Laem Chabang, Bangkok, Thailand Day 2 of 2

Bangkok day two. We had to get up early today. 6:00 AM. We needed to have plenty of time for breakfast and then be ready for a 9:00 AM private car tour we had arranged. The mattresses on the ship are not bad for a ship but this one in the Peninsula was much better. We couldn’t find the extra pillows last night so I had used the one from the back of the couch. Now we saw the pillows clearly sitting in the closet.

Our sheet said breakfast was in the Riverside Café and we were to meet the Kapels there at 7:00 AM. We went down to the Riverside Café and never did see them. There was a huge buffet inside and the hot stuff was all at a buffet just outside. We could have eaten either in or out. We opted for the air conditioning. I won’t spend any time talking about the usual bacon and eggs etc. It was all the oriental stuff that almost kept me from leaving. There were some kind of round Thai noodles with mystery meat that was wonderful. The Thai fried rice with crab was not to be believed and I do not want to go on any further because it makes me too sad to think I had to leave when there was still plenty of all kinds of that wonderful stuff left at the buffets.

We found the Kapels back up in the lobby. They had eaten in a different restaurant. They did not read the sheet but had asked at the desk where our breakfast was being served. Without telling anyone, they had opened a second buffet at the Chinese restaurant we had dinner in the night before. The cruise ship tour director was standing in the lobby and he knew nothing about it either. Then as he moved to walk away we saw he was standing in front of a sign that said our breakfast was in both places.

Also standing in the lobby was the guide from the bus that brought us from the ship the day before. Her name was Oh. All these people have short nick names. Her real name, as with most of these Thai people, was many syllables long and unpronounceable. She was going to be our private guide for the day. She spoke very good English and was really sweet. She must have been from wealthy parents as she was well educated and had an air conditioned modern apartment of her own. Her parents had their own house.

Our van was very new, large and comfortable. As on the water, the land traffic was bananas. There were millions of cars too many for the streets. Stop lights would not change for 10 minutes at a time. The streets would be jammed up and not moving with all kinds of cars, trucks and buses and motor bikes by the hundred would go flying by weaving their way in and around the other vehicles until all of a sudden they would run out of room and bounce into one another while trying to stop.

We never got to see all the sights we wanted because of the ridiculous traffic and the crowded attractions. Then it was time for the serious throwing out of my hard earned money. There was supposed to be a store with very nice silk stuff just down from the Shangri-la hotel. The guide knew just where we meant and had the driver take us there. These side streets were more like a maze of alleys and paths. They were so narrow our van could hardly fit. We finally found the hole in the wall we were looking for because of the great directions we were given. The woman who gave them to us had forgotten the name of the store and the bags from there had no writing. You just go about a block past the hotel and look for the man selling paintings on the sidewalk. The silk store is right next door at the hall to the right. Sure. No problem. My luck, we found it anyhow. The side walks are lined with people selling any kind of imaginable junk in this world. Most of the time you have to walk out in the far too narrow street to get by.

Once inside, no problem. This tiny store had isles big enough for a snake. A skinny snake that is. I had no problem. It was the woman walking behind me picking up all the stuff I was knocking down that had the problem. Good thing I don’t speak Thai. I probably wouldn’t have liked all the names she was calling me as she mumbled loudly while trying to get me to stop stepping on the stuff I had just knocked down. Of course these terrible conditions didn’t slow Bobbi for a second. You know her motto. When things get rough, the tough go shopping. Come to think of it, her other motto is, any time or place where something is being sold is a good time and place to go shopping.

They did have some very nice stuff and Bobbi spent what seemed like no time at all to buy it all. Really. A lady from the ship walked in just after us. The poor dear didn’t know how to shove people out of her way like Bobbi does when there is good stuff to buy. Bobbi bought all the silk robes before she could get even one. I think Muriel was able to get a few too. I explained this was Thailand and they had no ties. (tie land) They bought none just because I said that. I have no idea how we will get all this junk home.

Now it was time to get back to the hotel for lunch. The most important thing on my agenda. Lunch was another of those huge buffet things in the ballroom. There was a half block long aisle of hot stuff. I never even looked at the salads and stuff. No way they were going to slow me down. I did have one problem. I couldn’t find anything I didn’t like. After trying everything I could fit on a plate, I went back for a bucket of the Penang Beef and a pile of Thai fried rice to pour it on. It was nearly as good as the banana bread pudding I had three plates of for dessert.

Our bus was leaving at 2:00 PM to go back to the ship. When we arrived people were waiting to get on the buses. I don’t do lines so we waited for the last bus. There were 16 passengers and 4 crew on a 60 passenger bus. It was now in the high 90s or low 100s out. One of the buses had no air conditioning. The bus company obviously knew they had a Freon leak as they stopped to refill it but it still would not work. Ours barely had any air and it was coming out just cool. Two and a half hours later we were back in Laem Chabang. I know it was spelled differently in yesterday’s log. I just noticed the word processor auto changed my spelling to something it liked better. This is the correct spelling should anyone give a darn.

As we drove into the docks area Bobbi spotted a large billboard that read in English, Welcome to Detroit of the east. That was where all these vehicles were being assembled. Many brands of tires were also being manufactured here. Labor is very cheap and shipping is very good.

Back on the ship we had made dinner reservations for Latitudes restaurant. That’s the one that is sometimes Pacific rim and sometimes other things. Now it is a T.G.I.F. The same corporation owns them as well as the cruise line. The food was supposed be the same but was not. Some much better and some not nearly as good. The place was decorated just the same. They even had a bartender from a Minneapolis T.G.I.F. He was tossing bottles around like the bartenders in the movie Cocktail where Tom Cruise played one.

There is no way I could live in Bangkok. Twelve million people is far too many. There is no way to live downtown where the fun is. Good housing is over 40 miles away and it would take 5 hours a day minimum driving time to get up and back. But I would sure come again for a visit. The people are great and the food is fantastic as are the better hotels.

No Tie Sherm Out.

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)