Blogs from Bangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 17

Happy New Year early from Thailand!!!! We've enjoyed our 3 days in Bangkok, and as our Fodor travel guide book (and most importantly our trusted friends) have advised, we're glad we aren't spending too long here. For how big this city is, there surprisingly isn't more than 2 or 3 days' worth of sites to see, and in the end, this is a crowded metropolis more than anything. That said, it would be a mistake to visit Thailand and not spend at least some time in Bangkok. **Travelers note**... During the last 2 hours of our 26 total hours of travel time to get here from Denver, I felt cooped up like a rat in a cage in my airplane seat on the 7 hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok. I'm talking stir crazy... I could ... read more

Just so that we could standout from most of our fellow Peninsula hotel residents, who seemed to spend all day on the hotel campus, eating, swimming in the pool, and attending entertainment laid on by the hotel, We got out and about (a little). There is a great water taxi service across the river to the Skytrain station, all for free. We took the train to Central station and walked a short distance to Jim Thompson’s house, now a museum. Jim was an American architect who was sent to Bangkok when he was in the army. He loved the country so much that he stayed and reinvented the Thai silk trade. His big break came when the film ‘The King and I’ was made. His silk clothing was used in the film. His house is interesting ... read more

I have this vision of Jim Thompson that embodies just about everything I think of when I think of Southeast Asia: interesting, exotic, and more than a little mysterious. A few facts are incontrovertible: He was born in 1906, and attended Princeton. He was a working architect in New York, and then became director of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1941, he abruptly quit his job and joined the Delaware National Guard. He was married, but about six months after the wedding, the military sent him overseas. The marriage did not survive the war. During World War Two he was recruited into the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor of the CIA, and served in Southeast Asia. When the war ended, he was assigned to the American Legation in Thailand. He liked Thailand, and ... read more

Our last day of cycling has come around quickly with 1150 kms in total. Today was a 55 Km ride again in strong winds that were mostly favourable past small rural villages. The last few kms was an 8-10% climb up to the Khun Dan Dam with spectacular valley views below the dam wall. Riding finished with a very fast return downhill & lunch. After lunch the crew packed our trusty bikes for the last time, said goodbye & we then drove the final 110 kms to our destination, the Nouvo City hotel in the pulsating old town of Bangkok. A late afternoon flight next day meant we only had the evening and the following morning to explore Bangkok. The group had a final evening meal followed by a wander down Khao San Road & surrounds, ... read more

Day 6 - So we had a slight mishap yesterday, that we confirmed today. So you may not notice it because it is just so familiar to you, but when you withdraw money from an ATM in Australia it always gives your card back to you before it gives you your cash. This does not happen in Bangkok.......it also doesn't happen in Bali, which is where we first discovered the phenomenon! So I love my husband very much........but twice now, he has walked away and left our ATM card in an international cash machine. We turned our room upside down, it isn't here. All is well, this is why Kristal is a paranoid planner, always with a backup plan! Commonwealth is about the worst bank in the world to do business with overseas, with the withdrawal ... read more