The Siamese Escapade
- Ariff K.
- Oct 22, 2018
- 9 min read
Could hardly recall the last the family went for a proper break. Just like any other ordinary family, little or no exception is compromised when it involves a life long commitment of surviving a great deal. Preoccupied with the idea of living, we often take such simplicity of the word for granted. Everyone is either working too hard or have no, very little time to spare to take a breather. Sometimes all that's ever needed is just some adequate time off from reality, and that's then where we often value the idea of living. It becomes very much of a challenge now planning for one compared to how it was back then growing up, where any vacation was always well anticipated with time. But that's then, where holiday periods were always found within reach.
One either too occupied with the daily affairs of work, while another studying hard to attain higher education and there i was accomplishing my obligations for the nation. That was then, and now i'm next in line in the pursuit of higher education as a promising next step ahead. Nonetheless, the whole family is still in need of a good break and so they decided to incorporate that with a great deal of shopping in it. The ideology of things ultimately changes with time. Going on vacation isn't really about travelling far and telling the world that you are king because of how far you've journeyed across. In fact, I've never seen myself on those sort of break before simply because travelling smart is the context of power here in this modern era. You can only feel like king when you have the dominance of purchasing power over the currency exchange and that's how it often plays out. That you can only be as rich as the visiting country you're in if the currency is within your side of the court.
This time in order to feel king, it brought me to the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. Certainly wasn't the first getting there, nor would that ever be the last for its popularity amongst tourist shoppers, often known as the haven for shopping and massage parlors no doubt. The trip came into mind with less than a month of planning, pretty out of the blue you could say but supposedly the rush of little anticipation always works out just fine. With very little to pack, there was simply no hassle deciding on what wear was appropriate for the weather, since it was similarly rather warm and humid.
Being out of local context between the 6th and 9th of the month should very much explain my inactivity on social grounds. A full board flight it was earlier that afternoon on Thai Airways, which didn't come by surprise as that's what you would often get being on a promotional fare. For a matter of fact, it didn't quite matter how cheap a flight would cost for as long as I'd be sitting by the window of an aircraft, was most critical. An aspiring aviator like myself expects no less when home is in the very comfort of the sky, where nothing beats the view by the window.
Beginning the trip, hype only began to kick in as soon as passengers began boarding the flight. Weather in flight was within favorable conditions although it was a little delayed for push back due to the overwhelming air traffic at Changi but for starters, there's very little to complain about. Everyone simply wishes for a pleasant and safe travel, hence its always best to not rush things and leave it to the pilots' safe hands. Soon after that's settled, the plane was air-bound within moments with the flight time spanning less than just two hours. Could barely do much on a short flight since everything happened rather quickly. Verdict on the pilot's landing into Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport was beyond commendable, assuring the airline's motto of smooth as silk without any doubt. Getting across immigration and customs were surprisingly quicker than one would have expected. As soon as we've claimed our luggage, we took the Airport Rail Link, a much more convenient and affordable means of getting across the city to the hotel. The weather took a turn, as it began pouring in the early afternoon we touched down but fortunately so, it did not affect us. Daily rain in Bangkok came as no surprise especially when we were travelling in the wet season. Regardless, needed to change to another rail line midway through but it wasn't too long before we arrived at the hotel within a five-minute walk from the station we got off at.
Unlike most hotels, the lobby was located on the eighteenth floor, and the rooms were segregated into two decks, sky and space, which comes without saying that the more you pay, the higher and better you get. I had mine on the forty-seventh floor where the view was no doubt splendid. Could have gone higher but perhaps that extra cash would have been better spent on shopping, where most would agree. I suppose i could very much say that we saved on the famous scenic viewpoints of the tower which was frequently visited by other tourists that needed paying to enter. Thus, that came as an added privilege where guests like myself got to enjoy, endless free entry to the Observation Deck and the Rotating Balcony, on the seventy-seventh and eight-first floor respectively.
The first day was very much spent on exploring and discovering what the hotel and the vicinity has to offer during the stay. As lunch was consumed on-board the flight to Bangkok, perhaps still a little too full for any feast and hence, we were only simply readying ourselves for dinner. A restaurant that we often visited was strategically located near to our hotel, eating there mostly every day without fail because the food was simply amazing. Remembered how dad was saying that the restaurant has grown so much since its inception, more than twenty years ago. Maedah Arabic Restaurant, as the name goes, don't get me wrong, it serves a large variety of food choices from Middle Eastern, Indian, European and of course Thai cuisine but i regularly come back for the lamb chop and pad thai. A highly recommended food place to satisfy your hunger if you ever needed one.
