So we arrived in Bangkok on Thursday night after a very pleasant but not so special trip on “Jetihad” from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok. Etihad leases older 777 aircraft from Jet Airways and it’s a noticeable step down in comfort as the suites are of an older design (possibly one of the first ever with doors) but the crews and catering are all Etihad. Nice enough, just not special so we won’t go over it here. One notable thing is that we flew north from Abu Dhabi over Iran, then took a sharp right and flew over Pakistan, India, then the Bay of Bengal, Myanmar, and finally into Thailand and Bangkok.
We’re staying at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in the Ratchaprasong area of Bangkok which is sort of like the more disorganized cousin of Picadilly in London. Very hopping, lots of shopping around, people everywhere. The hotel itself has probably seen better days and could use a refresh. But we have a suite with a separate living room and 1 1/5 baths which is always nice.
We look out over the Royal Bangkok Sports Club where horse racing events occur several times through the year. We also overlook the BTS – Bangkok’s elevated rail system that is curiously separated from Bangkok’s subway system. You cannot connect from one to the other, new tickets are required.
Our hotel is also adjacent to the Erawan Shrine — site of the bombing several months ago. Here is a closeup of the shrine.
We’ve been scared of this portion of the trip because from a distance the weather has been horrifically hot – mid-90s! So we were pretty sure we were going to melt, but there really is no cool season in Bangkok, since it’s so near to the equator, so you just gotta suck it up.
But now that we’re here we’re pleasantly surprised that the heat hasn’t been as bad as feared. Mid-80s which is fine in the shade. This is good because tomorrow we’ll see the Wats (or Temples) that are famous here. One is the Wat Phrakaew (Emerald Buddha Temple) which is located inside the Golden Palace, Wat Pho which is adjacent, and then Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) which lies across the Chao Phraya River and is reached by ferry. Wat a big day!
3 comments
Wat’s up indeed. Just catching up with you guys and reading this post, but I know you’ll have been blown away before I even read your next few posts. Alicia
I know how you luv hot weather…..:). So happy to hear it is tolerable! Hugs. Patio D
Hello you two. Looks fab, and I am empathetic-ally happy for you about the temperatures! Have a ball, and THANK YOU for not making me ‘create an account’ with a password, etc. to check in on you. XXOO-Rachel
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