We landed at BKK, again enjoying the nice view provided by the air-cam at the front of the plane that provided the pilot's perspective, and as we taxied to the terminal, the first rays of dawn were peaking over the horizon. I passed through passport control without a hitch, and discovered that my bag had indeed successfully made it to BKK.
I was waived through customs while people coming off a plane from India were targeted to have their bags run through an x-ray machine for futher inspection. At BKK, sometimes the contraband smuggled through is capable of biting back--BKK routinely busts people smuggling illegal wildlife through the airport that somehow got past the security screeners at the originating airport.
The scams/tourist solicitations at BKK are mild in comparison to other airports--the only group that actively solicits you is an over-priced airport run limousine service with offices in the baggage claim area. Considering there are plenty of other options, its best to ignore them and head to either the newly built train to the city center, express buses or even cabs. Cabs in Bangkok are a relative bargain provided you make sure they turn on the meter--which is not usually a problem--and the meter is pegged to distance traveled. And the process of getting a cab at the airport is simple--you write your address on a piece of paper, and give it to the officer in charge, and she fills out a form, and gives it to a cab driver. Quick, easy, and painless.
I knew it was going to be humid in Bangkok, and had mentally prepared myself for it. But I forgot just how bad the humidity was--as soon as I stepped out of the terminal it was like I had stepped into a steam room. It was like stepping into a wall--and this was at 6am, no less.
The last time I drove into town from the airport was at night in the midst of a rainstorm, and saw a spectacular scene of sideways rain being illuminated by some of the billboard lights. The drive into town this time was also pretty, as the sunrise gave the area a pinkish glow, with some of the morning mist still hanging around near the ground.
The cab driver kept repeating to himself "Silom, Silom"--and I could only guess what he was thinking--"ooh, big spender going to Silom." Unfortunately, my Thai is limited to about three phrases, and its impossible to have a conversation with anyone when the only phrases you have in common are hello, thank you, and don't worry about it. So, all I could do is sit back and hope to god I was going to the right place--because of printing issues, I forgot the map.
Fortunately, my fears of being taken for a ride were unfounded, as I recognized the various locales as being in the area of my place, and I arrived and check into my temporary residence for the summer--just a short walk away from my office.
The cab ride cost? a very reasonable THB 400 (about 13 bucks).
In comparison, whenever I withdraw money from the ATM, the local banks here, knowing this isn't a local card, charge an absurd THB 150 for the privilege--double what I usually pay in the US.
And what did I do on my first day in the city of angels? Write-on. Seriously. I locked myself in my residence, plugged in my laptop, and twelve hours later, had a rough draft ready to go. It wasn't much fun, but hey, that pretty much describes the life of any professional student (outside of those in adult day care aka biz-school, according to my biz-school attending friend).
Monday, June 6, 2011
In heaven, the chefs are French....and the toilets are Japanese
We arrived at Tokyo-Haneda right on time...but of course, do not get a jetway. Unlike in the US, however, non jetway gates are common and they have these things called stairs that you use to get off a plane--something that could come in handy in the US if lets say all the gates at an airport were busy and a plane was holding on the ground for a couple of hours. But that never happens...
I'm not one to complain about the lack of a jetway--I happen to enjoy the tarmac experience of seeing the various planes up close and personal--its definitely a departure from the norm, at least from the US norm.
Somehow, they managed to cram a 777 economy class worth of people on three airport buses--an exceptional feat, except when you realize that Japan is a country that employs train pushers at rush hour--people that actually push commuters into jampacked trains. I'm assuming that an airport is not the proper place to introduce visitors to a unique cultural custom, but who knows--that wasn't in the case in Vietnam with their airport taxi stand.
For the third time that day, I had to go through airport security--only the Japanese manage to somehow make it bearable and non-stress inducing. Seriously. The screeners are polite, they help you with your stuff, and if you happen to have a little water left over in your water bottle they don't make you pour it out--instead, they pour it out themselves into a special container for whatever reason.
