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Theairplaneguy4ever

Hello there!

This TR covers my experience on Thai Airways between Bengaluru and Bangkok and my subsequent holiday in Bangkok.

I don't usually write out travel experiences, but I thought I'd do it for this one.

This trip was with my family, hence the scattered "we's" all over the place.

Thai Airways TG326 : Bengaluru- Bangkok

I'll be sticking to just the video TR on this flight :

http://youtu.be/QNoVFGFJm9g

Short Booking segment :

When Bangkok was decided as our travel destination, Air Austral was my immediate thought. They had a 2 weekly fifth freedom service between MAA and BKK. Unfortunately the timings and dates were unfavorable though the airfares were dirt cheap. Thai from MAA was finalized, but as our travel agent was about to book our tickets, the seats closed! Talk about dramatic! Emergency procedures took effect soon and we were booked from Bengaluru instead. This was a blessing in disguise, because at the time Thai operated the old A333s to MAA I believe, while servicing BLR with the new refurbished 772s.

Some thoughts on the flight :

Bengaluru airport international airside is tiny! There's barely any room to stand. I noticed that a few people were lying on the ground due to the lack of seating space. Even Kochi's domestic airside is bigger than that!

Thai Airways surprised me on this flight. I knew Thai was going to be good, but I thought it was going to be just above 9W in terms of overall product. It was, in the end, a great flight! Far above the expectations that I had about Thai.

Three Days in Bangkok!

Day 1-Bangkok

To start off, we arrived at our hotel, The Ambassador, from the airport, dropped our bags and quickly embarked on our exploration of Bangkok. Okay, it wasn't really elegant as that, we barely got to see half of Bangkok in the first place. Who can in just three (more like two and a half) days. Anyway, the BTS Skytrain is the easiest way around Bangkok along with the MRT which are both mass transit systems that are in place. Hopping on a train at Asok near our hotel after grabbing a quick Thai style fried donut like snack called Pa Thong Ka, we made our way to our first destination.

The traffic at Bangkok is crazy, so it's always great to avoid it at all costs. Sometimes it's easier to walk than take a taxi through town. Embarking at the Chatuchak station you get a small glimpse of this. Now, getting off at Chatuchak was for only one thing, to see the Chatuchak weekend market! It is huge! There are over 15,000 shops here, selling anything you could possibly think of and it is the largest weekend market of its kind in the world. Neat!

It was time to eat. Quickly ducking under a stall in the gigantic market. I ordered some noodles with minced pork balls. Okay, this isn't really "Thai" food, more like Chinese. But hey, look there are bean sprouts in it! Bean sprouts make anything Thai! By the way, this was very good and refreshing. Tasty, indeed! (35BHT = 70INR appx. !CHEAP!)

There are a couple of main streets amidst the numerous alleyways, following these is a must if you want to get back to where you came from. It's very easy to get lost here.

With so many food stalls around you, it's only a matter of time before your cravings get the better of you. The big problem is deciding what to get. This was a sort of salty lemon drink which was nice to beat the heat with. Definitely worth it if the humidity in Bangkok is killing you. (25BHT = 50INRappx)

After visiting Chatuchak and shopping around a bit, it was around noon. Which meant.. Lunch Time! We hopped off at the MBK mall, which is supposedly the biggest in Bangkok in search of the Tokyu department store, which is a chain in Japan that happens to have a store here at MBK. Why, you ask? To stock up on instant Ramen! I am a huge fan of instant ramen and buy it whenever I visit east Asia. Sadly, after searching a bit, I could not find the store (Turns out it was just outside the BTS entrance, what an idiot.). Defeated, as I walked out, I came across a Hachiban store, a chain serving the real ramen which originated in Japan as well. The name comes from the fact that they had eight stores along the Osaka-Tokyo highway back when they started. They serve the 'fast food' version of ramen AND I got it in a take away box (which the Japanese will kill me for, but we were in a hurry to move to the next place.). So, Lo and behold, (non) authentic Tonkotsu ramen! (80BHT - 160INR (Cheapest ramen I've ever eaten))

After heading back to the hotel for a quick fresh up, it was time to head back again. This time, Yaowarat, Bangkok's Chinatown was where we headed to. The sun was setting now as the time was around 6:30pm. Along the walk from the MRT station to the street, we came across this temple, which looked great in the evening sun!

