Here I go again... Bangkok!
 

I'm mostly packed for trip #21 to BKK (and hopefully Koh Samui/Chiang Mai on this trip). Plans are not complete, as I don't know what date(s) I might be leaving BKK for other locations. I have a return ticket in early August, so I have 2 weeks in Thailand. Some of it will be business (publishing) related, so not all fun and games.

Leaving for Chicago tomorrow. DS will drop me off at a hotel near ORD where I'll be spending one night, flying off early on Sunday morning. I'm using frequent flier miles for a freebie in first class this time. Going over, the routing is via SEA and NRT. Coming back, I just have the stop in NRT before heading straight back to ORD. Managed to snag a 'last minute' saver level ticket for the trip TO Thailand, but am still paying 'standard' award level for the return. That's OK. I'm keeping my res on UA882 coming home! No stopovers along the USA west coast when I come back. I want to clear customs in Chicago.

I have never stayed at the Marriott on the river in Bangkok, but I'm spending 3 nights there when I first arrive. Another fodorite (whom I've met one other time in BKK) will also be staying there with her family. Looking forward to once again catching up with Evelyne from Canada!

After three nights at the Marriott, it's off to my home away from home, the Adelphi Suites on Sukhumvit soi 8. I have 3 nights booked, but that could easily change to a longer stay, if I can't get Maeng to go to Samui with me for a few days of R & R. She needs a break!! If I can't get her away from BKK, then we'll just have to settle for a day-trip to Chiang Mai. And in that case, the rest of my 2 weeks will be spent on soi 8. I'm fine with that... I just want to give Maeng a break from working waaaaay too hard, if she will join me on Samui. Hotel reservations are a sure thing. I have a friend who owns a resort on Chaweng Beach! Flights to Samui might be another story.

Anyway, only the first 6 nights are confirmed as of right now. The other 8 nights are still up for grabs. I'm sure Adelphi will be very accomodating should I 'need' to stay there longer!

Had a disaster to take care of at work today, but now I think I can leave town for a couple of weeks and things will be OK in my absence. (fingers crossed) Now, I need a break! I need shopping therapy. I need to be able to go to a few of the places that the red shirts kept me from visiting back in April!!!

I've promised to report on the UA first class lounges along my flight path. I look forward to spending time 'upstairs' from the Red Carpet at Narita. There's a glass elevator that takes you upstairs, but you can only enter if you are travelling first class! I've been 'up there' one other time, but it is all just a blur, as this was on a trip right after my mother had passed away, and I wasn't in the right frame of mind to be enjoying first class, if you understand what I'm saying. This time, I'm going for all the gusto!

Gonna see Evelyne, hanuman, Dr Jack, Danish friend and his Thai wife and their cute little daughter, and of course Maeng and Nick... and who knows who else!! You never know who you'll run into in BKK. Vinovino? Although he was JUST there... so was kuranosuke! BKK is obviously the place to be.

'Come on along' if you are interested in yet another shopping trip to Thailand. I'll be posting 'live' if you care to read about my adventures on this 'solo' trip. DS will be coming over at some point, but he doesn't have a (free) ticket yet. Work to do before he can get away!

Carol

(pst... dogster is supposed to be in BKK while I'm there too, I think, after his cruise)

your gold should qualify you for lounge access at marriott, but if not try this for free internet....

go to the lower level of the center bldg.... sitting on the first and 2nd round sofas outside of the bakery (directly under the club) allows you access for free to the internet...

say hello to jack at monet il sarto on the upper level of the mini mall....have ice cream at swenson's

oh and have fun.... find us some new shopping places

Swensons... yum (altho it isn't Haagen Dazs..haha) The tip about internet is much appreciated! Thanks, Bob. I hope you are right about gold level getting me into the lounge.

Enjoy the BKK Marriott and the new perspective it affords on a city you know so well. The resort-style property is so pretty at night, in particular, given the way that it is illuminated, and the boat ride to Thaksin Pier is relaxing.

We stayed there once without club privileges and once with -- I found the centrally located club room quite convenient to use and the cocktail hour canapes and sweets were lovely. It is a comfortable, airy space in which to work on your laptop or read the paper.

Please let us know if any of the restaurants have recently changed.

Looking forward to welcoming back Bangkok's first lady of shopping.

UA882 is the flight that the pandas took to return to Boston from BKK several years ago. It stops in cowtown (Chicago) merelt as an afterthought. It's Boston bound.


Bob is quaking because we will now get an impartial opinion about the Marriott, It's simple. If Carol writes good things about the Marriott, she's trying not to hury Bob's feelings. If she pans it, she's teling the real truth.

Have fun, Carol - looking forward to following along...

Enjoy your flights, and give Maeng a big hug from me. If you have a chance mail me her e-mail I lost it.

Nywoman, be happy to send along Maeng's email address to you. Check your email in a little while (gotta read here first).