It was at Haneda that I first encountered Japan's technological coup-de-grace--their toilets. I'm serious. Japanese toilets are simply awesome, even in an airport. Seats are heated, there are different levels/intensity of flushes, and there are even built in deodorizers. It is truly a throne, fit for a king. You know that old joke that in heaven, the trains are Swiss, the chefs are French, the policemen are British...? Well, add "the toilets are Japanese" to that list. I can only suggest a possible slogan for all potential Japanese toilet salesmen: "A can is just a can, unless it comes from Japan." See, catchy!
For as technologically advanced as Japan is, the one thing Haneda lacked was outlets for me to recharge my laptop. Fortunately, they have a paid lounge, and for the low low price of 1,000 yen--aka 13 bucks, I was able to use a common use lounge with all you can drink non-alcoholic beverages, comfortable seating, outlets, and free wifi--and was actually able to get some work done too during a 2.5 hour layover. Easily the best 13 bucks i've ever spent.
The Japanese emphasis on order stands as a contrast to other East Asian cultures--namely the Chinese and the Vietnamese, which seem to treat chaos like a prized cultural value--while getting in line to board my red-eye to Bangkok I had elderly retirees insist that I go before them in line, even after I deferred, conveying the universal "no...you first" gesture. Once on board, the lady sitting in front of the empty seat next to me actually asked if it was okay if she leaned her seat back--a first for me. On both flights, the flight attendants warned of turbulence, which either didn't happen, or was mild in comparison to the turbulence my flight to SFO experienced over the front range of the Rockies. For those interested, however, I only experienced turbulence when my plane was to the east of Shikoku, and while we were over Taiwan--in a place identical to where my Cathay flight back home was buffeted.
The good news for my parents is that that money that went in part to Japanese lessons through my school's tuition generated at least some return--I can now say thank you very much with the best of them--when one flight attendant heard my response, her face brightened and asked if I could speak Japanese in Japanese--a question met with disappointment when I looked at her like I had no clue what she was saying.
I tried to sleep, but I was too well-rested from the earlier flight to manage much--and the legroom generally wasn't that great either. At least the cabin was cooler!
Another note: it is remarkable just how dark and undeveloped Laos and inland Vietnam is. We flew right over both countries, and there was absolutely no illumination to be seen--it was identical to flying over water.
I'm not one to complain about the lack of a jetway--I happen to enjoy the tarmac experience of seeing the various planes up close and personal--its definitely a departure from the norm, at least from the US norm.
Somehow, they managed to cram a 777 economy class worth of people on three airport buses--an exceptional feat, except when you realize that Japan is a country that employs train pushers at rush hour--people that actually push commuters into jampacked trains. I'm assuming that an airport is not the proper place to introduce visitors to a unique cultural custom, but who knows--that wasn't in the case in Vietnam with their airport taxi stand.
For the third time that day, I had to go through airport security--only the Japanese manage to somehow make it bearable and non-stress inducing. Seriously. The screeners are polite, they help you with your stuff, and if you happen to have a little water left over in your water bottle they don't make you pour it out--instead, they pour it out themselves into a special container for whatever reason.
It was at Haneda that I first encountered Japan's technological coup-de-grace--their toilets. I'm serious. Japanese toilets are simply awesome, even in an airport. Seats are heated, there are different levels/intensity of flushes, and there are even built in deodorizers. It is truly a throne, fit for a king. You know that old joke that in heaven, the trains are Swiss, the chefs are French, the policemen are British...? Well, add "the toilets are Japanese" to that list. I can only suggest a possible slogan for all potential Japanese toilet salesmen: "A can is just a can, unless it comes from Japan." See, catchy!
For as technologically advanced as Japan is, the one thing Haneda lacked was outlets for me to recharge my laptop. Fortunately, they have a paid lounge, and for the low low price of 1,000 yen--aka 13 bucks, I was able to use a common use lounge with all you can drink non-alcoholic beverages, comfortable seating, outlets, and free wifi--and was actually able to get some work done too during a 2.5 hour layover. Easily the best 13 bucks i've ever spent.
