Also saw Dr Jack (who had massive life-threatening heart attack not quite a year ago) and he is recovering!! Great news! I know that some of you have met him. A very special friend indeed.

Warm greetings Carol and many thanks as always for your continued support of the Thai economy. (Now, if only I can lure you into spending more time - and funds - in our fine home of Singapore...)

Shame about you not getting that UA upgrade to biz, ORD-NRT. If any consolation, I have distinct - and actually, rather fond - memories of not getting a UA systemwide upgrade (BKK-NRT) back in May, 2005, back in the day when I was a proud UA 1K. (It's pretty much all Singapore Airlines for my business travel these days.) Turned out, one of my UA 'cattle class' seatmates that day was a mountaineering companion, last seen in the early 1990s, in the Yak and Yeti hotel lobby, in beloved Kathmandu, Nepal. A renewed and maintained friendship. (But will still take flying in front of the curtains -- and should you ever decide to consistently fly SQ up front, most honoured to give thoughts.)

Suspect you have your BKK routine, but will still give the promo to some fine friends at Chon Thai, fine dining at that sublime The Siam resort.

Closer to your current BKK home, will give more promos to my present Bangkok business travel property, the Four Seasons (do experience that fine lobby and staff) and my former work place, the St. Regis (sunset drinks at the Terrace Bar).

Have fun in the Land of Smiles; I'm presently scheduled to return to BKK for work in late November -- just in time for Loy Krathong, by design; love celebrating that holiday, riverside.

And, rumour has it, you're later flying BKK-FRA first on a TG A380! If so, congrats. I've had the supreme honour of flying some of SQ's A380s up front on SIN-HKG & SIN-NRT sectors; serene rides, to be sure.

(Carol, I'm convinced our paths once briefly crossed at the UA lounge at NRT. Should your future leisure travel ever include my home port of Singapore, pleased to guest/assist at SQ's fine SilverKris Lounges at Changi. Unless I'm away on a longer trans-pac business trip, Changi is a weekly locale for me.)

Signing off with a most appreciative nod to SilkAir business class service ex-SIN ~ 48-hours back. (More on that, later.)

Warm weekend wishes to you and all,

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

We may very well have crossed paths at the United lounge at NRT at some point. I'm through there quite a bit, it seems. And YES my husband and I have frequent flyer tickets on Thai A380 in first class, BKK-FRA, followed by UA first class FRA-ORD. No one was as surprised as I was when THAT particular route came available in first class. It took about 5 seconds to say "Book it!"

I've just returned from a run to Central World. I explored areas I had really not 'discovered' before, including the enormous food areas on the upper couple of floors!!! If you can't find something that looks good to eat here, it doesn't exist. There is absolutely EVERYTHING you might want. I could not believe how quiet the area was, and it is a Saturday at noon!! IMO this offers more selection than even Paragon! It just hasn't been discovered by that many tourists yet. Do Thais not like to frequent this mall, after the problems of two years ago?? Just wondering.... I spoke to an ex-pat friend who says he has stayed away since the political problems of two (or was it three) years ago.

Just relaxing until our group leaves for Ban Bueng. I hope friend Lars is ready to make lots of pizza!

finally did a bit of shopping today, mostly at the shanghai fabric center at so. bund. fab buys.. material for bkk projects, belt, silk embroidered custom vest being made for K, and several pieces of fabric for pat, linda and karen..

is an MBK place

AskOsena: We are finally going to cross paths. DH and I will be in BKK for Loy Krathong, also, and earlier the rhkkmks will be there. We are all staying at the Marriott Sukhumvit Park on Soi 24 (behind Emporium). Tomorrow we leave for the only place in the world to which we keep returning~~SQ61/SQ62. We would love to share our SIN thoughts with you ~~ all complimentary and positive as it has been on our other SQ flights!!!!! We will be in CM from the 13-21 and back in BKK until Dec. 4. Give us a call at the MSP.

Sandra (Melville)

McBeanie: How is the Marriott Park Sukhumvit? I just e-mailed them day before yesterday and was told to check the online website for prices, etc, although I had some questions that the website couldn't answer.

I have a lot of places on my list for a potential one-month stay. I just got off of an e-mail with an owner of a privately owned apartment in a nearby area of Sukhumvit.

Happy Travels!

