

Carol

VASU was 30.60 today. One of the banks at MBK was at 30.31, and a street walk-up on Sukhumvit (near soi 8) was 3.26.

Having issues with signing in here, so not sure what is going on. If I don't post for a while, it might be because I can't seem to log in and have my password accepted! I'll be on FB though, if you are one of my FB friends.

Hoping DH is going to wake up this morning to clear runways at OHare! I want him to get here tomorrow night....

I was playing on the computer last night, on the United site, and managed to change DSs homeward bound ticket to avoid China. He was scheduled thru Beijing, with a fairly short layover time. Now he is scheduled via Narita, and on a Thai A380 in first class! Pays to keep a watch on the reservations!!!

We dined at Via Vai last night. The pizza was great (although not as good as it was about a year ago). A friend here says he prefers the pizza at Monsoon now, over Via Vai. Monsoon is our lobby restaurant here at Adelphi Suites.

Today, a haircut. Not sure if I will look for my usual stylist (OD) or if I will go to a Toni & Guy salon and hope for the best.... I'm looking shaggy. This pixie cut is great, but it demands attention about every 4-5 weeks. My last cut was 5 weeks ago, in Amsterdam, at a Toni & Guy. Not a bad cut... but not a GREAT cut either... if you have short hair, you can tell when you've had a great cut vs an OK cut. With that in mind, I should probably stick with OD!! He is at a salon right behind Central Chitlom department store.

Taking it easy today. The last several days have been go go go. I might even take my pleasure reading and go upstairs by the pool for a while! That's very unusual for me.

Carol

You could even hop IN the pool. Might be fun and relaxing. How was the hair cut?

Haircut was good. I went back to OD. After that I went out to the weekend market. I didn't shop in the market itself. I was on a mission to JJ Mall. I was looking for specific items and I knew they could be found at JJ Mall.

Success!

DS and girlfriend both played in a pool tournament today so I went to watch them They both got beat but it was fun to watch anyway.

Now I'm waiting for DH, trying to stay awake. His plane has just landed, so he should be here in about an hour!

LOL, you rich American tourists!

I've been eating a lot of strawberries lately, but I buy the local frozen (IQF) ones at around 85 Baht for a 500 gram bag. They're just fine with plain yogurt and bananas for breakfast.

Carol hasn't mentioned how hot it is this year (guess it's relative). This is the hottest cool season I can remember for several years.

Off to Ban Bueng today, to spend Christmas Eve with friends at their weekend house. Always enjoy this time together. DS will rent a car and we will drive down. About 1 hour 15 minutes south of Bangkok... in the direction of Pattaya.

Yesterday was a busy day trying to get DHs phone working. He is switching his BKK phone from an old iPhone to a newer iPhone 4S (he has the latest iPhone 5 for home now). Anyway, what at adventure. MBK can do some stuff, but not all of it. Today we go back to MBK to get the iPhone 4S "unlocked" which had NOT been done. Right now it shows "no service" but hopefully it will get service once it is unlocked! Why didn't we think of that little glitch yesterday!

We had dinner at Monsoon last night. Very nice. We dined outside. Quite pleasant!

Another sunny day in Bangkok is upon us. It is Christmas Eve day here now.

Michael, I don't mention how hot it is because it is no bother to me. Chicago is very C-O-L-D.... I much prefer THIS weather in Bangkok!!! Bring on the heat...

Carol

Hi Carol! Can't believe it was just about a year ago that I met u and got your tour of a mall and advice on getting around BKK. Sounds like you're having a great time. Wish we were coming again this year. happy holidays!

Happy Holidays to you as well, yestravel. The weather here today is delightful! A bit lower temp, I think. Illinois is covered in snow!!

Well.... the iPhone adventure continues. DH switched his SIM card yesterday to his 'old' iPhone 4S.. but he got "NO SERVICE"... because the phone had NOT been unlocked. We had discusions (at times heated) about what was going on with the phone. (I was right) Would you believe, 1000 baht to have it unlocked? And it takes 24 hours. Live and learn.

Off to Ban Bueng in a couple of hours.