The Japanese emphasis on order stands as a contrast to other East Asian cultures--namely the Chinese and the Vietnamese, which seem to treat chaos like a prized cultural value--while getting in line to board my red-eye to Bangkok I had elderly retirees insist that I go before them in line, even after I deferred, conveying the universal "no...you first" gesture. Once on board, the lady sitting in front of the empty seat next to me actually asked if it was okay if she leaned her seat back--a first for me. On both flights, the flight attendants warned of turbulence, which either didn't happen, or was mild in comparison to the turbulence my flight to SFO experienced over the front range of the Rockies. For those interested, however, I only experienced turbulence when my plane was to the east of Shikoku, and while we were over Taiwan--in a place identical to where my Cathay flight back home was buffeted.
The good news for my parents is that that money that went in part to Japanese lessons through my school's tuition generated at least some return--I can now say thank you very much with the best of them--when one flight attendant heard my response, her face brightened and asked if I could speak Japanese in Japanese--a question met with disappointment when I looked at her like I had no clue what she was saying.
I tried to sleep, but I was too well-rested from the earlier flight to manage much--and the legroom generally wasn't that great either. At least the cabin was cooler!
Another note: it is remarkable just how dark and undeveloped Laos and inland Vietnam is. We flew right over both countries, and there was absolutely no illumination to be seen--it was identical to flying over water.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
A tale of three different airlines...and a windowless window seat
One airline I had no status on, one airline I did have status on, a third I had status on through airline number 2 since airline number 3 and airline number 2 are in the same alliance. Guess which travel experience was best?
Airline number 1.
Airline number 1 was AirTran, the airline I took between Baltimore and Portland to join my family from my brother's graduation, picked mainly because even combined with all the expected fees of checked luggage and necessary shuttle transport to the airport, the one-way fare was less than half that of the one way fare between National (I refuse to call it Reagan) or Dulles and Portland. SuperShuttle was prompt picking me up at the crack of dawn from my dorm, and it was an absolutely beautiful day with traffic not being an issue on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (which is what I feared because it was Preakness). Having to check two bags at the counter, I was prepared to shell out around 50 bucks--but the check-in lady offered me an upgrade. I initially declined, thinking this was just a way for AirTran to get more money out of me, but she pointed out that I would actually save two bucks by upgrading, and get a better seat. I know it was only two bucks, but its the concept--an airline trying to save you money!--I looked like your average student traveller, and she could have potentially saved the upgrade offer for someone more likely to be a repeat customer, but she didn't, and I got lucky. In general, the whole travel experience that day was actually quite nice (except for the whole factor of flying up to Maine--"everywhere else is sunny, but you're going to Portland!") and I wouldn't hesitate to fly AirTran again.
Airline #2 was American from Boston to DFW. American is barely eking it out in the US domestic market, and have cut back quite a bit on their point to point offerings. While every other major US airline, except for US Airways, is trying to reimagine its identity and product, American's just seems stale by comparison. It doesn't help that they manage to make it difficult for their best customers--at Logan, no signage indicating where "priority access" check-in was, and the whole airport set-up was just a mess. Now, some would argue that they should reserve status based only on miles flown, and not based on usage of a mileage-linked credit card, but that ignores a crucial point: these credit card deals bring in a reliable stream of revenue to the airlines--the credit card companies buy the miles from the airlines to offer them to their customers. Realistically, as the mileage programs evolve, you'll see more of a linkage between fare paid and mileage traveled in order for the airlines to recognize and reward their best customers.
