Goodbye Bangkok, but we’ll be back!

November 20, 2007. Bangkok Thailand

(notes from my journal)

We were up by 4:45 (see the trend), got dressed, grabbed a couple of bread pieces as breakfast and headed straight to the airport. The check-in for Bangkok Air was painless. We headed to our gate but were an hour early before check-in. So, we went to the Bangkok Air lounge. There was complimentary snacks, coffee and juice in the lounge. I haven’t flown with this airline yet but already love it!. There were cheese and cucumber sandwiches, sticky rice in banana leaves, pastries and coffe/tea (iced and hot)! Awesome! Heena sat and read her book, while I updated my journal. I’m seriously telling you, these domestic American carriers can learn a few things from Asian airlines.

Bangkok First Impressions: We are in love with Bangkok! However, we were not wowed by it instantly, as many people are. It sort of grew on us day by day. We felt very comfortable and very much “at home” in the city. For me, it was like Bombay, just simpler. Maybe that’s why the “wow” factor did not kick in. Like most large cities, people here seemed busy, but we also got the feeling of a relaxed pace in their stride. Most interactions we had were very polite and some interactions in public transit were rude. I did feel that we did not venture out at night and experience the “night life” of clubs/bars/lounges (not the sleazy types that Bangkok is infamous for). However, we’re not quite into the clubbing scene, so we did not feel so bad about it at all. Besides, it was worth waking up to watching the sun come up over the river.

Overall, Bangkok felt like a perfect blend of east and west: Asian markets, great food, good public transit, good hospitality, nice people – it’s all there!