Gpanda... Chicago an afterthought! Ha! Tell that to Barack. Chicago is 'on the map' right now.. (Blago) And BTW, my friends from Italy thought Chicago was much nicer than NYC (Bos wasn't in the comparison).

Hanuman....."Bangkok's first lady of shopping"... WOW! But I'm not sure a first lady of shopping shops in the places I go... :)

one who knows the bargains does indeed shop in your haunts

Carol, are you sure you can't stick around until the end of August and help show me the "ropes" in Bangkok?

Carol, have a wonderful trip. I wish I were headed for Bangkok!

Neopatrick... don't I wish! However, you may be in luck (not sure yet...) DS will be coming over for about 4 weeks, and will probably be around the last part of August. I, on the other hand, MUST head back home at the beginning of the month. Wish I COULD stay on... I would love to show you places like the Pickled Liver (you'd enjoy this place) and Tawandang Night Club (the original one) and the view from Sky Bar. You need to 'hit' all of these places, if possible.

Kathie, we'll be meeting up in HNL before you know it!

Pickled Liver, Tawandang Night Club, and Sky Bar are now all on my list.
Of course, the Pickled Liver was already on my medical conditions list!

Have a wonderful flight and a superb trip Carol. Hope we can meet up at last when we will be in BKK in Jan 2011. I'm also looking forward to your description of the Marriott Executive Lounge and any upgrades your Gold gets you. We just became Gold Marriott members and will stay for a total of 2 weeks at the Marriott on the River so am looking forward to some upgrades that we have not enjoyed during past stays there.

Have a wonderful time.
Sue

Well, my suitcases are done and I am ready to leave tomorrow for BKK like Carol , we will definitely see each other at the Marriott on the River, the Club lounge will be our meeting place..... Carol have a safe flight and see you in Bangkok
Evelyne

Hello Evelyne! Yes, we'll be meeting up at the Marriott soon. I'm so looking forward to it. Peace and quiet is just what I'm seeking for a few days.

I'm at the Marriott Suites OHare right now, spending the night before leaving early tomorrow morning for BKK. This is a really lovely suite! My status got me free internet. Hope it gets me free internet in BKK as well. The price for this suite is only $149. They do a park/sleep/fly as well, with one week of free parking, for about $159-69 maybe... well worth it! Next time I need a park/sleep/fly I'll come back here.

DS Brad drove me up to Chicago and is on his way back home now. It will take him about 3 hrs. He should be home before midnight. We ate at On the Border (Mexican food and very good). It's a chain. I don't know how far reaching it is. They are consistently good, and very fresh ingredients. They are all over the bigger cities in the midwest.

Time to hopefully sleep. Hey, if I can't sleep, I'll just get up super early and get on the 5:05am shuttle and bide my time at the UA first class lounge! That sounds good.

Gotta pick up some good chocolates at duty free for Maeng and the girls at the printing company office.

More later......

look forward to more... can't wait for our marriott arrival on oct 28

The International First Lounge (UA) at OHare is much quieter than the Red Carpet. It's a smaller room. There are showers, which I'm not using since I just showered before heading to the airport.

Food selection is better than the rather sparse selection in the RCC. I'll be getting breakfast on the flight to SEA so will hold off. But there is fresh fruit and pastries and a coffee machine, orange juice, all the liquor you could imagine, if you want to spice up your cuppa-joe. (not me)

There are only about a half dozen people in this lounge. The RCC regular lounge is visible from the big windows here, and I can see that it is also relatively quiet at this ime of the morning.

Long day of flying ahead. I'll check in when I can.

Bye for now!

bon voyage--first class babe..

Bought some See's candy to take to the publishing office. The girls love good chocolates.

Red Carpet Club at Seattle is down an escalator from the departures terminal (N). It's a nice refuge from the crowds of people waiting at food venues and gates up on the main floor. Most seats are empty, so it's quiet.

"First Class Babe".... :) (thanks, Bob)

Oh... should have mentioned that I met a fellow traveller, an Aussie with British passport, living in Chicago, and working a lot in Singapore! He is telling me that I should go to KL or the Maldives. Maldives look FABULOUS (if I were a lay-on-the-beach sort of person). Anyway, he says that KL would be better for hand-made market shopping over Singapore. I'm thinking 'side-trip' for a few days, if I can't get Maeng to go to Samui.

Carol, you are visiting my home RCC!

I think the Maldives are great for a lay on the beach type person, but they hold no interest for me. And, as a crafts shopper they wouldn't be your cup of tea either.

We found little in terms of hand-made crafts in KL. There is the Central Market that has some nice hand-woven textiles, but not a lot else. There are a few places for hand made crafts in Singapore, but it also is not a crafts shopper's dream. You would be better off in Indonesia for crafts.

BTW, I don't know that you have been to Hanoi. There are some wonderful crafts to be had there. We met a woman from Zurich who was buying dozens of interesting hand-made purses for her boutique in Zurich. That would be more to your liking.