Airline#3 was American and JAL from DFW to Bangkok. Of course, I was running a little bit late, and needed to check bags, and had to use one of the airline counters. American, though, has eliminated any service counters from the lower half of Terminal D except self-service--with no exterior signage to indicate this. Which meant schlepping my bags halfway through the terminal to get to a full service desk. At this point, American isn't even trying--I mean, the guy who helped me out was nice enough, but it would have been nicer if I could have just gone straight from the car to the check-in desk, and not have to have backtrack. DFW's AA's largest hub, so it's not like they have any shortage of staff lying around. It didn't help that because I didn't have priority access on my boarding pass, the guy at security initially refused to let me use the priority line even though I showed him my status card that gave me the privilege of doing so. He relents, and I make myself look like a fool when my empty water bottle falls out of my backpack, making all sorts of noise.
The flight from DFW to SFO was nice enough, and was relatively scenic, even if I was too busy working on school-related stuff to notice. Flew right over the grand canyon, las vegas, nevada, the Sierra Nevadas, Yosemite, and Mono Lake before landing over the bay in San Francisco. Flying into California in the daylight never gets old because of how spectacular the landscape of the American West is, with the mountains serving as visual gate signifying the beginning of California. It was simply a glorious, beautiful day in the Bay area, and its too bad I didn't have the chance to enjoy it.
The highlight or, should I say, lowlight, of the flight was not the constantly screaming toddler that didn't stop even after we landed and were getting off the plane, but one of the flight attendants making a rather politically incorrect comment revealing the 757's nickname among AA flight attendants--not in the galley, but while doing the drink service in front of other customers. Just another reason why maybe a trip to Chapter 11 might do AA some good--the product is stale and there's no sense of innovation at all by the airline. I'd much rather them try and experiment with certain offerings to differentiate themselves from the rest of the majors, especially with the rise of new pseudo-LCC's like JetBlue and Virgin America, that sell you both on low fares and in flight experience.
SFO's a nice airport--its just a royal pain to transfer with no airside intraterminal transport, and AA's recent terminal transfer has made a long walk to the international terminal to connect with its oneworld partners even longer. I'm not even sure there is any intraterminal transport.
And for the second time that day, I was forced to get body-scanned by the TSA. At least the guy examining my ID was doing his job though--commenting that my hair color had changed and asked me for my last name. Concessions and the like post security in the international terminal are also relatively bare and uninspiring, but at least the floors were clean (or at least clean enough to sit on) and I was able to sit on the floor and recharge my laptop while abusing their free wifi--which they claimed only lasted for 45 minutes, but only reset after that time period--and I actually got some work done!
The JAL staff were nice enough--as I wanted to change my seat from a window to the aisle, since I figured I'd be trying to get some work done, and wanted to be awake. Not only did I get a window, I also got an exit row window which sounded great.... until I boarded the 777 and discovered that the "window" was the cabin wall (is a window seat really a window when there isn't one next to the seat?)
The windowless window seat was an omen of things to come on this flight--things that on paper sounded great, but in reality, failed to deliver, or had some negative side effect. Nothing service-wise or non-safety related seemed to go right on this flight:
--some of the promised extra legroom was hampered by the inward bulk of the cabin door and my feet had to be slanted
--the advertised seat power outlet for me to plug my laptop into did not exist
--unlike most flights, where the cabin is usually cool, this was easily the hottest I'd ever been on a flight--it felt like I was stuck sitting in my late grandfather's living room for eight hours, with no escape, and I sweated more than I ever have before on a plane
--JAL has AVOD--not as great as Cathay Pacific's, but still AVOD! Except my screen, because of the exit row, was stuck in the armrest area, and was impossible to get out!
--because I was next to the galley I got my first choice of meal! Except that the meal service started just as I started to get into a rhythm on write-on work...and I had to put my laptop away. And once I was finished, the meal sat there, and sat there, and sat there...it easily took an hour after service was started for them pickup the long finished meal trays---and since I was unable to use my personal AVOD, I effectively sat there for an hour with a useless tray on my tray table--bored out of my mind and sweating
--booze on JAL is free! Except in my case, they gave me enough to knock me out twice (even though i only asked for one drink with dinner), and render me well-rested.
--Except I didn't want to rest on this flight--I wanted to get work done, and get my body adjusted to the time--I only wanted to briefly nap. Whoops!
