Bangkok Weekend Bash: theynevergotme

theynevergotme

Bangkok Weekend Bash

Jul 09, 2007 13:23

I had spent the a total of 24 hours in bangkok after a cabin crew friend invited me to take the trip with her - A weekend vacation..and why not? I've never been there.

So, last Thursday, i boarded the plane leaving for Bangkok at 10:55pm. Seat 15F. Perfect, i'm right smack infront in the economy class. The trip was 5 hand an half hours and very stressful. A lot of the local men and women go to Bangkok on frequent vacations, besides the fact that shopping there is cheap, they have invested their money on houses and business over there. Along with these men and women, are their kids - from 4 kids to as many as 6 of them - you cannot imagine the riot in economy class with babies and toddlers. ugh!

We arrived in Bangkok at 5:30am and was glad to see it was raining in Bangkok - my first rain sighting in 5 months. After going through verification at the immigration section, i waited for all Etihad Cabin Crew at the luggage claim area because i will be staying with Jee Hyae at her hotel room and will be riding with them all the way through. We reached Radisson's Hotel at 7:30am.

Going to Thailand reminds me so much of the Philippines - the flyovers, the houses living by the railway station, the traffic, the hustle and bustle. It was exciting!

At 9:30am, Jee Hyae and i were ready to explore. First stop, Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest hotel in Bangkok - about 88 storey's high, with a 360 degree view of the land. The view of Bangkok during the day is....well unattractive. And that was that.

Jee Hyae and i ended up walking the streets in Baiyoke, and found ourselves eating fried noodles and tom yum soup for breakfast. When we had finished, Jee Hyae took a wild Tuktuk ride supposedly to take us to the Grand Palace. However, we ended up ditching the ride as the tuktuk driver was offering to drop us in malls and hotels where he was getting paid to bring in customers. We ended up walking the streets some more and decided to buy some water. In 7-eleven, the first sighting of a crisp cold sanmig light!!! To me, seeing this cold beverage felt like winning a prize in a bingo social - you get one out of a million chances of seeing one. So, i took a can and walked around with it.

Next stop, Grand Palace. This time we took a cab to take us there. Grand Palace which is really a complex of Thai buildings showcasing culture, history and architecture. We barely stayed long in that place as it was already raining hard and our shoes were getting wet. Some pictures were taken (see attached).

We took another taxi ride to take us to MBK mall and Siam Square, famously known for all its cheap everything-under-the-sun items. It seemed like Tutuban mall to me. Of course, we had spent half of our time there, i only bought some shoes, 2 pairs of jeans and some accessories - i couldn't get a lot out of shopping because i was constantly reminded that Thai people, like Filipinos, are petite, therefore, the sizes don't fit and i would never trust a free size.

After spending some time in MBK, Jee Hyae and I dared each other to eat street food. We sat on the street gutter, Jee Hyae speaking Korean whilst talking to the old lady vendor and ordering us food to eat. I ate something which it think resembles Bicol Express and found myself eating two servings of it!

To end our day, we decided to go to the Korean community in downtown Asok near the train station. And because of the horrendous traffic, Jee Hyae and i took the train to Asok station.

In the Korean community, Jee Hyae introduced me to Korean food and had me drink Soju. And because of her cultural advantage over me, i was drunk at 7:00pm after a bottle of soju. We finished about 4 bottles of Soju and then took a cab home were we met up with Koo, another Korean Cabin Crew and had beer over her hotel room and slept at 12 midnight.

Twenty four hours straight, and then, it was time to go home.

I spent about 350Dhs. (approx 5,000 pesos) to go have a weekend bash in Bangkok. Going home, the Captain and Cabin Manager for Etihad were kind enough to upgrade me to business class. It was awesome.