Bangkok Assault
There’s no doubt that Bangkok is an all out assault on your senses, especially if you are a first time visitor. Even Thai’s can be overwhelmed by Bangkok when arriving for the first time. Sure you may know what to expect from reading and seeing pictures of the Thai capital city, but I guarantee that the actual experience will have your senses reeling.
Now I’m not unexperienced when it comes to Bangkok, having visited over a dozen times in the past years, however each time I arrive I am still somewhat taken aback by the sensory overload. This last arrival was no different. It starts almost immediately when I stepped out of Suvarabhumi airport to get a taxi. 6 o’clock in the evening and the heat was full blast. It’s almost like stepping into a sauna with the combination of extreme heat and extreme humidity. Coming from a northern climate I almost immediately began to sweat from every single pore of my body.
Normally I would hop right into an air conditioned taxi for a comfortable ride into the city. Of course this was not a normal arrival since Golf, Alivia and I were returning to Thailand for good. In addition to our numerous bags of luggage, we were also being met by numerous friends at the airport. First we had to locate said friends however!
If you’ve ever made the trip from the U.S. to Thailand you’ll know it’s one of the longest flights possible. For us it was a 21 hour trip (3 hour layover in Hong Kong), which is enough by itself to make one exhausted and jet lagged. Of course we also had a 1 year old traveling with us, so we were triply exhausted after the grueling trip. Trust me when I tell you that it IS NOT a good idea to coop up a small child in an airplane for more than an hour or two.
Off we went with all our bags to the end of the terminal where we were met by several of Golf’s friends. Greetings and then gossip commenced immediately and I was informed that we had about half a dozen more people to wait for. Meanwhile my shirt was soaked with sweat and all I wanted was a cool drink and some air con. After about an hours time all the friends had arrived and the logistics of transporting the baggage had been settled and we were on our way to our first temporary stop, a hotel called the Hope Land Executive Residence located at Sukhumvit Soi 46/1. This would be our temporary home for the next week as Golf searched for employment and we also searched for a permanent place to live.
If you are looking for a place to stay around this area of Sukhumvit I think you could do much worse than the Hope Land. The staff was very friendly (they enjoyed playing with Alivia) and helpful, the rooms were large and clean and the food was as you would expect. They have no restaurant, but they do serve a breakfast buffet, which was filling if a bit bland and devoid of creativity. And the price (booked through Agoda) was under 1500THB/night.
Checking in was quick and soon we were in our room, which although large, was not meant to accommodate 10+ people. Thankfully the friends soon said their goodbyes and left us to unpack and sort everything out while getting Alivia used to her new temporary home.
Up to this point the sensory assault was minor, primarily related to the heat and humidity and the long unheard sound of Thai being spoken all around. That was soon to change though as we were now hungry and it was time to head out to the street to find a place to eat.
Drop back in tomorrow when I will share with you some of the wonders of Thai cuisine!
P.S. Yes we are very happy to be back in Thailand
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Thanks Mac! Patience I have in plenty.
Have a happy trip, get on your feet and do whatever you want.. just like Mac told you.. Buddha will bless you, god is good..
Hi Steve,
Great to get to know you and welcome to The Big Mango. I think you and your family will soon settle in and live a comfortable life. I wish you all the best for your future in Thailand.
Thanks for the warm welcome Dave, it’s great to get to know you as well.
You’re most welcome Steve, I will greatly enjoy getting to know you better. I find you a fascinating guy with an impressive background. Let me know if you need any help, or advice settling into your new life in Bangkok.
Keep up the good work on your informative website. There are only a handful of websites that I regularly visit, but this is certainly one of the chosen few. Cheers!
I wish you and your family all the best in Thailand. Take it easy mate and have a lot of patience. Buddha bless the three of you..!!!
Thanks Mac! Patience I have in plenty, but I’ll pass the message along to Golf lol
Welcome back to LOS, Steve, Golf and Junior. Trust you settle in quickly and get down to providing many more musings for us to enjoy.
Welcome back to Thailand. That flight is indeed grueling. Last time I came over from the states it took me about 28 hours including time spent in various airports. Guess that’s why I never go there.
Thanks for the welcome post! We are so glad to be back now that everything is settled and we’re not running ourselves ragged everyday. I remember taking flights that long too with several stops. We’ve decided there’s no way we’re going back with the baby for at least 2-3 years, it’s just too difficult at her age.