JAL has just come out of bankruptcy, and that is clear from the shape of their cabin--it looked comparable in wear and tear to the AA757 I had just come off of--and their IFE product. Just about the only thing that separates them from a US carrier at this point is that their flight attendants were nicer, and the booze was free.
At least the takeoff and landing camera underneat the cockpit was cool--giving a pilot's view of the approach and take-off.
Airline number 1.
Airline number 1 was AirTran, the airline I took between Baltimore and Portland to join my family from my brother's graduation, picked mainly because even combined with all the expected fees of checked luggage and necessary shuttle transport to the airport, the one-way fare was less than half that of the one way fare between National (I refuse to call it Reagan) or Dulles and Portland. SuperShuttle was prompt picking me up at the crack of dawn from my dorm, and it was an absolutely beautiful day with traffic not being an issue on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (which is what I feared because it was Preakness). Having to check two bags at the counter, I was prepared to shell out around 50 bucks--but the check-in lady offered me an upgrade. I initially declined, thinking this was just a way for AirTran to get more money out of me, but she pointed out that I would actually save two bucks by upgrading, and get a better seat. I know it was only two bucks, but its the concept--an airline trying to save you money!--I looked like your average student traveller, and she could have potentially saved the upgrade offer for someone more likely to be a repeat customer, but she didn't, and I got lucky. In general, the whole travel experience that day was actually quite nice (except for the whole factor of flying up to Maine--"everywhere else is sunny, but you're going to Portland!") and I wouldn't hesitate to fly AirTran again.
Airline #2 was American from Boston to DFW. American is barely eking it out in the US domestic market, and have cut back quite a bit on their point to point offerings. While every other major US airline, except for US Airways, is trying to reimagine its identity and product, American's just seems stale by comparison. It doesn't help that they manage to make it difficult for their best customers--at Logan, no signage indicating where "priority access" check-in was, and the whole airport set-up was just a mess. Now, some would argue that they should reserve status based only on miles flown, and not based on usage of a mileage-linked credit card, but that ignores a crucial point: these credit card deals bring in a reliable stream of revenue to the airlines--the credit card companies buy the miles from the airlines to offer them to their customers. Realistically, as the mileage programs evolve, you'll see more of a linkage between fare paid and mileage traveled in order for the airlines to recognize and reward their best customers.
Airline#3 was American and JAL from DFW to Bangkok. Of course, I was running a little bit late, and needed to check bags, and had to use one of the airline counters. American, though, has eliminated any service counters from the lower half of Terminal D except self-service--with no exterior signage to indicate this. Which meant schlepping my bags halfway through the terminal to get to a full service desk. At this point, American isn't even trying--I mean, the guy who helped me out was nice enough, but it would have been nicer if I could have just gone straight from the car to the check-in desk, and not have to have backtrack. DFW's AA's largest hub, so it's not like they have any shortage of staff lying around. It didn't help that because I didn't have priority access on my boarding pass, the guy at security initially refused to let me use the priority line even though I showed him my status card that gave me the privilege of doing so. He relents, and I make myself look like a fool when my empty water bottle falls out of my backpack, making all sorts of noise.
The flight from DFW to SFO was nice enough, and was relatively scenic, even if I was too busy working on school-related stuff to notice. Flew right over the grand canyon, las vegas, nevada, the Sierra Nevadas, Yosemite, and Mono Lake before landing over the bay in San Francisco. Flying into California in the daylight never gets old because of how spectacular the landscape of the American West is, with the mountains serving as visual gate signifying the beginning of California. It was simply a glorious, beautiful day in the Bay area, and its too bad I didn't have the chance to enjoy it.