This here is one of Thailand's most famous street foods that you can see almost everywhere. They call it 'roti', but of course, we know what roti really is! Though it still isn't authentic Thai, it is one kicker snack. Basically it's fried pieces of dough and egg topped with condensed milk, though it sounds exceptionally ordinary it is one snack to die for! (40BHT = 80INR)

Finally after a 20 minute walk from the MRT station, we arrived at Yaowarat. The hustle and bustle of people around you, smoke from nearby vendors cooking up authentic Chinese Thai dishes, the neon signs slowly lighting up one by one as the sun sets, this is heaven for me! I spent the next hour wandering around enjoying the atmosphere, that I forgot all about trying some street food around here and ended up leaving on an empty stomach! Oh dear me!

Now, when in Thailand, you cannot evade a tuk-tuk ride, it just has to be done. And our short ride was from Yaowarat to the MRT station, a distance of around a kilometer. It's a crazy experience, the driver raced through narrow streets, swerving to avoid oncoming pedestrians and shops encroached on the road. You can't get action like this back on Autos in India!

Concluding this first day's adventure, we arrived back at Asok once again at just past 8:00pm. A quick light dinner from McD, okay I know everybody hates McD but it was pretty reasonable, and we ended up back at the hotel. The next day held in store a new place.

Day 2-Kanchanaburi

Today we headed 200km away from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, famous for its bridge over river Kwai, which was built by prisoners of war when the Japanese invaded Thailand. This was part of a guided tour with other tourists and so our first stop was the war cemetery, commemorating the lives of countless people who lost their lives during world war II building the "Death Railway", connecting Bangkok and Burma. The Death Railway claimed over 100,000 lives during its construction.

Trains still operate along the Death Railway, twice daily connecting Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. Unfortunately a ticket reservation system does not exist, so you have to manually get the tickets from the railway station, which was cutting it too close for us and so, we could not go on the train. A shame.

A short boat trip along river Kwai is recommended by many and so, we did it as well.

At its conclusion we come upon the infamous bridge. Though it looks cheery in the afternoon sun, the haunting history surrounding it makes you think twice.

The city of Kanchanaburi is quite small but I did want to check out. But, because we're in a group tour, we couldn't. This is why I hate packaged group tours, you always have to follow with the crowd. Fortunately this was the only group tour of the entire 8 day trip, covering Bangkok, [TBA] and [TBA].

The next part of the tour was to head to the tiger temple. Where they keep tigers in a "sanctuary". The activities there involve taking your photo with one, cuddling with baby cubs and what not. The place is managed by monks though there are a lot of volunteers from around the world helping out.

I'm not an animal lover, I hate dogs and cats equally. But, the sight of these tigers being dragged around on chains unwillingly and left in the open sun broke my heart. I stayed well away from the "activities" and waited for the group to catch on. This "Tiger Temple" has been a sight for controversy for a long time on the inhumane treatment of its animals. I'm sure such a facility would never make its way to India. At least I hope so.

By the time we made it back to Bangkok it was well past 6:00pm. We decided to hop off at the MBK mall instead of our hotel and I managed to stock up on a year's supply of Ramen after finally finding the elusive Tokyu store. I also managed to buy some instant Thai noodle dishes as well. (Back home, as I sample some, I can assure you, they are heavenly!)

Soon after shopping was over, it was dinner time, there was a small shop managed by a lady next to a posh side walk cafe near our hotel in Asok. The lady's shop did not even have tables and was a parcel-only service. We decided to give it a try as it was authentic and cheap as well. So, I give you... okay, I forgot the name, but it was a dish similar to Phad Thai that had meat instead of shrimp. Asking the friendly lady, she said that it was a dish characteristic of Northern Thailand. It was absolute heaven! The best food I had in my stay in Thailand! (40BHT=80INR)

Day 3-Bangkok Again

When in Bangkok, you are going to get scammed, it is inevitable. Of course, everybody is aware of the famous floating markets of Thailand. I unfortunately did not research much and fell into the prying hands of a hotel staff member who quickly took us to the banks of Chao Phraya river along Bangkok, claiming to show us the floating market on its very mention.

We boarded a boat which took us on a 1 hour cruise down the river.

The river is a bit too touristy nowadays, but it's still worth a trip. But, please.. mention the river's name and not that you want to see a floating market. Don't make the same mistake we did.