You should shop around. USD $10 and only 10 minutes in Saigon to have your iPhone unlocked.

when i unlocked mine it simply was a series of perhaps 5 numbers used ... MBK saw you coming.. TIT

Whatever.........

I wish he could have gotten it done that quickly and for that much. This is perhaps an iPhone with extra security measures that took a long time for the hackers to figure out how to unlock it?? I recall one of the venders who was buying all of them he could get, but he could not sell them yet, as the unlocking had not yet been figured out. He had a bunch of them in the safe! There is a difference between iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. DH has 4S.

Anyway, we will pick up the phone when we get back into Bangkok this afternoon. We have spent Christmas Eve at the weekend house in Ban Bueng, and it has been great fun. A fabulous Danish meal of roast duck, roast pork, sweet potatoes, boiled potatoes and gravy, red cabbage, and a mud pie for dessert.

Time for breakfast! Chef Lars is preparing an omelet and French bread, etc.

I don't like shopping at MBK for this reason. Too many scams and scammers there. The iphone 4s has been out for months and getting ones unlocked are easy peazy. It sounds like you have been scammed. But like you say whatever.

Unlocked phone works! That was the main objective.

We ended up having dinner at Monsoon. They served turkey and trimmings as a set menu. Not bad!!!

Today was laundry (machine had no power at first, so repairs had to be made...20 minutes maybe). Then an adventure!

I took the Airport Express out to BKK airport because I wanted to speak face to face with an agent from Thai Airways. I enjoyed my ride on the train. Twenty minutes from Phaya Thai to BKK. Seats are very comfortable. Plenty of room. The train stops at the 'basement' level (one floor below taxi stands) so is very handy! The City Line is much more crowded... it costs about half, but it makes some 6-7 stops along the way and takes slightly longer to reach the airport.

I took a number and waited my turn to speak to a Thai agent. Got what I needed in about 20 minutes, then stopped for a Black Canyon coffee, and then back on the Express back into Phaya Thai station. Round trip is 150 baht. One-way is 90.

We had dinner at the top of the Sofitel tonight. Gorgeous view. We ate outside. Weather was pleasant. Not windy at all. Last time we were up there it was quite windy. The restaurant is French, so we had dishes like terrine and foie gras, seared tuna and salad nichoisse (sp) and cold cucumber gazpacho soup. Tasty but not exceptional.

If you want to relax and watch the view (and there were some fireworks in the distance tonight) just get a pint or two of beer (200 baht each) and take your time. Much more relaxed than Sky Bar! Less costly too!!! No 'grand staircase' or Greek portico architecture, but still worth the time to go into Sukhumvit at soi 15. If you are my friend on FB you can maybe see a few pictures!

Not a late night. We're ready to hit the sack at 10:30.

why didn't you just go to one of the thai air offices in the city?

Bob, I knew exactly where to go at the airport. I'm not at all sure where the office in Silom is located. Travel is an adventure!!! Bring it on!!!

Can you believe, I've not had Haagen Dazs since DH got here? I think I'll head to Central World this afternoon for an ice cream fix!

Dinner at Monsoon tonight, with Chef Lars and Pong! Reservations suggested... DONE.

Plans sidetracked today and maybe tomorrow as well.

We had a very nice dinner at Monsoon last night. There were ten of us. Nice to see Thai friends and Dr Jack.

Quiz night at PL left us in next to last place... but still a great time.

What will you do instead? Sounds like you're having more out-and-about at night than we are.

Question: What in the world have you done in BKK or Thailand for 30 visits? I thought about this as we marched on the very thin bridge over the water by the AWatergate. My inside my head voice: "What does she do for 30 visits?"

I have many friends here for one thing. We do printing jobs here in Bangkok for another. I used to supply a small stall in a ladies shop with bags and scarves and such, with goods from here but that shop closed. Bangkok is my favorite city! I really enjoy being here; I can easily stay for weeks at a time.

Sorry for being AWOL for a bit. DS has been in and out of Bangkok Heart Hospital, where he had an angio for some minor pain. Eveything's OK, thank goodness. Now I can get back out again after spending time in the hospital.

