crosscheck

Nice cliffhanger - Waiting with baited breath to see how you ditched the Number 1 Restaurant.

The concierge at the Pen also told us it would take an hour + to get everywhere. We did figure out that it was easier to cross the river and then get a cab, but even then we encountered mindblowing traffic (even to me - NYC native, live in LA).

Kathie

Crosscheck, that's why it pays to take the skytrain after you cross the river.

crosscheck

We thought the skytrain was a cool way to get around during the day - do all of you use it at night as well? We only asked the Pen staff about taxis at night and they always told us that it would take over an hour to wherever we wanted to go.

thursdaysd

Yes, I would use the skytrain at night, why not? I rarely use taxis in Bangkok except to get to and from the airport.

Kathie

Yes, we have often used the skytrain at night.

From the Pen, it would take an hour to get anywhere at rush hour by taxi because you have to cross the bridge. The Pen can work well for you if you use the shuttle to get across the river and then take either a taxi from the Oriental or the sky train, depending on where you are going. Otherwise, you will feel isolated on the wrong side of the river.

We take taxis infrequently in Bangkok. The Skytrain and water taxis work for most places.

Marija

We quickly learned to cross the river whenever we wanted to go anywhere. Getting across is so easy and quick that I just don't get the big deal about being on the "correct " side of the river. It's easier to cross the river in front of the Peninsula than it is to cross a street in Hanoi.

Hanuman

During the night time, from 8 or 9 PM onward, I would say that it will not take longer than 30 minutes to get to or from the Penn by taxi from central Bangkok.

Kathie

Yes, Marija, it is MUCH easier to cross the river than it is to cross a street in Hanoi! The problem with the wrong side of the river was that the Pen doorman and/or concierge recommended you take taxis from the Pen rather than from across the river, and didn't consider the skytrain, both of which would have made your journeys faster. You didn't know to ignore their advise and just catch the skytrain to Lana Thai or the skytrain or taxi to Gaggan.

Marija

<b>Bangkok (continued)</b>

The Number 1 Restaurant welcoming committee is holding the taxi door open, waiting for us to emerge; the taxi driver is pointing to the meter, waiting for us to pay. The situation is critical--it's 8 PM, our reservation time at Gaggan. Since we don't have any idea where we are, except that we aren't at Gaggan, and we don't have any way of telling another cabbie, if we could find one, how to get to Gaggan, it's clear we must make this driver take us and take us quickly. Without discussion we assume our roles.

Bruce takes out paper and pen and with great theatrical flourish starts recording every discernable piece of identifying information that is displayed in the cab in a script that he can copy. (This is no time to start learning Thai characters or to pull out an iPhone.) It is up to me to provide the sound track, a daunting task for someone who doesn't know a single word of Thai, except sa wat dee. I don't even know how to pronounce Gaggan correctly. I start with a firm NO, hoping that Thai isn't one of the languages that doesn't have a NO. Then I shout GAGGAN several times, adding an emphatic POLICE for good measure, hoping the guy knows the word from prior client interactions.

The driver turns the cab around, meter still running, and heads back in the direction from which we came. Ignoring the possibility that we might be heading to our demise, we worry about whether the restaurant is still holding our table. We stop a couple of times while the driver makes inquiries of people on street corners and, fortunately, the last couple speaks English and tells us that the restaurant is a bit further up the street. Since I know the restaurant is in a house set back from the street, we aren't concerned when the driver tells us to get out without the restaurant in view. Now to the delicate matter of the cab fare. The meter reads 150 baht ($5). I estimate that at least 50 is attributable to our detour. To discourage the driver from repeating his antics, I refuse to pay the full amount and instead give him 100. He shouts and points to the meter. We ignore him and calmly walk to Gaggan where our table is still waiting for us. Close call! Excellent meal!

Having read about Bangkok malls, even as an impaired shopper, I wanted to see what the hype is about. Since MBK is a quick walk from the Jim Thompson house, that's where we went. MBK was an experience almost as frightening as the possibility of missing dinner. I'm so glad we paid a visit since there was no way I could have imagined how big and crowded a mall can be. It made the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul look like a 7-11.

Since shopping at MBK was much too complicated for us, we went to River City in search of a small memento of our trip. The small memento morphed into a large Buddha head which barely escaped needing its own seat on the plane. Our last dinner in Bangkok was at the China House where we had superb Peking duck. Thanks, Craig, (if you're reading) for that excellent suggestion.

Our flight to Narita was at 7:00AM, requiring a 4:00 AM wake up call. The roads at that hour on a Saturday were empty and in a half hour we were at the airport. Soon we were standing at the check in counter behind a couple who must have been booking an around the world ticket using stolen frequent flier miles. We barely made it to the gate, despite arriving two hours before flight time.

Thanks for reading and for all of those excellent trip reports which helped us plan! <b> (And remember not to give the taxi driver the only copy of instructions to your destination, especially if it's dinner.)</b>

Sue_xx_yy

"I'm an impaired shopper who doesn't know have the patience to look for treasures or recognize them when I stumble on them..."

I am grateful to learn I am not alone, I was beginning to think I was suffering from X chromosomal deficiency.

Sue_xx_yy

Meant to add as well, that I am enjoying your report. When a cousin's child went to work in Viet Nam for a few years, I like you had a strange sense of disconnect, from hearing names I'd remembered only in a war context, spoken so casually.

I know little about Ho Chi Minh. All I remember is TV footage of radicals chanting Ho, Ho, Ho...

Kathie

Great end to your report! It sounds like you had a fabulous trip with a dollop of learning experiences.

So glad to hear that you enjoyed Gaggan. We haven't been to China House in years - it may be time for a return trip.

yestravel

Thanks for a great report!

crosscheck

<<MBK was an experience almost as frightening as the possibility of missing dinner.>>
Yes! We decided that it stood for 'Mostly Bogus Kitsch."

Awesome report...Where's the next journey?