We arrived at the "floating market", where two vendors (Yes, just two!) on boats desperately try to sell you overpriced crap.

At least this boat ride was not a complete waste. The cruise includes a stop at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. Which is a magnificent sight. You can get up all the way up to the top (Well, almost), but be warned, the steps are incredibly steep. Though there are a lot of tourists here, very few climb up for this very reason.

Of course... I had to climb it. And the view is worth it. An entire panoramic view of Bangkok awaits you up top. The river cruise ended soon and we were on the BTS Skytrain once again.

We ended the sightseeing part of Day 3 as we headed to Lumpini park.(Yes, it's named exactly like the one in Hyderabad) It's a great picnic spot and a walk around the place is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

After this, it was shopping time again and the rest of the day was spent doing just that. As my, short three day, stay in Bangkok and subsequent visit to Kanchanburi ends, I realize I haven't seen it all. But, Bangkok really intrigues me and I definitely enjoyed my short stay and wait excitedly for the next time I come back to experience the "Big Mango".

Though my stay in Bangkok had ended, my vacation was just starting, coming up next:

A short preview of what's coming up can also be seen at the end of the Thai airways video.

Thanks for reading (and watching)! Feedback and comments appreciated.
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India's first HD Video Trip Report Channel : www.youtube.com/Theairplaneguy4ever

jbalonso777 · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:20 pm Post subject:

What an absolutely lovely Trip Report! I can now take this as a final warning sign to start pulling up socks in the non-aviation department! Amazing!

First of all, we all knew this was coming, after the CD COK-BLR flight!

Starting with the video, amazing as usual!
-What did you do during the 1.5 hours airside?
-Crew seem very welcoming!
-Amazing food! I would have overlooked quality to be very honest. After a dreadful showing from an airline on a similar route, I was sad.
-IFE box in the way... Onboard a refurbished aircraft? CX's old B773s do bot have that.. They got this right!
-IFE screens are similar to ones on EK's old crafts, correct?
-Did the crew ask you to pull the window shades down? The crew on one of my flights on a similar routing asked me to. Very Happy

-Crew being distant.. Well, yeah.. They had the inbound flight too, but still, they pulled off something nice! Oh well, the crew on one of my flights on a similar route (this is getting too much now, isn't it?) boarded with us at CMB, and despite the light loads, they were far away off the face of the earth (yeah okay, they were on a plane, so they weren't on the face of the earth Razz

Still, you get my point - they were nowhere to be seen...almost)
-No aerobridge for a widebody? Always a pleasure!
-BKK looks so much more different than what I thought!
- It took you how long to get out of the airport? 0555 arrival and exitting the terminal at 0619 is mighty quick!
-I loved the preview snippets at the end of the video! Hong Kong, I presume? Looking forward to it indeed! Wink

So many pictures and descriptions of FOOD! Someones eyes must be lighting up now! Laughing

ameya · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 8:59 pm Post subject:

Great TR Sir.

Havnt been to BKK, the last time it was planned and booked, BKK got flooded.

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 9:29 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

...and yes, that someone's eyes did light up, as did the fridge, on opening the door, but certainly not The Wife's, when she `found' items missing.
It had me craving for more - the report, as well as food.
What a superb report, with so much tucked in, and as usual, thanks for the lovely video report complementing it! Add to it, some rather classy photos, including black-and-white ones. Do we not like descriptions of places, along with lovely pictures? Sure we do! I have only seen BKK in transit, on the IC 858/859 DEL-BKK-SIN and back, and cannot forget the well-laid out streets visible from the air as one approached Don Muang, along with the lovely baked earth terracotta tiles(?) on the roofs. That was Jun-Jul 2002. Prior to that came BOM-BKK-HKG and back, on a CX 773 in Aug 2001, for the flight that went to DXB, and turned back. I saw Don Muang again in Oct 2004, on AI 447 BOM-HYD-BKK-SIN, and simply loved the parallel runways, the greenery around, and the golf course in between the runways. And that's it. Nothing more of Bangkok, save what is shown in Bollywood movies, and some Hollywood ones. I must say it was almost like the reader being the with you on the trip, with the vivid descriptions of both the places, as well as the food, had me enthralled, throughout.
I am not as thorough (or quick, fro that matter) as Jishnu in posting detailed comments, but found the `Bridge on the River Kwai' part quite ironic, given that Jishnu is currently in Sri Lanka, where most of it was filmed, with the actual bridge in fact, constructed by L&T of India!
The `Tiger Temple' part was a surprise to me, since I knew little about the maltreatment of the lovely beast, and had been fascinated by pictures of monks feeding tigers., All the more so, since the particular species of Tiger found in the region is the Indochina tiger, also called the Corbett's Tiger - interesting, since one normally associates the name of Jim Corbett with the Rudraprayag region, currently in Uttarakhand in India.
The Wat Arun and the Lumpini Park - what a contrast in history and modernity, with both being extremely beautiful. Of course, your lovely photography does ample justice to the beautiful places. I eagerly await the next parts!
Thanks for sharing this with us in such a level of detail.
Cheers, Sumantra.