Anyway, a couple of dinners: Via Vai last night. Really good pumpkin soup!! I did not do pizza there again, since having it when I first arrived in BKK a week and a half ago. Then tonight we had dinner at Monsoon again. DS wanted to do something close and comfortable because he s/be taking it easy today.

Tomorrow is a big pool tournament and I'll be watching and rooting for DH, DS, and DSs GF Lat. DH has not played much in about a year, so he probably won't be in it very long. DS has issues with his 'bridge hand' since having an IV tube in the top of it! I'd put my money on Lat. She's a really good player. Girls rule!!

It was really pretty hot today in Bangkok, so relaxing in the AC in our apartment after dinner is wonderful! Sometimes ya just wanna veg out....

We are set with a van to Pattaya on Monday at noon. New Years Eve celebrations

Enjoy and Happy New Years.

Another sunny Bangkok in day. Hoping it is not as hot as yesterday was.

No specific plans other than the pool tournament.

Happy New Year to one and all. Watching CNN Int'l and wondering about fiscal cliff. It's actually nice to be away from all that doom & gloom news!!

DH was out of the tournament after round #3, same with DS's GF. DS was still playing when we (DH and I) finally left. Maybe he won?? We'll find out later on today.

DH and I went to a new place for dinner last night. It was an international buffet that was really quite good. They were having a 2 for 1 special so we both ate for the 1400 baht price for just one person. This did not include beverage. We ordered a glass of red wine each, which we did not drink as it had a cork-y taste. Try explaining THAT ONE to a server who speaks very little English..... anyway, we were not charged for the wine. We spoke to three different people until we finally could get the word across, and advise that they get rid of the bottle of wine and not try to serve it to anyone else.

This buffet is located at the Grande Sukhumvit. This big lux hotel is located on Sukhumvit soi 6 and was originally built as a Sofitel (and a really nice one!! I stayed there about 5 years ago) but there was a name change a few years ago. The location on this small soi is probably the reason Sofitel did not keep this location. The traffic out in front of the building is one-way, single lane, and it 'feeds' into Sukhumvit Rd. Traffic can sit on this soi and wait and wait sometimes, so if you have a plane to catch or an appt to keep, you just might not make it on time! Anyway, we may very well return to this buffet at some point.

We are heading to Pattaya at noon today. Marriott points used for two rooms, two nights. We are not charged for the Gala Dinner that the hotel will be having tonight. Some places require payment, whether you attend the gala or not! Marriott does not do that, at least at this location.

have fun

Fireworks here seemed even better than in years past. Marriott is at full capacity (sorry to say, no upgrade to a higher floor room) but we could still catch sight of the amazing display. Pizza and wine for a snack. Happy New Year to one and all!

This morning Pattaya feels (dare I say it) COOL and breezy and FABULOUS!!!! Really enjoying my morning coffee on the balcony!

Today will probably be a trip down to the big mall, Central Festival, for a walk around and maybe get a Haagen Dazs treat. The mall is 7-8 blocks away, not a bad walk actually. There is also a smaller mall attached to the Marriott, where we did a stroll yesterday while waiting for our room to be cleaned. DH got a new Jim Thompson shirt... nice!

The van ride down to Pattaya yesterday was uneventful, although I kept thinking the driver would fall asleep! (Like Edgar's did, and ran into a toll booth!)... but Lat sat up front and kept him busy in conversation the last hour or so!!! Pattaya traffic was like a parking lot, but we knew to expect that.

Marriott Executive Lounge had great food last night. DH and I managed to make "dinner" out of it. DS and Lat went down the road and played pool for a while. We caught up later, when they brought pizza before the fireworks display.

Our one full day here looks like a fabulous one. It is 9:30 and the heat has not settled onto our shaded balcony!! A great place to spend some time today.

Enjoy your holiday, where ever you spend it.

Carol

Hey Carol
Long time, no check in (on Fodors) mainly because dh wasn't going along with my plans to return to Thailand inJan 13. However, he's game for '14.
I just KNEW, you'd be there again over the Christmas New Years period so thought I'd check in and see what's happening. Sounds like a really nice relaxing trip with good sunshine and plenty of shopping expeditions.
We have been going to Florida for Fall and Winter (home for Christmas) and I'm really excited to be planning to return to lovely Thailand next January.
Love your updates. still hope to get together with you on one of these trips or GTG's.
Sue

Hi Sue!! Nice to find you following along here. I thought I'd be found on "page 2" by now! lol Hope our dates can merge at some point here in BKK! Would love to meet up.

