A Boring Day in Bangkok

Besides collecting my slides from IQLab.  I have nothing else to do today.  I am not a window shopper so Bangkok's shopping centre does not interests me at all.  I do like to view tech stuff but Pantip Plaza is just another Sim Lim square with sellers who speaks in Thai.  Camera?? Well,  let's just say for more than 8 long years I know Thailand.  No camera is cheap here. (Only HK is the cheapest so far in whole of Asia)

So I tried taking some street photography with my a900 but alas.  This city just does not spark any interest in me anymore.  Its not Bangkok.  Its just me.. I took out my camera and walked down Silom and just saw beggars and street peddlers.   I saw heavy traffic and stunt drivers.   None of them I wish to record down.  

I'm not sure what's wrong with my attitude of this city.  I went to have lunch at a Sizzler joint to indulge myself in a cheap dining experience.  Hoping my mood would turn better.  Salad bar was pretty good and then that's it.  Finished my food and I decided I really need to get out of this city asap.  I went to the nearest Internet Cafe and tried booking a flight out on 23rd.  I don't care if the documents are not endorsed by Singapore embassy.  I just want to get out of this depressing city.  To my horror I left my Singapore phone with my other bag in the hotel.  So I could not complete the transactions.  I took a train to Phaya Thai and visited the Airport express train station.  Wierd location to have it ends here.  I then took the same rail to Makassan station (the express train service I wrote last time)  and tried walking towards to the Petchuburi MRT station.  Its actually pretty near but the pavements are horrible. If you have a lot of luggage then that option is out.

I then reached back my hotel and was in my room reading and surfing (I topped up some money to my DTAC phone) by tethering my Nexus one to my Acer netbook.  Pretty good connection actually. And also completed my flight booking transactions.  I would be out of here tomorrow during this time (just 24hours more to go)...

Stuck for another day....

I have been in Bangkok since Monday morning and I actually planned to have all my things sorted out on Wednesday.  Day 1 is to have my document translated while Day 2 is to have my translated documents certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  (that is today)  Day 3 supposingly to have my certified documents endorsed by the Singapore Embassy. 

But due to the amount of documents need to be certified.  I was denied the express service (double charges for each document submitted) so it will take the usual of 3 working days (inclusive of the day you submit).  That means I could only get my document back from them on Thurday.  Which makes me totally free today and tomorrow.

As I mentioned countless time before.  I don't really like Bangkok.  And the extra time here makes me suffocate more.  Thai people elsewhere are extremely kind and helpful but over here, most of them are just plain rude and dishonest. 

For egs.  The Taxi I took to  MFA just kept the tollway money to himself (just 10B but he just assume I would give it to him)  So no tips when I reached my destination.  The motorcycle taxi young chap who drives like a lunatic and trying to squeuze through the traffic.  I actually nearly fell off the bike while he just chided me in Thai " What you afraid of, if you are afriad we would just hit something".  I just ignored him.  Another Taxi driver drives like a lunatic, cutting lanes after lanes and have near misses at almost every min.  Not sure how he pass his test.. And really wonder if he is skillful or like what I said before.  The invisible force field of the blessing surroudning the Taxi definitely is in full force. 

Not to mention another joker at the MFA.  I was writing at the counter with the pen and put the pen beside me as I was sorting out the documents.  This joker just grabbed it from me without even asking if I have finished.  Naturally I just stared at him and he just ignored me.  He finished and I took back the pen and continued.  I would easily pass it to him if he had asked.. but Noooo... he just has to snatched it.

I'm really not sure why people in Bangkok are like this.  Feeling superior as they are in the city?  As they say dog eat dog world in Bangkok.

Of course,  I'm not saying all the people in Bangkok are such state but sincerely, ,majority it is.

So now I'm stuck in Bangkok and typing this in a small Internet Cafe charging 40B an hour.  Hopefully I get to meet some better people in the coming days to offset my negative feeling to this city.

Off to Bangkok ... again..

I think I wrote serveral times about my feelings about the capital of Thailand so not going to repeat myself.  Instead,  just want to note down and write my coming plans.  I will be taking a bus (yup a bloody bus) to Bangkok.  The journey will start tomorrow at 1700 where I will board from the Maesai bus station and the trip will take me 13 hours.  (Reach BKK Mo Chit at 6am morning)

To be frank, its not the first time I did this and I did not enjoyed the last trip (about 4 -5 years ago).  So I'm not really looking forward on this journey.  The reason I'm doing this again is 3 folds.

First, Its cheaper.  The bus ride only cost 700Baht comapre to 1200B (at least or more). 

2nd, The timing is pretty good.  I reach at 6am so I could drop by my friend's place early and drop my baggages.  I could then immediately proceed with my errands.  If I'm taking the plane, I could not do that as the earliest flight that I could reach BKK is 10am.  So it might be possible that I could have the documents translated in one day so I could spend less time in BKK.

3rd, I actually save more money!! (again) hehe.. lodgings in BKK is expensive, although I do know a pretty good hotel at Rachadapisek at a good old 700Baht/day rate (There are cheaper lodgings but the room conditions are normally cannot make it).  So the bus trip should let me save a night's stay in BKK.

I have not get my return tickets for Singapore.  Most probably will do that once I submitted the document and hopefully I could do it by Wednesday, if not Friday (Chirstmas Day) should be a peak period and I might have trouble getting out of the country.

And for those who are asking why so few photos of the family this round.. Well, I actually took a lot, most of them in slides and black and white negatives so I need to have them developed.  I have learnt of a place in BKK that develops slides and I plan to visit that lab if time allows.  Will post the photos once I have them scanned :)

Have to wish me luck on that long bus ride.. Think I really need it  :P  A bit too old for such adventures.

Bangkok Revisited

It's been almost3 years since I last stepped into Bangkok city centre.  As my flight back to Singapore is at  9pm.  I have 5 to 6 hours to spare.  So instead of doing nothing at the airport.  I took the airport express bus A4 to MBK (Mah Brong Krong).  Its equivalent to the Orchard road in Singapore.  I have not taken a cab to the city from the new airport and its really much furthur then Don Meaung (the old airport).  The express bus took about an hour to reach my destination.  (Pretty good considering the heavy traffic.  MBK did not changed much at all.  I think Singapore is changing more then BKK regarding the development.  I went to eat the Suki buffet.  (price increased liao)  Used to be 199 baht for an hour and 15 mins.   Now its 270 inclusive of tax.  After my dinner, walked a bit and hop onto the BTS to furthur east of the city to get out of the city jam and took a cab there back to airport.  After all these year in Thailand,  I still don't like BKK.  Not sure why but its the place I would avoid to go in Thailand.