The highlight or, should I say, lowlight, of the flight was not the constantly screaming toddler that didn't stop even after we landed and were getting off the plane, but one of the flight attendants making a rather politically incorrect comment revealing the 757's nickname among AA flight attendants--not in the galley, but while doing the drink service in front of other customers. Just another reason why maybe a trip to Chapter 11 might do AA some good--the product is stale and there's no sense of innovation at all by the airline. I'd much rather them try and experiment with certain offerings to differentiate themselves from the rest of the majors, especially with the rise of new pseudo-LCC's like JetBlue and Virgin America, that sell you both on low fares and in flight experience.
SFO's a nice airport--its just a royal pain to transfer with no airside intraterminal transport, and AA's recent terminal transfer has made a long walk to the international terminal to connect with its oneworld partners even longer. I'm not even sure there is any intraterminal transport.
And for the second time that day, I was forced to get body-scanned by the TSA. At least the guy examining my ID was doing his job though--commenting that my hair color had changed and asked me for my last name. Concessions and the like post security in the international terminal are also relatively bare and uninspiring, but at least the floors were clean (or at least clean enough to sit on) and I was able to sit on the floor and recharge my laptop while abusing their free wifi--which they claimed only lasted for 45 minutes, but only reset after that time period--and I actually got some work done!
The JAL staff were nice enough--as I wanted to change my seat from a window to the aisle, since I figured I'd be trying to get some work done, and wanted to be awake. Not only did I get a window, I also got an exit row window which sounded great.... until I boarded the 777 and discovered that the "window" was the cabin wall (is a window seat really a window when there isn't one next to the seat?)
The windowless window seat was an omen of things to come on this flight--things that on paper sounded great, but in reality, failed to deliver, or had some negative side effect. Nothing service-wise or non-safety related seemed to go right on this flight:
--some of the promised extra legroom was hampered by the inward bulk of the cabin door and my feet had to be slanted
--the advertised seat power outlet for me to plug my laptop into did not exist
--unlike most flights, where the cabin is usually cool, this was easily the hottest I'd ever been on a flight--it felt like I was stuck sitting in my late grandfather's living room for eight hours, with no escape, and I sweated more than I ever have before on a plane
--JAL has AVOD--not as great as Cathay Pacific's, but still AVOD! Except my screen, because of the exit row, was stuck in the armrest area, and was impossible to get out!
--because I was next to the galley I got my first choice of meal! Except that the meal service started just as I started to get into a rhythm on write-on work...and I had to put my laptop away. And once I was finished, the meal sat there, and sat there, and sat there...it easily took an hour after service was started for them pickup the long finished meal trays---and since I was unable to use my personal AVOD, I effectively sat there for an hour with a useless tray on my tray table--bored out of my mind and sweating
--booze on JAL is free! Except in my case, they gave me enough to knock me out twice (even though i only asked for one drink with dinner), and render me well-rested.
--Except I didn't want to rest on this flight--I wanted to get work done, and get my body adjusted to the time--I only wanted to briefly nap. Whoops!
JAL has just come out of bankruptcy, and that is clear from the shape of their cabin--it looked comparable in wear and tear to the AA757 I had just come off of--and their IFE product. Just about the only thing that separates them from a US carrier at this point is that their flight attendants were nicer, and the booze was free.
At least the takeoff and landing camera underneat the cockpit was cool--giving a pilot's view of the approach and take-off.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Where I am...
I've been swamped with stuff from school, which is why I haven't had as much time to update this blog or explore bangkok as I would have liked, but that will all change next week when that work generally disappears.
I'm essentially in the Central Business District of Bangkok, known as Silom, just across the street from Lumphini Park (BKK's rough equivalent to Central Park or Boston Common)--with easy access to the skytrain and subway system. I am somewhat removed from historical "old bangkok," the touristy sites alongside the river, and the Khao San Road/Banglamphu district.
An interesting note is that while Bangkok doesn't have an easily identifiable downtown area per se, like another sprawling city (Los Angeles), the skyscrapers generally follow a pattern of clustering around the skytrain and metro routes, with the notable outliers being some of the nicer hotels alongside the river that are just south of the royal palace/old quarter area. Just about anything taller than 10 stories or so has been built since 1990, according to my boss, which makes me wonder which came first, the skytrain/metro routes, or the skyscrapers.