DH and I have returned from Pattaya about an hour ago. Travel is an adventure (our motto) and it was, indeed, an adventure getting back 'home' to Sukhumvit soi 8!

I first asked for 2pm check out at Pattaya Marriott so that we would not have to rush around packing and taking time to get breakfast at some point. No problem with late check out as I am a platinum with Marriott.

I went to the 'limo desk' to ask the price of a ride back to Bangkok Suk soi 8. 2800 baht. And we could leave at 3 or 4 pm. (not what I wanted to hear) We paid 2000 baht to get from our Suk location TO Pattaya on New Years Eve day. 800 baht more is too much....

Told DH what I had found out and he said we should walk along the busy street outside the hotel and find a travel agent to ask. Well.... we stepped out to the street, and right there was a TAXI stand... DH asked and was told it would cost 1500 baht to get from Marriott Pattaya back to Bangkok Sukhumvit soi 8. GREAT!!!! The taxi was sitting right there, waiting for a fare. We just needed to go check out and return to the taxi stand.

Checking out took about 15-20 minutes longer than anticipated. Off to the taxi stand.... NO TAXI now. Someone else beat us to our ride! Drat! The guy who stops (flags down) the taxis at that location said we should sit and wait maybe 10 minutes and we would be on our way.

Tick tock tick tock tick tock..... no taxis are stopping for this guy who promised us a ride.

Finally a taxi stops about 50 feet away. I insist that DH go ask that driver what he would charge us. DH tries to negotiate (3000 baht is asking price) and ends up walking away. The taxi driver then pulls up next to where I am sitting, waiting with our bags. I ask him how much to BKK airport and he says he'll take us to "Swampy" (nickname) for 2000 baht. I say YES. It's now 1:15.

So, about 1.5 hours from "beach area" Pattaya to BKK airport. It takes a l-o-n-g time (in traffic) to get from the beach to the big highway. We arrive "Swampy" at 2:45. The taxi driver drops us off on the street level taxi area, and we go down one level to catch the Express Train (same one I took a week ago in this report) which will leave at 3pm. Whew!! Good timing. We get our tickets and hop on the train.

BKK to Phayathai, 19 minutes, then lugging luggage (not too much, thank goodness) down the stairs and back up the escalator to the sky train, which was just pulling in!! Talk about good timing!!

At 3:40 we are back "home" on soi 8. Yippeee!!

Right now we are relaxing. Not sure what we will do for dinner, but we'll come up with something!

Last night we did the international buffet at the Pattaya Marriott. Four buffets and one (nice) bottle of Chilean wine was about 5500 baht. Everyone ate until full. It was all quite good.

I somehow managed to catch a cold a couple of days ago, and it kept me from doing very much walking around/shopping while in Pattaya... boohoo... but today it is much better. I got some cough meds from a Boots pharmacy and they are helping. My runny nose has pretty much stopped, thanks to Benadryl that I had in my kit bag.

DS and his girlfriend left Pattaya this morning at 9am, taking transportation to the Rayong vicinity, so they could catch up with friends at 10am and get a speed boat to take them all out to Koh Samet for a couple of days. They will be back in BKK on Friday afternoon. DS has already posted a photo on Facebook. It looks very nice! I'm sure they will have a nice time. DH and I might consider this for another time. This time we are happy to just be back in Bangkok.

there is a new marriott at rayong, fyi.

next year reserve a taxi a day in advance...

Bob, we've not always had the best experience reserving that taxi a day in advance. If that taxi driver gets a 'better deal' he's off in another direction and we're left standing. It has happened before!!!

I just chalk it up to experience. We made it back to Bangkok in one piece, and DH enjoyed the Express train ride.

We ended up having dinner at Via Vai and it was very tasty. We each tried a different salad (and I had their excellent pumpkin soup). Live music has started up again in the evenings. It's a 3-pc jazz combo. Not too loud. Pleasant! I think the music started about 8/8:30. We were just finishing so only heard about 3 songs played.

