Sawadee-ka – Hello in Thai

The new terminal at Beijing’s International Airport is GIGANTIC. Apparently the building could stretch across lower Manhattan, coast to coast. I was disappointed we didn’t see the new terminal during our arrival, but we certainly saw it on our way out. The trip to Bangkok on Thai Airways was a just over 6 hours. Our early departure meant we arrived around 1pm. The Shangri-La Hotel was a short drive from the airport and located in the heart of downtown Bangkok on the ChaoPrya River. We quickly learned the Thai greeting, “Sawadee-ka” for women and “Sawadee-kup” for men.

There are many folks who say that the traffic in Beijing is awful, or that NYC’s bumper to bumper to bumper traffic is the world’s worst. But I can say that Bangkok’s downtown traffic rivals any city’s traffic anywhere in the world. Tiny cars line up with mopeds and scooters and all seem oblivious to the traffic lights. Thank goodness for Skytrain! The SkyTrain is Bangkok’s very quick, efficient and modern monorail system that we relied on as our main source of transportation. It glides smoothly through the downtown center of Bangkok and for little more than $1 you can be anywhere in city center in a short and comfortable ride.

In addition to SkyTrain, the Bangkok natives also use the river to get around which helps avoid the snarling mobile traffic. One can travel by boat to any of the dozen or so piers along the Chao Prya. Each pier leads to important site, hotel or shopping area.

There are several “must dos” in Bangkok including a visit to the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, the Emerald Buddha and the Royal Palace. The list also includes eating Thai Street Food, indulging in a Thai Massage (or many....) and visiting a tailor. Given our short stay in Bangkok we decided to see the tailor to get fitted for some work clothes. The quality of the material is good, the fitting customized and the prices downright awesome. Both of us got fitted for some work clothes during the afternoon of our arrival.

That night we met former UVA Swimmer Guy Yimsomruay for a Thai meal at Harmonique. Guy’s mother knows the owner and the restaurant serves delicious Thai food and the décor is awesome. It was great to see Guy and learn more about Bangkok from a local.