Bangkok

It has been a few years since I have last been to Bangkok. Flew out on Thai Airways from Ho Chi Minh. I was surprised that the airline still served a full meal for such a short flight (less than 90 minutes). For this trip, I decided to use miles and was able to get a business class seat to Bangkok. The seat was nice enough even though it did creak when reclining. :p

Landed late into Bangkok and was whisked to the Millennium Hilton Bangkok. I was only staying a night but did enjoy the hotel and its amenities. The Flow restaurant has a fabulous breakfast buffet and the river view is really nice.

The rooms are a little small especially compared to my previous stay at the Sheraton across the way. For sightseeing purposes, the hotel is in a good spot between the old city and downtown.


The next day checked into the Conrad Bangkok. The last time I stayed at this hotel I was only in the hotel for six hours as I had an early flight. This time I was able to spend more time at the property. The Cafe@2 offered a good selection for the breakfast buffet but I did prefer the Hilton spread. The executive lounge facilities was nice and the hotel pool is very spacious. The Conrad is connected to All Seasons Place mall so you can easily get any retail needs met without travelling far. The hotel also offers a bus shuttle to the nearest MRT stop. 


I was only in Bangkok for a few days and wandered around the hotel block to absorb the city vibe. I did not notice any of the flooding effects as seen on TV and can only assume the city center did not get affected much. I also wandered around the Old City but did not visit the Grand Palace. You are required to wear pants to visit. That restriction plus the increased fare (400 baht from 250 baht) deterred my interest in going back to visit.


The tuk tuk drivers were as persistent as I last remembered. Too bad the dollar has fallen against the Thai baht. In some ways, the local population has kept prices to the US dollar despite the inflation in the country. So what used to be 35 baht was now 30 baht. I am not sure how this is good for the local economy.

I did not consume as much sticky rice and mango as I had hoped. For some reason, I did not see many street vendors selling it. My creamed corn fried pie was still around in McDonald's. I was happy to see that!


On a final note, with the inflation that is happening in many Asian countries, cash is king. In particular when exchanging currency. My credit union ATM card was the best deal. In comparison, Citibank was a loss of almost 30% of the market rate due to conversion and foreign transaction fees. Plus, Thai ATMs now charge $5 to withdraw money. So if you do it, do it once. :X

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