I have to agree with Kathy...Not alot of craft items in KL. Penang had more of a choice, and I think you would enjoy it. 3-4 days and you could have a very nice diversion. air Asia for a cheap flight. Lots of good hotel choices also.

hanoi is not a bad idea really... you would love it...look at the Gia Boa Grand hotel....that is where we are staying at the edge of the old town... tons of cheap shopping....lots of different stuff to thailand..

air asia again direct from bkk.....visa upon arrival

excellent idea kathie!!

hello carol....how is narita??

Bob, the visa has to be arranged in advance.

i'm getting mine on arrival... i did do some work on line in advance, but essentially it is a visa upon arrival

In KL, there is a very large government-run craft center near the Bukit Bintang area. It's better than the Central Market, which has stuff from VN and elsewhere sold as Malaysian. That said, I think Langkawi was the best place for batik, etc. that I've been to in Malaysia.

I'll be in Melaka and KL myself next week.

Michael, we visited the government-run crafts center and were very disappointed. I truly could not find anything I wanted to buy. Has it expanded or improved in the last few years? In the Central Market, there are two textile sellers I've bought from each time I've been in KL (only 4 times in 15+ years, so I'm not a frequent visitor). There are some items from outside Malaysia, but all of the textiles were clearly labeled as to origin.

Bob, while the VN government web site calls it a visa on arrival, a visa on arrival means you do not have to make any advance arrangements, anyone can arrive at the airport and purchase a visa. For VN, you must have a pre-aranged visa - you will not be allowed on the plane to VN without the printed email confirmation of your pre-arranged visa or the visa already in your passport. I just wanted to clarify, as the VN government has made it more confusing by their mis-use of the term "visa on arrival."

Hello Carol! My name is Carol too, and I will be following in your travel footsteps. My bf and I will arrive in Thailand right as you leave and will be going to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and a yet to be determined beach vacation. Anyway, I have been reading about your shopping exploits and am looking forward to checking out the places mentioned in your previous trip reports. Hope you have a great trip and please update us on any new finds! :)

Hello Carol, finally we are at Narita also at the ANA lounge ,all flights are on time so should be arriving in bangkok with Thai around 9:30pm, we will be meeting my son in law who is arriving from shanghai at the same time....hopefully. See you soon at the Marriott

Kathie, yes the merchandise at the gov. craft center is pretty underwhelming, although they did have things I hadn't seen elsewhere. I did find some of the art in the little kiosks around the gardens to be more interesting than anywhere else in KL, which is why I would recommend a visit.

It's been a while since I was at Central Market. It was an interesting place, but the crafts/souvenirs were pretty tacky, I thought. I'll have to visit it again next week, as well as Petaling Street. It's been years since I was there at night.

yes kathie i see the differences.... one advantage to my way is that you do not have to send your passport off in the mails

I typed a wonderful long message from the First Class Red Carpet Lounge at Narita, and the internet was so sloooooow and so poor that it didn't post!! Drat!!

I'm now at the Marriott, in an upgraded riverview room. I get free breakfast in either the club or the buffet. I have one hour of free internet right now, and I'm awake at 1am so I'm typing fast!

The RCC first class lounge at NRT is much quieter than downstairs. The selection of food is somewhat better. There is, of course, liquor galore, but I did not imbibe as I had wine on the flight from SEA to NRT.

The showers were almost identical to the regular RCC ones. The same amenities were there as downstairs as well. If the internet is always this poor at the 'upper lounge' I'd just as soon stay downstairs.

The flight to BKK arrived about a half hour early, and my bags were among the very first ones down the turnstyle. There is now a "fast track" immigration point for first class passengers (I don't know if it includes business class, but it might). No waiting.

Taxi 400 baht (I'm a good tipper) and I paid the tolls, so that isn't included in the 400. The meter registered between 200-300 baht for the trip. I'm not sure if there is still a 50baht charge at the public taxi stand or not. I'm thinking they did away with that fee.

My room is really nice. A very comfortable place for a few nights. I can see the huge pool from my balcony, as well as the view down river. If it isn't too hot, I will probably spend some time on my balcony, just watching the world go by.

Tomorrow is VASU for currency and then off to the printing company. I will probably be there most of the afternoon, and will then go to the Pickled Liver for dinner cooked by Maeng. She called and told me that she can now make her FAMOUS CHILI that she used to make at the Brunswick!!! I can't wait to have some!!! I don't care how hot it is outside. Give me that chili! (and a small order of garlic shrimp on the side).

I hope I can sleep tonight, but I slept quite a bit of my long flights here, so I may be awake for a while, or maybe crash and then get up super early for breakfast.

Evelyne, hope to see you in the lounge!

Carol

Following along and enjoying as usual. You have to give me the name and address of your bkk printer when you are in HNL in Sept. Maybe I can do a visit and write off next trip.....lol

Aloha!