The trip was intentionally planned for the family to fly out on the weekends so that we wouldn't miss the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market, which is undoubtedly believed to be the go to destination for anyone who visits Bangkok. Climate wasn't really in favor, warm and humid, sweating profusely walking through the congested crowd. Simply to put, the second day consisted a whole lot on the main agenda of this trip, shopping. Literally went through all the various rows and sections across the market and somehow or rather, many a times we were in dejavu walking past almost identical shops more over than not. The map outline wouldn't lie how huge of a place it is. Every row and section we came across was like a mirror image of one another and getting lost in the crowds were inevitable.
As soon as we were done with Chatuchak, visited a couple of malls within the vicinity of the city too in the late afternoon such as the Big C Supercenter, Siam Square One and Platinum Mall. Previous visits brought us to the seafood festival that introduced us to a big feast of tiger prawn, grilled fish and squid that got us wanting for more coming back on this trip. Indeed that was one of the main things we were hunting for, and somehow or rather it was out of season which meant that there was a hike in the prices unlike before when we came. Despite the jack in prices, craves still needed satisfying. In the course of this trip, many a times it was said to be constantly raining back home, but Bangkok was no different with daily showers either in the day or night. Still recalling vividly on how daunting it was navigating in the rain from point to point when thundery showers made landfall after all the hustling and shopping.
Despite rushing back, the rain still got us drenched but nonetheless, the malls and the hotel was within reach proximity which saved public transportation costs. Going for massages were like main priority for the family but it was never to my liking since it ain't really my idea of refreshing and relaxing. Feeling uncomfortable most often when being put through massages, that just gets to me every time and so a way that filled up time on my side was a visit to the hotel's gym. A good working out sinks in the idea of feeling refreshed for certain, and having the gym all to myself was a plus point.
Second day ended off with the headlines mentioning about a foreign tourist being killed in the midst of a crossfire during a gang shootout nearby where we were in most part of the day. The interesting thing about this whole mess was that life went back to normal within just hours of the incident for the locals here like they were made for this. But on a good note, we were not affected at all, because the last thing you'll ever need is such interference during your getaway from reality.
Third day was very much hassle free. Began the day with breakfast in the hotel and booked a Grab Car service down to the next destination. Dropped by MBK Center, the last i recall about the mall from the previous trip was me purchasing those customized chops for documentation purposes at such decent price. Shopped for any last minute items of the shelf and to be honest, there wasn't really much, the underwhelming crowd simply speaks for itself. Everything was pretty much laid back and toned down while i got myself a haircut at one of the saloons in the mall. Spent the day there till the late afternoon before heading back to the hotel to ease and relax for a little while. Dinner at Maedah's again, as mentioned before how we would always have our meals there daily because of how much we enjoyed the food served there. After that was done, back to the usual where the family accommodated time for their daily massage and me off to the gym once more.
Final day in Bangkok was truly a complete twist to things. There was very little rush in the morning as we got the most bulk of items and clothing packed into the luggage the night before. Consumed breakfast, as a parting final meal at Maedah Arabic Restaurant before proceeding to check out from the hotel. Initially overlooked the check out timing as we've thought it would be the standard twelve noon but apparently so, the hotel policy for this one was at eleven in the morning. Lucky for us, there wasn't any penalty for that late check out. With the many luggages on us, we got a taxi booked beforehand to save us all the trouble from the morning train commuters. On the way to the airport, our taxi encountered a sudden tyre puncture on the rear left-end wheel and was forced to come to a complete halt as it was no longer deemed safe to be travelling on the expressway at such high speeds with such tyre conditions. Within twenty minutes of waiting, an alternative driver came to the rescue. We've had it all figured out having more than four hours to spare despite the circumstances. Soon after, we finally arrived at the airport. A little tipping would go a really long way for the assistance provided by the alternative driver.
Performed some last minute wrapping on one of the items bought by engaging a wrapping service provider within the airport. Deposited our luggage prior to check in and did some duty free shopping, just to clear that extra cash in hand we had. With nearly an hour through before our boarding gate opens, the status of the flight was said to be delayed for another two hours. It was pushed from about four in the late afternoon to six in the evening. Simply to put it, the last day in Bangkok was a whole lot of waiting and just as it seems like the trip was going to end great, it usually turns out otherwise. After all that delay, we only took off from Thailand at around eight in the evening and landed back on local grounds close to eleven at night.
Fell ill shortly after for about a week post vacation. Despite it all, this trip was for the family to take a break from exhaustive work schedules endured through a year of hard work and despite all the mishaps and happenings encountered, what came most important out of these was simply letting loose and to relax the mind and body. Overall, there were still bits of fun and joy from this short getaway no doubt. Will i visit Thailand again? That question is out of context because even if i wish to never return, i'll definitely end up back here someday once again with full certainty.
Trip Summary
Destination: Bangkok, Thailand
Flight: Thai Airways, TG 404 (SIN - BKK) | Thai Airways, TG 409 (BKK - SIN)
Travel Period: 2018, 6th October - 9th October
Boarding: Baiyoke Sky Hotel
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