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:16 am Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Sir, you are correct - the Corbett's Tiger, or the Malay Tiger, or the Indochina tiger, is a native of most of South East Asia - but not India. It is just named after Corbett. They are genetically quite different from the Royal Bengal species found all over India. And yes, I forgot to add - the video, with its superb editing and lovely music, was a pleasure to go through. I have only seen the Don Muang airport, that too, from the outside. I was excited about seeing the new Suvarnabhumi one (which is some 50 kilometres from Don Muang) which I saw both on a muggy and humid day from the outside, as well as the inside, in your video! Yes, we all look forward to the Hong Kong trip, as Jishnu wrote, and we guessed, seeing the closing frames! Smile

Cheers, Sumantra.

Karan69 · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 1334

Good report and a really nice video,

I really liked your description about BKK sights, BKK is a nice and vibrant city been there a few times , its unfortunate that you were rushed through it ,i dont even see any mention of the sleeping Buddha unless i missed it

Also MBK and Siam area are the best places to hang out and see the crowd

There is a hobby model shop called toystudiobkk at MBK,

Did u try the pizza at the Pizza company

Chatachuk market is over rated in my opinion yes you get everything but it is worth the heat and the trouble only if you picking up stuff in Bulk ,otherwise there is nothing you wont get at MBK you get there for a few bhats more

Next time at MBK go to the food court at the upper levels

Also from your video i conclude quite a few glimpses of HKG/HKT?/ and Hainan/Hongkong airlines

Karan

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 4:14 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

jbalonso777 · Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:13 pm Post subject:

shivendrashukla · Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:24 pm Post subject:

Absolutely Amazing TR there. Now I have seriously given a thought of planning my next vacation in BKK.

Thanks Smile

Cheers
Shivendra

Nimish · Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 3:57 pm Post subject:

Loved the Video TR - I think I'd commented on it a few days ago just after you'd posted it. Again - I'm really impressed with the effort and creativity that goes into creating a Video TR and thank you for putting in your all...

The pics from BKK are fascinating - I've not been there in many a year now (courtesy simpler one-stop options to the US). Perhaps it's time to take a trip there again Smile

.
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We miss you Nalini!

Theairplaneguy4ever · Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:02 pm Post subject:

sri_bom · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 2365 Location: Singapore

Thanks for this lovely report covering the sights and sounds of Bangkok.

I alwasy wanted to do the "Bridge on River Kwai" tour but everytime I end up only seeing the hotel and airport. I am hoping next time I am in Bangkok I will take a day off and do that visit.

The Tiger temple is surrounded by a lot of controversy. One of them being that the monks sedate the tigers, I am not sure how true that is.

I also enjoyed your HD video report which looks very nice on large screen.

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

too bad you missed Air Austral Confused

Brilliant video report as usual, amazing effort.
Wonderful sights and tastes from Thailand ... thank you!!
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eP007

TomA340 · Member Joined: 22 Oct 2014 Posts: 2 Location: 26A

I live in Kerala nd I regularly travel to bkk (second home).I used to take tg from maa or Blr but I now take mh.
Good report!
_________________
When you get a *G card, you know you have achieved something in your life:)

Nimish · Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:42 pm Post subject:

TomA340 · Member Joined: 22 Oct 2014 Posts: 2 Location: 26A

Actually there is mh from kochi.[/quote]
_________________
When you get a *G card, you know you have achieved something in your life:)

Nimish · Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:53 am Post subject: