Oh Wat A Day!

After a marathon 24 hours without (much) sleep we’re back in Bangkok and off to a memorable start :o)
We booked in to the Grande Ville Hotel in Chinatown, solely because of it’s rooftop terrace. We just had time to scuttle up there when we arrived …. And it was magical :o)

Sitting on the rooftop under a full moon, sipping cocktails with a panoramic view of Bangkok as a backdrop is hard to beat. We had spectacular views of the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, The Golden Mount and so much more, all illuminated by floodlight. Our simple meal of Thai Fishcakes and Pad Thai was absolutely superb. What a brilliant start to the holiday :o)

We were facing eleven flights during our holiday and got rid of two at the outset: We started by flying Qatar airlines from Heathrow via Doha, having got a silly cheap deal on tickets. The first leg from Heathrow to Doha was simply superb. Fuss-free embarkation (apart from the cack-handed BAA security checks) was followed by an early push-off. The Cabin crew were the best we have experienced and worked their socks off to make sure we were contented little pax. The Airbus A340-600 is a lovely aircraft, quiet and comfortable. Plenty of complimentary alcohol, two quite acceptable meals, brilliant seat-back entertainment and a useful free gift (containing tooth-brush and paste, flight socks, a mask and earplugs) meant the flight was over before we knew it …

And then came the dreary wait at Doha.

The new terminal at Doha is coming along well and looks like it will be excellent when finished. But the essentials let it down: The security checks for transferees were poorly set-up, resulting in long queues of dejected passengers. The terminal loos were inadequate and totally overloaded. And if you wanted to buy a can of coke you were expected to hand over a minimum of £5.00 and accept change in useless local currency…. So we all stayed thirsty and Doha sold no bevies :o(

The second leg from Doha to Bangkok was something of a contrast. Our flight from Heathrow was filled with a cosmopolitan mix of all ages and Nationalities. However the flight from Doha was more of a back-packer’s express. Not having a polished head or body piercings Jan felt distinctly out of place ;o)
The Airbus 330 was slightly shabby and seemed more claustrophobic. The plane pushed off late and rattled and groaned as it clawed its way off the runway. No freebies this time along with catering that was more Monarch than Monarch could hope to provide set the tone for the flight….

Shortly after take-off the young German girl in front of Jan reclined her seat with a bang, making painful contact with Jan’s nose. The girl looked round and giggled, but made no apology. Her boyfriend did the same, and I suddenly found my seat-back LCD screen now pointing towards my groin. Had my groin been interested it would have been disappointed, since the IFE had a nervous breakdown and stubbornly refused to work for the rest of the flight. With no alcohol offered and a rather dis-spirited crew of flight attendants the second leg was disappointing. But on balance Qatar gave a good service and breaking the flight into two segments is preferable to a direct flight with Thai or BA.

I’d booked a last minute shared van-transfer just as we left the UK. On arrival at Bangkok we were surprised to be met by a guide and a limousine. Because we were so late booking, that’s all they could provide. Result!!!!

Don’t miss Episode 2 - “Lost In Chinatown……”

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