one night in bangkok and the world’s your oyster

Posted on | February 4, 2008 | 1 Comment

after four hectic, i mean HECTIC, days in hong kong, we staggered onto the plane last night (with literally seconds to spare) and fell into our seats and didn’t move a muscle until arrival in bangkok, 2.5 hours later.

very fancy new airport since last we were here…i think the planners have been to hong kong and taken a leaf out of their excellent book on airport planning.
we whizzed through immigration and all that, and once again were smugly self-congratulating on how little luggage we are travelling with this time.
one carry-on sized bag each and that is IT.
it makes everything so simple and easy.

after a hair-raising taxi ride into town with a very cheerful thai guy (nobody spoke a word of each other’s language, but we laughed a lot…..for us it was mostly “are we gonna die now” kind of laughter….we arrived at the shangri la.
the hotel has already proven itself to be ALL THAT….fabulous service, huge comfy beds, lovely balcony hanging over the river, every convenience, amazing breakfasts etc etc.
our train tickets were waiting for us, exactly as planned…..again, i recommend traveller2000 for your thai travel needs.
very reliable and reasonable.

bangkok has such a mad energy about it…..we are already hyped up and having a blast.
this morning, i had 3 hours at the spa down the road, to calm myself down.
a french manicure, a pedicure, a reflexology massage……all for a grand total of $29.00
my manicure is so cute i can hardly bear taking my eyes off it.

maurice found a little local muslim food place and we had a great lunch there…chicken curry, flaky hot rotis, cucumber pickle, iced tea, then sweet crispy rotis and more tea, all for about $7 for the whole lot.
the way there is lined with gem shops, so i think i might go back for breakfast tomorrow….the stuff in the w3indows is mind-boggling.

our last day in hong kong was simply manic….we were on ferries….trains….buses….trams!
we went from the harbour to the heights of victoria peak in the death-defying peak tram. for the first time ever, we hit a very clear day in hong kong, so we decided to go up victoria peak while the visibility was excellent.
we saw the 2ifc building from every conceivable angle!
we walked miles. and miles.
we had dim sum.
we had coffee with the most incredible view, at the peak.
we sampled 3 kinds of mango desserts in 2 different places.
we went through a cloth market at a hundred miles per hour better stuff in bali, (imho).

i decided that the smell of five spice is indeed the definitive scent of hong kong.
that savoury sweetness hung in the air just everywhere…..i was forver coming around corners and catching a whiff of it.

there are some photos, but not a lot…..i am getting used to my new camera.
then we headed out to the airport to catch up with my cousin who was flying back in from singapore, a couple hours before we flew out.
his fiancee was our hostess in hong kong and she really spoiled us and looked after us.
we hope to return the favour at easter if they come and visit us.

i don’t know what my husband has planned for dinner, but the world’s our oyster and in bangkok, the options are just about limitless.

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hi, i'm patti flynn

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