June
28, Thursday
By 8:30 my luggage was packed and I was ready to take the elevated train to the Peninsula Hotel to pick up my Kindle E-Reader. Everything went like a charm, the crowded train arrived full of commuters and I managed to get in to the 2nd one only a few minutes after the 1rst one departed. Nice to see Bangkok from the elevated railway. The first part was familiar since I’d ridden it before: From Siam Square,
Pics of Royal Bangkok Sports Club
which has a golf course and Horse Race Track,
and Lumphini Park with its statue of King Rama VI.
Entrance to Lumphini Park..... never did get a chance to go and walk around
Passed the Sala Laong Station however, it was all new territory for me. Again I’m impressed by the strange architecture used in their office and apartment buildings. Only about 15 minutes to reach Saphan Taksin station. The Peninsula Hotel web-site, which I had consulted to get a detailed look at the map for this area of Bangkok, had confirmed that the Hotel was situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite from the elevated train station; but they also indicated that they had a ferry service from the Hotel to the station. How convenient! I made my way out of the station and headed towards the river, where I found a number of ferry terminals. I only required a quick look around at all the signs to locate the one that confirmed the Peninsula Ferry station.
The Peninsula Hotel in the distance
A further 5 minutes or so wait for the hotel launch to arrive and whisk me down (or was that up?) river to the hotel. What luxury! Amazing place
The hotel launch for the Peninsula
After winding my way in (this hotel is HUGE) from the pier on the river to the hotel lobby, I quick enquiry pointed me to the right counter where Lindsey had left the package for me. My Kindle ! Already set up in its book cover and with the plug-in and a few leaflets of info on how to get started. It was about 9:15 by then and I had already emailed Lindsey to thank her and let her know that I would not be disturbing her since she had a late flight in last night. The Hotel launch was still at their dock so I hopped right back on and only a few minutes later was making my way back to the elevated train station and back to my own hotel.
Bangkok from the elevated train tracks
Novotel Siam Square from the elevated train
This part of Thailand is very flat, kind of like the
prairies, with a few rare hills (which they call mountains) scattered about. The road system is well established and we
were on divided highways the entire way.
My room at the "Friendly Apartments"
Extremely clean and BRIGHT ! Plus I have a kitchenette and a washing machine on the balcony.
I have a small balcony
with an ocean view. OK, you need binoculars to see the ocean....
Here is a photo using the zoom on my camera. Oh... there's the ocean !
The view in the other direction: a huge hotel complex. See the washing machine bottom left hand corner? It was great!
The pools of the Neo Condo Apartments
The pool I will be using looks very inviting and is hardly ever in use.
A fairly new complex with modern amenities in the bachelor unit I am occupying. The 5th floor of Building B, one of the Neo Condo Complex, is the “Friendly Apartments” section, with only 8 apartments (one of which is used for their office). The manager I dealt with is Russian and so are a few of the TV cable channels. He speaks only limited English so the attempted conversation was quite interesting. He had my reservation on the computer however and to my surprise I was advised that I could not pay with a credit card; cash only! A lot of questions popped into my head but I did not say them out loud. I gave him a down payment (about ½ of the total amount) and told him I would have to get more cash from the bank later on this week.
I stowed away the groceries I had brought with me and set out to explore the surrounding area. First impression: SEWER SMELLS IN THE STREETS ! Beach is not very inviting, it is fairly narrow and lined with beach chairs and umbrellas that must be rented.
The mattress is comfortable and there is no ambient noise from outside. I sleep soundly.
By 8:30 my luggage was packed and I was ready to take the elevated train to the Peninsula Hotel to pick up my Kindle E-Reader. Everything went like a charm, the crowded train arrived full of commuters and I managed to get in to the 2nd one only a few minutes after the 1rst one departed. Nice to see Bangkok from the elevated railway. The first part was familiar since I’d ridden it before: From Siam Square,
which has a golf course and Horse Race Track,
and Lumphini Park with its statue of King Rama VI.
