LAchica

Bob-

We looked high and low for the Thai restaurant in the mini mall. Are you sure it is still there? There was a Thai restaurant located right behind the bank, opposite the Swensens, but it was called MK or something. It is a chain - we saw them everywhere. Was I looking at the wrong place?

althom1122

Enjoying your report - can't wait for the ugly.
Traveling is like regular life, only more so (as in, more intense). So there will always be a combination of goods (really good), so-so's (strikingly so-so) and uglies (unbelievably ugly uglies). Glad you're sharing them all with us!

LAchica

UGLY: Here are two of the less than lovely experiences we had in Thailand. There are a few more, but I thought I’d start here:

Bangkok taxi drivers: Goodness. We spent so much time getting prepared for scams and hucksters, but we still got taken. We only took them two times, for back and forth to the airport. On the way to the airport, the driver tried the flat fee approach. We said no, meter. It took a bit to get him to use it, but he did. He also drove a million miles an hour, but we made it. Our return trip back from Phuket was crazy. We walked out to the taxi line, and immediately got scooped up. We did get a receipt from the taxi desk, but it was for a flat fee! What! Isn’t the whole point of using the taxi desk to ensure a meter? The girl herself in the desk told me 400 baht. For a minute, we thought we were at the wrong desk, but saw the sign that they used meter taxis. We got in the taxi and tried to negotiate, but the driver was on his cell, fighting with someone. Really! He was yelling and fussing so loudly!. He was making such a racket that I opened the windows, and preferred to deal with the smog and heat, rather than listen to him scream. He drove like a total maniac.

I remember reading another posting where this same thing happened – going to the meter desk but getting flat fee rate. I couldn’t believe it happened to us too! What is the point of having the desk? We just wanted to get to the Peninsula, so we didn’t argue with the guy, but what a trip! Needless to say, this is what inspired the car service back to the airport.

Cathay Pacific: This was the biggest disappointment of our trip. We spent a lot of time choosing an airline. We’d never flown to Asia before, and thought we would be more comfortable on an Asian airline for such a long trip. For some reason, we thought the planes would be more spacious. Live and learn!

We left from JFK, and I can only describe the check-in and boarding crew as surly. Nothing pleasant about the process. We ended up leaving late (we were actually late on all legs, in both directions) due to the typhoon working across China. When we boarded we were so surprised. The seats were the same exact size you would take on any domestic flight. Tight seats and almost no leg room due to the IFE boxes under the seats. This is probably just naïveté on our part, expecting something better. The food was fair (pea omelets?) and there were minimal amenities (no hot towels, eye shades). I haven’t done that much international flying, but just expected more. Virgin and British Airway seemed a bit more comfy.

We connected in Hong Kong on the way to BKK, and it was complete chaos. The typhoon had struck the day before and left the airport packed with people waiting to reschedule flights. When we arrived, they told us the flight had been pushed back 2 hours, but they didn’t have the gate assigned, watch the monitors. Well, the 2 hours came and went, with no gate info. Finally, the monitor flashed “boarding” but still did not tell us the gate. The HGK airport is huge! My husband dashed to the info desk to get the gate number, where a melee was occurring! Police were called in to handle passengers who were fighting, crying, yelling at the desk agents. They finally told him the gate and we sprinted over. The plane waited on the ground for another hour and a half, once they realized must passengers couldn’t find the plane! We eventually arrived in BKK five and a half hours late. And our luggage was lost! Can you imagine?! Our first trip and we had just our carry-on. Luckily, we had the foresight to pack a change of clothes and medicines, but everything else was in the suitcases. We dealt with the lost luggage desk who told us it would take 3 days to get our luggage returned. They gave us some contact numbers to call. We tried calling the numbers for the next 48 hours. We weren’t able to get through a single time (we must have called 30 times. So did the concierge. Nothing). We did get our luggage 2 days later. But it was a very frustrating process. I understand that heavy weather will obviously impact an airline, but the complete lack of communication was unnerving. The flight home was just as frustrating. Every seat on every flight was completely filled. Every flight was late. The cabin was so loud, with flight attendants jogging up and down the aisles in a way I’d never seen before. It was like a zillion small emergencies were happening. Eek. Just not a good experience. It took an hour and a half to get our luggage in NYC. We were totally fried by the time we got home.