The area I am in is heavily commercialized, with the closest Dallas equivalent being roughly the uptown/oak lawn area, but it's hard to make an adequate western comparison, because there are certain features of the area that are unique to Southeast Asia--which I will explain a little bit later. This is an expat-heavy area, as demonstrated by the prevalence of Au Bon Pain--three of which are located within walking distance from me, and one of which is in my office building's lobby. Lots of coffee shops and malls in this area, and some very nice french restaurants as well. Though the lack of lighting at night sometimes takes getting used to in the streets off of the main roads, the area is in fact very safe (as bangkok is as a whole) provided you take the sort of precautions that you would if you were in any big city--ie, guarding against pickpockets and bag snatchers.
Also a sign of a built up area: the local supermarket sells peanut butter and all sorts of western favorites.
I'm essentially in the Central Business District of Bangkok, known as Silom, just across the street from Lumphini Park (BKK's rough equivalent to Central Park or Boston Common)--with easy access to the skytrain and subway system. I am somewhat removed from historical "old bangkok," the touristy sites alongside the river, and the Khao San Road/Banglamphu district.
An interesting note is that while Bangkok doesn't have an easily identifiable downtown area per se, like another sprawling city (Los Angeles), the skyscrapers generally follow a pattern of clustering around the skytrain and metro routes, with the notable outliers being some of the nicer hotels alongside the river that are just south of the royal palace/old quarter area. Just about anything taller than 10 stories or so has been built since 1990, according to my boss, which makes me wonder which came first, the skytrain/metro routes, or the skyscrapers.
The area I am in is heavily commercialized, with the closest Dallas equivalent being roughly the uptown/oak lawn area, but it's hard to make an adequate western comparison, because there are certain features of the area that are unique to Southeast Asia--which I will explain a little bit later. This is an expat-heavy area, as demonstrated by the prevalence of Au Bon Pain--three of which are located within walking distance from me, and one of which is in my office building's lobby. Lots of coffee shops and malls in this area, and some very nice french restaurants as well. Though the lack of lighting at night sometimes takes getting used to in the streets off of the main roads, the area is in fact very safe (as bangkok is as a whole) provided you take the sort of precautions that you would if you were in any big city--ie, guarding against pickpockets and bag snatchers.
Also a sign of a built up area: the local supermarket sells peanut butter and all sorts of western favorites.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The rains are coming....
It's technically the rainy season here in Bangkok, even though the rains haven't yet arrived. They are certainly well on their way, though, as last night the sky was illuminated with flashes of silent lightning (as compared to the storm in Texas the other day, where the lightning was so intense, there was a seemingly perpetual rumble of thunder, and it felt like you were in a photographer's studio). Skies have been growing increasingly dark in the late afternoon as well, and the sidewalk vendors have been prepping to cover their stalls with plastic.
Off to the hospital this morning before work to get my formal work permit checkup--basically, to make sure I don't have any diseases or that I am of a "feeble and unsound mind." Maybe I shouldn't tell them I'm a law student...
Off to the hospital this morning before work to get my formal work permit checkup--basically, to make sure I don't have any diseases or that I am of a "feeble and unsound mind." Maybe I shouldn't tell them I'm a law student...
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Back in Bangkok
I will be reactivating this blog as I am now back in Bangkok, and will be here for two months working for a law firm--and it feels great to be back in Thailand for the third time.
I will also finally get around to posting about my trip to my friend's school in Borneo that I never got around to fully detailing--I know the five of you (aka my aunts and parents) that read this blog have been waiting with baited breath to hear about it. Unfortunately, a little thing called 1L kind of got in the way of me updating this blog during the year.
I will also finally get around to posting about my trip to my friend's school in Borneo that I never got around to fully detailing--I know the five of you (aka my aunts and parents) that read this blog have been waiting with baited breath to hear about it. Unfortunately, a little thing called 1L kind of got in the way of me updating this blog during the year.
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