Guen: This is the 1st time we have been there, but Bob recommended it, and he and Karen will be there, too. I do know that it is only 3 yrs. old and has a tuk-tuk to the BTS. We also liked that it is right by the Emporium and lots of restaurants that we have been meaning to try. People who have been there say it is spacious, and looks just like the website pix. I will ask them about a monthly rate and get that info to you. I'll be posting on Fodor's after we have been there. Good to hear from you again!

Sandra

The Marriott is not "right by" the Emporium. It is a very long walk down the soi, past Seafood Market. It is actually closer to the Davis hotel and K Village. K Village has a lot of restaurants, and there are a number of them around the Davis as well.

MBKK is right. Friends who have stayed there say the location can be a pain if the tuk-tuks are not availible.

McBeanie: Thanks. It was supposedly to open in 2009, the last time I was in BKK. Although I stay at Emporium Suites, I didn't walk down Soi 24 to take a look. I kind of figured that it would be pretty far down the soi and closer to The Davis. I was curious about it as it is at least in my regular neighborhood. However, I just got an e-mail from another private apartment owner and I will probably either end up in a non-serviced apartment or back at Emporium Suites.

Happy Travels!

Whew, I'm catching up after two very busy days! Yesterday I left off at my visit to Central World and the FANTASTIC food courts and beautiful restaurants of all kinds. I really do think it is better than Paragon, if you can believe that.

At 2pm our group got in a rental van and went to Ban Bueng (by Chon Buri). I stayed only until 8:30pm and then had a driver take me back into Bankgok (1500 baht). We ate (thank you Lars!) great food, had a nice double magnum of a very tasty California wine (Prisoner), plus cold beer. It was a very lovely evening! I was tired and slept in the car back to Bangkok (about 1 hour 15 minutes). My head hit the pillow as soon as I closed the door to my soi 8 apartment!!! No time for internet... just SLEEP!

Khun Nok and I were planning to meet this morning at 10:30 to go to some places she wanted me to see. At 8:30 my phone rings, and Khun Nok is in the lobby!!! She had sent me a text, which I did not see, and posted on FB, which I did not read, because I was so tired.

I felt bad making Khun Nok wait, but I quickly took shower and had breakfast, and then we were off.

We took the BGS to Udomsuk stop (on the way past On Nut). I now know what happens when you use a Rabbit card for a trip past On Nut. On another thread, michealbkk was telling about the extra cost to ride past On nut. When I touched my Rabbit card to the machine at Udomsuk, it did not open the gate. It said PLEASE SEE AGENT. I had to pay an extra 15 baht at the ticket window. So, that's how it works!! I had wondered how they would manage that extra fee with a 25-ride pass card.

From the Udomsuk BTS stop, we took a taxi for the 60 baht ride to the SuanLuang Rama 9 Gardens. This a just one of the King Rama 9 gardens. I can see that during December the flowers will be in bloom and it will be very beautiful indeed. The park is very very large. We started out walking, but it was very hot today (the hottest day yet) and the black asphalt pathway was very hot on the feet. After we had walked for some distance, we waited for the tram to pick us up for a tour of the park, but it did not come. The driver was having lunch! We decided to leave and get a taxi for our next stop. When I go back to the Suanluang Rama 9 Gardens, I will start out on the tram!!!

It was another 60 baht taxi ride to get to our next stop, the Paradise Mall. This mall is in Bang Na. Khun Nok had not been before, and I had never been there, so we did not know what to expect. It was a nice mall, and we had ice cream sundaes at Swenson's, but did not buy anything there. This mall has a Home Pro as its big box store. The rest are small shops and boutiques. I did not recognize very many names of the shops, but they had a very nice area for beauty products. There was a huge fresh market area in the basement level. This area was very busy, as it was approaching lunch time.
How do I describe Paradise Mall... maybe it is somewhat like the new Gateway Ekkamai..? Not like MBK. Not like Platinum. Not very crowded at all.

We walked around the mall, having a look, and then took a 200 baht taxi ride from there to The Promenade/Fashion Island. Now THIS was a NICE mall. It is not a Paragon. It has a Home Pro, Big C, and Robinsons as big box stores. The rest are smaller shops with some familiar names. I looked at clothing for a little girl who will turn 1 year old when I get home from BKK this trip. I did not buy anything though.

We had a nice lunch in the international food court at Fashion Island, then walked around a bit more, and then went next door (a hallway connects the two malls) to Promenade to see the fountains. Not like the fountains at Bellagio.... but still nice. A bit like the fountains at the mall in Pattaya that is connected to Marriott... but bigger. How do I describe Fashion Island and Promenade? A bit like the new mall in Pattaya (it has a big Central store). Again, it is not like MBK or Platinum or Paragon. I really enjoyed having a look though.