Entrance to Lumphini Park..... never did get a chance to go and walk around
Passed the Sala Laong Station however, it was all new territory for me. Again I’m impressed by the strange architecture used in their office and apartment buildings. Only about 15 minutes to reach Saphan Taksin station. The Peninsula Hotel web-site, which I had consulted to get a detailed look at the map for this area of Bangkok, had confirmed that the Hotel was situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite from the elevated train station; but they also indicated that they had a ferry service from the Hotel to the station. How convenient! I made my way out of the station and headed towards the river, where I found a number of ferry terminals. I only required a quick look around at all the signs to locate the one that confirmed the Peninsula Ferry station.
The Peninsula Hotel in the distance
A further 5 minutes or so wait for the hotel launch to arrive and whisk me down (or was that up?) river to the hotel. What luxury! Amazing place
The hotel launch for the Peninsula
After winding my way in (this hotel is HUGE) from the pier on the river to the hotel lobby, I quick enquiry pointed me to the right counter where Lindsey had left the package for me. My Kindle ! Already set up in its book cover and with the plug-in and a few leaflets of info on how to get started. It was about 9:15 by then and I had already emailed Lindsey to thank her and let her know that I would not be disturbing her since she had a late flight in last night. The Hotel launch was still at their dock so I hopped right back on and only a few minutes later was making my way back to the elevated train station and back to my own hotel.
Novotel Siam Square from the elevated train
An unfortunate choice of names! It's probably pronounced "Pukay" but for anglophones, a definite turn off.
Everything went so well that I now had time
to find a place to eat a quick breakfast.
Found a nice coffee shop a few blocks from my hotel and read the first
of the instructions to activate my Kindle while I ate my ham and cheese
croissant and drank a delicious Latte.
By noon, I had checked out of the hotel and was ensconced
in the lobby playing with the Kindle while it charged up. My car and driver arrived early and by 12:45
we were on the road from Bangkok to Pattaya, 1 ½ to 2 hours away depending on
the traffic.
My driver’s name is Mr. Tanat Aksornthong; a young man
with a wife and new baby. He is very
polite and his English is quite good. Luckily
we were on the expressway fairly quickly and the traffic was moving well. It still took about 1 hour to drive out of
the city, and another hour on highway “7” to get to Pattaya
By 3 pm we were driving through the streets of
Pattaya. Not very impressive. The apartment complex I am staying in is not
located on the main beach, but further to the south in the Jomtien area. I arranged for my driver to come back to pick
me up on July 11, I paid the fare and settled in to the apartment.
The unit I am occupying is basic white, with pink, lilac & grey décor; the only thing missing is the mirror on the ceiling. Oh, and the lights are pink and lilac as well ! It makes for interesting lighting in the evening.
Extremely clean and BRIGHT ! Plus I have a kitchenette and a washing machine on the balcony.
I have a small balcony
with an ocean view. OK, you need binoculars to see the ocean....
Here is a photo using the zoom on my camera. Oh... there's the ocean !
The view in the other direction: a huge hotel complex. See the washing machine bottom left hand corner? It was great!
The pools of the Neo Condo Apartments
The pool I will be using looks very inviting and is hardly ever in use.
A fairly new complex with modern amenities in the bachelor unit I am occupying. The 5th floor of Building B, one of the Neo Condo Complex, is the “Friendly Apartments” section, with only 8 apartments (one of which is used for their office). The manager I dealt with is Russian and so are a few of the TV cable channels. He speaks only limited English so the attempted conversation was quite interesting. He had my reservation on the computer however and to my surprise I was advised that I could not pay with a credit card; cash only! A lot of questions popped into my head but I did not say them out loud. I gave him a down payment (about ½ of the total amount) and told him I would have to get more cash from the bank later on this week.
I stowed away the groceries I had brought with me and set out to explore the surrounding area. First impression: SEWER SMELLS IN THE STREETS ! Beach is not very inviting, it is fairly narrow and lined with beach chairs and umbrellas that must be rented.
The main roads have some
restaurants and shops along it however. I
stop for dinner (pad Thai noodles and shrimps) and locate a 7-11 to purchase
some water, milk, juice and soft drinks.
I’m back at the apartment before dark and settle in to
read one of the on-line books I just purchased for my Kindle and watch some
movies on a Hong Kong English channel
(BBC & Australia News are the other 2, everything else is in
Russian, German, Thai and Chinese).The mattress is comfortable and there is no ambient noise from outside. I sleep soundly.
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