Oh... Bob, Swiss friends of ours spent the holidays in Rayong about 2 years ago. I think they thought it was pretty quiet. Probably not what we are looking for. But still good to know that there is now a Marriott there. (free on points is always a plus)

Our last few days in Bangkok will go by quickly, I'm sure. One of the highlights of this trip is, however, the trip HOME. We are all flying the new Thai A380 in first class! That makes leaving Thailand a little bit easier to handle.... lol

DH and I will leave Monday NIGHT (not that AWFUL 6 am BKK-NRT schedule) for routing via Europe instead of Japan. No getting up at 3am to get ready to fly home... yippeeee

DS will have to be up early on Tuesday morning as his flight IS via Japan, but on the A380 at 8am.

Other than re-connecting with a number of friends here in Bangkok, the next few days will be void of anything special (unless I can get the group to go down to the river to see Asiatique... I might accomplish that...) We've not been to the river yet, in nearly 3 weeks!

Hoping you are all enjoying your new year thus far. We are certainly enjoying the pleasant weather here in Bangkok.

Carol

My guys are both in the winners bracket in the big pool tournament today..... but now they have to play each other...AAAARRGGHH

Who do I cheer for...... tough one!

Did you get to Asiatique? Anything new there?

The biggest new thing at Asiatique is the Ferris wheel. More shops and restaurants have opened, and the theaters are in full operation.

Did not get there, but there is still tonight. We need to go to the airport by about 8:30-9:00, so maybe a chance?? Not holding my breath on it though.

DS took 2nd in the tournament and DH took 3rd. Both very pleased (especially DH at age 70)! Very exciting to watch. They faced each other twice during the afternoon/evening. First match DH won, then DS won the re-match. Very proud of my guys. This is a sport they both enjoy.

We have decided to keep our apartment until 6pm for an extra 1/2 day charge. Then we'll leave luggage with the door man and have dinner somewhere, and then go to the airport. We will get to experience Thai international first class service, at check-in and in the fabulous lounge, and then on the new A380! Makes having to leave Bangkok a little more palatable.

Carol

Forgot to add.... nice running into you on the sky train Michael. Hope you got your camera battery. I had more fun than humans should be allowed, shopping (and buying) a number of cell phone cases at MBK!

Safe flight home, and get your coat out...you will need it.

Thanks, Karen. It's ready. The 'burg will be about 43 degrees, so not too awful, when we get back home.

We are enjoying Moet champagne in the Thai first class lounge right now. We're not ordering food as we will be fed on the plane shortly after take off. I hate eating so late (we leave at almost midnight) but I will do my best to eat my pre-ordered meal!! I chose shrimp balls in noodle soup. DH will have beef ribs in red wine sauce.

We were met at the curb here at BKK airport. We each had our own assistant who took our luggage cart and directed us into the Thai first class lounge, where we were offered a comfortable seat and some cold water and cold towels while our boarding passes and luggage tags were processed. Then, off to Fast Track security, followed by immigration (assistants still carrying our carry-on bags and coats). Down the escalator to a waiting 'golf cart' which took us through the business class lounge, all the way down to the first class lounge where we were offered Moet (Dom will be on the A380, I'm sure). All the private 'rooms' are busy tonight so we are seated in the general seating area in our own little quiet corner. UA should do this!! (haha) When it is time to board our flight, we will be escorted to the plane, as a group. There should be 12 of us? I think that's how many 1st class seats there are on the A380. Although maybe not all passengers are here in the lounge. Some may be shopping??

So far so good.... not dreading having to leave BKK toooo terribly.... haha

Hi simpsonc510,
Safe trip back home! I enjoyed reading about your adventures.
Thanks so much for all your help.... I can see how very much you love BKK.

All that pampering sounds great to me. Moët please bring it on. Seriously, after all the miles you have logged you deserve this luxurious ending to your trip. Bon voyage.
Sue

The A380 experience was really terrific! Can't say enough about the fantastic ground service, both in Bangkok and in Frankfurt (where we are now) as well. Time to catch the UA 777 now..... ORD, here we come.