We caught a van coming into the city (20 baht each???) that dropped us off at Victory Monument. I got on the BTS to Nana to relax and do laundry so I have clothes to wear!!

It has been a really nice day. But now I'm resting. I may go down to Monsoon to have some dinner in a while, after my washing is done and hung to dry. Nice to have my comfy sofa to relax on!!!

The group from yesterday stayed at Ban Bueng last night, and then drove into Pattaya today for a pool tournament, and to stay for a couple of days. I will see them again on Tuesday.

have fun... heading to bkk on Tuesday

you want to shop, come to shanghai... amazing at all price levels...

we found marriott sukhumvit to be very convenient and had no trouble using the tuk tuks

Good Morning from Texas:

We are leaving on that SIN 777 in a short while ~~ to Moscow, SIN and BKK. We are staying at the MSP, and hope the tuk-tuks are readily available. I do NOT walk very far ~~ but if all else fails, there are always taxis!!!!! Looking forward to all the festivities in BKK before leaving for HK, CM and back to BKK for Loy Kratong. What an exciting trip we have planned. The most exciting, however, will be reconnecting with all our friends, and meeting new ones.

Safe travels everyone ~~ wherever you are!

Sandra

Missed you at the Sports Academy!

Rayong, depending on weather and scheduling, I may get there tonight. Khun Nok and I will head to the river for today's royal barge practice, and then head down to Asiatique. We'll probably be done by 8ish. If I'm thirsty for a cold one, I'll head to S.A. Have not been there for a while.

Carol, having a health night, and spa package tonight. I got beat bad at the SA. Only won 1 game of 5. Glad I was not playing for money. Did much better the night before.

Rayong, I did stop by tonight for one cold beer and to chat with Tree and the others.

Another busy day today. I had the morning to myself so got to have a later breakfast and then relax until Nok came to get me at 2:00. We took a taxi to Supatra restaurant, where we had a table for a late lunch (it took nearly an hour to get there in the traffic). This is really a terrific place to view the barges. They have inside dining and outside dining on the terrace. We had a table on the terrace. It had rained an hour or so before the practice, so tables were all placed under a roof to keep us dry... but it did not rain again. The practice lasted almost 30 minutes. Nok said she counted 52 barges. Most were of the more plain variety, but the oarsmen had matching uniforms of various colors, one color per barge. I really enjoyed seeing this practice, even though I did not see the most fancy of barges. There were a few dragon boats in the parade today. I assume there will be a lot more for the dress rehearsal and the 'real' thing.

We planned to take an express boat to Asiatique, but found out that the boats would not be up and running until 6:30, due to the practice shutting down river traffic!! It was only 4:30 at the time, so we hopped in a taxi. The ride took a long time, in traffic. It took a while to find a taxi that would take us there!! We asked several!

I have to say that I was impressed with Asiatique. Most of the stalls are now occupied with vendors. The array of restaurants is amazing! Some look quite fancy. There is a large 'beer garden' at the riverside, which looked inviting. I will definitely go back to Asiatique and spend more time. I did not buy anything, and we did not eat there since we had eaten at Supatra. You can find all kinds of food options here. The shops contain a lot of the usual stuff, but if you look, there some unusual items as well... musical t-shirts that you have to see to believe. They have pictures on the front that react (move, light up) to the sound of music. I had never seen this before!

After Asiatique, Nok was stopping at Saladaeng and I headed back to Nana about 8pm. The shuttle boat ride to the pier was pleasant. The ride is almost as long as to the Marriott (anantara) as the Asiatique location is almost, but not quite, across from the Marriott. We passed Chatrium and the Ramada riverside. The riverside hotels all look lovely, lit up at night. I just wish they were not so inconvenient for getting to and from Sukhumvit!!

I went to Sports Academy for one cold Tiger beer before heading to my soi 8 apartment.

Time to relax, have a snack, and hit the sack.

It was another lovely day in Bangkok. Tomorrow will be a lot quieter! Probably a good idea... I need to have time to myself.

Hi Simpson510: I am simply floored by your comfort and knowledge of Bangkok. When I hear you say at the GTG that you would be on your 29th trip soon, I was stunned. Now even more so, to learn how comfortable you are, and what energy you have.

It's hard for me to decipher all the short hand you old BKK hands use when describing places, and addresses, but it sure is fun to pick up on your enthusiasm.

Hope the trip continues to be wonderful!