Kathie

LAchica, I've been to Bangkok many times, and always use the Limos from the airport, which are flat rate. I thought the taxis were flat rate from the airport as well. In any case, paying US$10 for that taxi ride seems like a real bargain to me. I'm afraid others may have done you a disservice by emphasizing the possibility of a taxi driver wanting to negoatiate a flat rate that might be a few more baht than a meter rate. To have a little thing like that be the "ugly" part of your trip is really too bad. Sometimes peolpe spend so much time emphasiizing possible scams, it makes it hard for a new traveler to an area to relax and enjoy. (For really ugly, I thought it was hard to top the restaurant experience of taking cookies from the head of a costumed dancer - ugh!)



Your Cathay Pacific experience does sound truly ugly!

Tangata

I don't think that you can blame Cathay for the after effects of a typhoon. This was the next day in Hong Kong? One year on New Orleans is still recovering.

Craig

I have never used the taxi desk but I think the reason for it is to assure an orderly process for handling the all of the people wanting taxis at the airport. The cheapest way to get a taxi into Bangkok (until the new airport opens) is to take the elevator to the arrivals floor and flag a taxi that is dropping off a passenger.

I am sorry your experience on CP was so horrific - I think it would be worth it for you to spend the extra $ for direct Thai flight out of JFK next time. In addition to being a shorter flight, the seat pitch (distance between seats) is quite generous and the in-flight entertainment system is excellent. We drive to JFK from Hartford - I remember your post on this. The Thai flight leaves at about noon so you have to get an early start. It arrives at about 6 AM which is great - no need to stay over night.

You are not alone - we have had our share of travel nightmares. The "good" will remain in your memory forever. You will learn from the "so-so" and the "ugly" and do better on your next trip.

Gpanda

LAC-we've arrived at the opinion that the flight to BKK from Boston is going to be troublesome. There's always something that goes off-track. The worst was the Det-Narita leg of a NW flight where the movie didn;'t work and the reading lights were out. It was a very long 13 hours. We're flying Thai JFK-BKK this time and hoping for better. We'll see.

As Kathie said, $10 from the airport may be slightly more than the meter price, but it's not much. We try not to let the little scams get under our skin.

laurieco

I always take a taxi from the airport in Bangkok and have never had a problem getting them to use the meter. But still, you didn't really overpay by much, especially as gasoline has jumped in price.

I would never take Cathay again either but for different reasons. From JFK, I've never once gotten the non-stop to HK, I'm always routed through Vancouver which, I think, has to be the worst routing in the world! You get to Vancouver at about 2:30am local time and they don't let you off the plane. You have to sit there for 2 hours while a cleaning crew comes on. They (the cleaning crew) didn't even want to let me use the bathroom during that time but I made it clear to them that either they let me in or they can deal with the consequences!

I had no problem with the flight attendants on Cathay, in fact, I thought they were among the best I've ever encountered. (you want surly? Fly American, United, Delta...) On our way home from Kuala Lumpur via HK, I spilled a full glass of red wine all over my pants and the FAs gave me an amenity kit from first class (I was in coach) which consisted of a pair of Shanghai Tang pajamas so I could have dry clothes to put on. I can't see a U.S. airline FA ever doing that.

I agree with Kathie that offering cookies from one's head is truly ugly. I remember years ago in Bangkok, I was staying at the Shangri-La and decided to have a drink in the lobby and the waitress came over to take our order on her knees!! I was absolutely horrified.

lcuy

I just hate it when airlines don't let you know what is happening! Why dont they 'get it' that passengers handle delays and changes much better if the are well informed? And to lose your luggage for two days on top of all that!

