Lumpini Park - Bangkok noiI’m passing through Bangkok on my way to Saigon from California. I saved enough money by using Bangkok as my gateway to covered the cost of a round trip ticket from Bangkok to Saigon.
The legacy carriers such as Air France, Thai Air, and United used to control the corridor between BKK and SGN until discounters like Air Asia came along. The new discounted fares are great but it seems Southeast Asia is trying to make their money on your baggage instead of your seat. It’s possible to pay more for the luggage you’re dragging around with you than your ticket. To save a few bucks they offer an option to prepay for your overage at a discount if you do it when you book the flight in person or on line. Though for guys like me that is a tough one, I don’t carry a scale and anyway I’m still stuffing things in my bag on the way to the airport
Another little get sha, - open seating is standard but for 20 bucks you can get pre boarding and snag that primo seat or have a good shot at it.
Air France was discounting BKK to SGN but the tab was still about a 40% premium over Air Asia. I took a ticket just because I didn’t want to deal with Air Asia but on check in found they also have a strict baggage allowance, per person a checked bag, 22 kg and 1 carry on, 8 kg. My checked came at 28 kg, with a big smile I started getting loud and acting a little crazy (they hate that) and digging stuff out of my checked bag and stuffing it into my carry on. They were so glad to have me gone they didn’t bother checking what I was carrying on, other than making me put my motorcycle helmet back in the checked bag. So in retrospect I’m not so sure if flying through BKK to save a buck is such a good deal but there are other reasons to pass through Bangkok.
One of those reasons are night spots like Soi Cowboy. Down the soi you'll find bar’s like Spicy Girls, Sheba, and Dun Dee, which all most likely evolved from days of old when this was a primo R&R spot for Vietnam War weary solders. The solders are now history only to be replaced by Indian’s, Japanese, Brits, and Australians on holiday and of course Doug.
As I sit on my bar stool taking advantage of happy hour, OK, happy two hour – 6:30 to 8:30, 40 – 80 baht a beer depending on the bar. It’s around 8:00 and the soi (alley) is a buzz with motor bikes ferrying the girls in for the night. As I watch this I can’t help but make the comparison between their start up ritual and bus tours I’ve been on, the bus finely arrives and we are rushed aboard, it races away only to stop shortly thereafter for gas. Much the same with the girls as they girls race down the soi side saddle astride motor bikes to their bar positions, hurriedly get dressed and apply their makeup, only to plop down, break out the chop sticks and top off the tank with a heaping plate of noddles. Pay attention as we will have a Q & A later, meet me at Soi Nana, you’re buying.
A few beers, a long day of sunny walking a little dizzy from watching all the hot chicks pass only to be shaken by a series of loud shirks. As a full grown elephant comes into view, like a couple feet from my outpost with his trainer riding atop as an assistant try’s to peddle food for folks to feed to the behemoth. I’ve seen baby elephants paraded around Bangkok before but this was a first for the jumbo variety. The authorities and animal rights groups are trying to discourage this kind of thing, they say it’s not fair to the animal and it could possible be hazardous to all. Yes, I’ll buy all that and I’m to cheap to get into feeding elephants. Anyway, between all the girls and I'm trying to imagine with all the traffic in Bangkok, along with it being illegal how the heck did they get this giant animal into the middle of the Bangkok?
Still have a few days more to go so I’m going to pace myself and head back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
The legacy carriers such as Air France, Thai Air, and United used to control the corridor between BKK and SGN until discounters like Air Asia came along. The new discounted fares are great but it seems Southeast Asia is trying to make their money on your baggage instead of your seat. It’s possible to pay more for the luggage you’re dragging around with you than your ticket. To save a few bucks they offer an option to prepay for your overage at a discount if you do it when you book the flight in person or on line. Though for guys like me that is a tough one, I don’t carry a scale and anyway I’m still stuffing things in my bag on the way to the airport
Another little get sha, - open seating is standard but for 20 bucks you can get pre boarding and snag that primo seat or have a good shot at it.
Air France was discounting BKK to SGN but the tab was still about a 40% premium over Air Asia. I took a ticket just because I didn’t want to deal with Air Asia but on check in found they also have a strict baggage allowance, per person a checked bag, 22 kg and 1 carry on, 8 kg. My checked came at 28 kg, with a big smile I started getting loud and acting a little crazy (they hate that) and digging stuff out of my checked bag and stuffing it into my carry on. They were so glad to have me gone they didn’t bother checking what I was carrying on, other than making me put my motorcycle helmet back in the checked bag. So in retrospect I’m not so sure if flying through BKK to save a buck is such a good deal but there are other reasons to pass through Bangkok.
One of those reasons are night spots like Soi Cowboy. Down the soi you'll find bar’s like Spicy Girls, Sheba, and Dun Dee, which all most likely evolved from days of old when this was a primo R&R spot for Vietnam War weary solders. The solders are now history only to be replaced by Indian’s, Japanese, Brits, and Australians on holiday and of course Doug.
As I sit on my bar stool taking advantage of happy hour, OK, happy two hour – 6:30 to 8:30, 40 – 80 baht a beer depending on the bar. It’s around 8:00 and the soi (alley) is a buzz with motor bikes ferrying the girls in for the night. As I watch this I can’t help but make the comparison between their start up ritual and bus tours I’ve been on, the bus finely arrives and we are rushed aboard, it races away only to stop shortly thereafter for gas. Much the same with the girls as they girls race down the soi side saddle astride motor bikes to their bar positions, hurriedly get dressed and apply their makeup, only to plop down, break out the chop sticks and top off the tank with a heaping plate of noddles. Pay attention as we will have a Q & A later, meet me at Soi Nana, you’re buying.
A few beers, a long day of sunny walking a little dizzy from watching all the hot chicks pass only to be shaken by a series of loud shirks. As a full grown elephant comes into view, like a couple feet from my outpost with his trainer riding atop as an assistant try’s to peddle food for folks to feed to the behemoth. I’ve seen baby elephants paraded around Bangkok before but this was a first for the jumbo variety. The authorities and animal rights groups are trying to discourage this kind of thing, they say it’s not fair to the animal and it could possible be hazardous to all. Yes, I’ll buy all that and I’m to cheap to get into feeding elephants. Anyway, between all the girls and I'm trying to imagine with all the traffic in Bangkok, along with it being illegal how the heck did they get this giant animal into the middle of the Bangkok?
Still have a few days more to go so I’m going to pace myself and head back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
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