Isabell & Jamie in Bangkok
9 Days In Thailand
Day 1: No Sleep 'Til Asia
I left Los Angeles at 1:15am for what I thought was going to be a 14 hour flight on China Airlines to Taipei, Taiwan where I was supposed to catch a connecting flight to Bangkok, Thailand. We crossed the international dateline and it instantly became tomorrow. I wasn't expecting to get much sleep and I didn't. I don't sleep well sitting up.
Day 2: The Typhoon
After about 14 hours of watching movies, trying to sleep, and playing with my PSP, we started to descend upon Taipei. It turned out that they were having a typhoon and the plane was getting a lot of turbulence. At the last minute, the pilot decided cancel the descent and turn around and head south. A couple hours later, we landed in Hong Kong. The airline put me on the next flight to Bangkok, but they told me my luggage was going to Taipei. At this point, I started to think that taking such a short trip to Asia was a bad idea. But a funny thing did come into my mind... the fact that five years ago, I would have never believed that I would ever go to Hong Kong, but in the past year I have been there three times and arrived by three different modes of transportation: plane (from Los Angeles), train (from Guangzhou), and boat (from Macau). I made it to Bangkok only a couple hours late. Someone from the airline tracked down my luggage in about 5 minutes. They said it was in Taipei and they would fly it to Bangkok and deliver it to my hotel by midnight. I thought... YEAH, RIGHT. I took a taxi to the Amari Boulevard Hotel in the Sukhumvit Road area and met my friend Isabell who had flown in the night before from Beijing, China. I hadn't seen her in 4 years because she's been living in China and England. We went out for a walk and some thai food before I had to get some sleep.
Day 3: Bangkok, The Old City
When I woke up, there was a message on the phone and a note under the door. My luggage had been delivered! I was very impressed. The two times when my luggage was delayed in the US, it took over a week to have it delivered. China Airlines got it to me in a few hours and it was in a different country! We started the day by hitting the main tourist sites in the Old City along the Chao Phraya River. We went to the Grand Palace (built in 1782) and Wat Po (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), both of which had some great architecture. Next we went to Khao San Road which is where all the backpackers hang out. Tons of shops and street vendors and cheap food. While we were there, I experienced my first thunderstorm. We were walking down the street when it started getting a little breezy and sprinkling. All the vendors in the street suddenly picked up all there stuff and RAN for cover. A few minutes later, it started pouring. It turned out to be one of the worst T-storms I've ever seen, but it only last a few minutes before the sun came out and everything went back to normal. Later that night, another T-storm hit and the city lost power. We decided to get a Thai foot massage in the dark at one of the places that advertised "NO SEX". It turned out to be less than spectacular, but it was cheap.
Day 4: Bangkok, Shopping
We spent the whole day today hitting the malls... Siam Center, MBK, Siam Discovery Center, and Central World Plaza. A mix of expensive fashion stores and cheap vendors selling knock-offs of designer products. I didn't end up spending much money, but I had fun browsing. I found out that I'm considered a size LARGE in Asia. I also found some more Paramount Original Studio Clothing that I had seen in China last year, as well as a Manchester United line of clothing. It was nice to spend the day inside since it's so hot and humid. That night, we went to the Banyan Tree Hotel, where at the top of the building above the 62nd floor, they have an outdoor restaurant. You can see the entire city while you eat including the T-storms in the distance... which is scary when you're sitting outside on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city.
Day 5: Bangkok to Phuket
After having breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport for our one hour flight on Thai Airways to the island of Phuket, where the tsunami hit less than a year ago. From the aiport we took a taxi to a remote part of the western side of the island where we were staying at The Chedi. The Chedi is a very secluded resort consisting of small cottages along the beach and on the hillside. The lobby and restaurant overlook the pool and the sea. We checked in and got one of the hillside cottages. The beachfront cottages were hit by the tsunami and were still being repaired.
Day 6: Phuket, Sightseeing
This morning we decided to talk a trip to Phuket Town. The small city on the other side of the island where most of the locals live. We went to a couple of tourist shops and a "department store" but we were bored and asked them if they would take us back to the hotel early. We spent some time at the pool and the beach in the afternoon and that night we went to Patong. Patong is crowded, noisy, smelly town where all the nightlife is. Tons of bars, restaurants, hotels, and hookers. We did some walking around and had a great, but overpriced, Phuket lobster dinner at a tourist restaurant. We also went to one of the outdoor bars and saw some live music.
Day 7: Phuket, Time To Relax
Today was HOT. There were practically no clouds in the sky and the sun was beating down on us. We stayed by the pool and by the beach all day long under an umbrella while sipping milk from a fresh coconut. That night we went to the spa and got some great massages. The massages weren't cheap but we determined that you get what you pay for in Thailand when in comes to clothing and massages. Food, however, is good and cheap everywhere.
Day 8: Phuket, The Final Day
Our last day at our beautiful resort. It was a perfect day because there were some clouds in the sky blocking the sun. Unfortunately, since I couldn't see the sun, I ended up getting a bit of a sunburn today. We flew back to Bangkok and did some last minute shopping before Isabell had to leave for her flight back to China.
Day 9: The Trip Home
All my flights went smoothly today. I made my connection in Taipei and the 12 hour flight back to Los Angeles was very pleasant because I had a whole row of seats to myself, so I could lie down and get some sleep. I timed it just right, so that even though I had a 40-hour day, I was able to go to sleep at my regular time on Sunday night and not be jetlagged. It's flying west that really gets to me.
The Day After
Although, I would have loved to spend more time in Thailand, I think that one week was a great amount of time to. I got to spend a few days in the city and a few days relaxing at the beach. I did everything I really wanted to do: eat, shop, get a massage, and go to the beach and I still have some vacation time left over. But my favorite part of the trip by far was getting to spend time with Isabell who I missed very much and now I'm going to miss even more. Traveling anywhere in Asia is an amazing experience that I highly recommend to anyone. Thailand is especially easy to travel to because it's cheap and English is widely spoken. I can't wait to start planning my next trip. Where to go next...?
You want pictures? HERE ARE THE PICTURES!
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