Regarding the taxi desks, I think that may have been a a misunderstanding. The reason you get a taxi inside is to get a flat rate cabe at a decent price. This is so you avoid the negotiating/riduculous markups/"meter broken" with the cab driver.

I did hate the taxi thing in bangkok. It was like a constant battle to get them to use the meter. On one occasion, near Wat Pho,we got into and out of about 5 cabs, as none of them would agree to use their meters and were quoting outrageous prices.

To encourage good drivers who turned on the meter nicely, we'd thank them and tip well at the end.

laurieco

One other thing, when we took the non-stop from JFK to BKK, we arrived at about 4:15pm. Craig, you got in at 6am? How did that happen???

Craig

Laurie, when we RETURNED TO NYC we got in at 6 AM. My understanding is that the CP flight arrived at JFK at 11 PM.

rhkkmk

i think that the flat fare from the airport applies to arrivals at the international terminal....i always take the limo so sort of forget, but karen reminds me that from the domestic terminal we have used the meter as there is no desk to designate the hotel destination, etc....there is also a fee for the airport from the taxi line of maybe 50B which the driver pays for i think and then you pay him...

in any case 400 B to the far side of the river is a decent fare....its 800 for the limo...about the best fare i ever had was 285 B (without the tolls)on a sunday afternoon from marriott to the airport...there was no traffic at all...

i find that one flight crew can be 180 % different from the next one....you got the bad one i guess....when there are disruptions like storms, etc everyone is on edge and things back up and turn nasty....in asia there tends not be be orderly boarding of planes and general chaos seems to rule, even in fine weather...

Scotters

I have never had any trouble having the airport taxi use the metre. Are you sure that you went outside the airport bldg to the offical taxi stand. The attendent will ask where you are going and give you a receipt but does not mention a price since it will depend on the meter charge plus tolls etc. The fixed rate of 400 baht is not much different than what you would have paid by meter - 300 plus 50 airport fee and 60 for tolls. I found that taxis waiting outside hotels and tourist spots are the worst for refusing to use the meter. Just walk a short distance down the road and hail one driving by.

At the new airport you will have to get on a shuttle bus for the 10 minute trip to the transport building to get a taxi.
Coming to the airport you will be dropped off at the departure level.

rhkkmk

ahhhhhhh.... a lite bulb just came on....there is more than one taxi desk....to the right as you leave the customs hall there is also a taxi desk....they charge a flat fare....we used them during our first two trips to bkk...i got them from one of the guide books about 10 years ago....

maybe that group or another similar group is what was used...

laurieco

I've always used the taxi desk outside and like I said, using the meter was never a problem.

Craig, that makes more sense. Your original post doesn't say anything about the flight from BKK to JFK; it seemed like you were talking about the flight from JFK to BKK. Read it and you'll see what I mean.

Craig

Laurie, the fact that I do not have a law degree limits my ability to write clearly. I can see now the error of my ways

TracyB

Regarding Cathay Pacific..The first time we took them from Vancouver/HKG/Delhi..was the worst flight of my life..We were in row 66, the very last row on the plane..

There was absolutely no service for us way back there...The turbulence were so bad the whole way between Vancouver and HKG, that i became very ill..For the whole 12 hours..And there was no leg room at all..and i am short and so is my husband.

I approached the flight attendant and told her that i was very ill..and she really did't care less...

Anyhow..we were starving most of the time as well and were soooo disappointed as Cathay was supposed to be Airline of the year..

But then 6 months later..we took them again..the same routing...except to Bombay..We had row 30 seats..and no..there was no more leg room..But the service was excellent, and they treated us so good..

It was like night and day..But in all honesty..i still don't know what is so great about them.

We are flying with them again in December to Bombay again..cause i am using my frequent flyer points...so we shall see..Cause i see they were voted airline of the year again for 2006.

I personally thought Emirates was way better..

Bisbee

A taxi from Don Muang s/b 300baht max to downtown, including the 50baht airport surcharge and 60 baht tollway charge. Limo service generally starts at 700baht. If taxis were one of the worst parts of your trip, then I'd say you had a pretty good trip!