We moved from our hotel in Chinatown a couple days ago and are now ensconced in luxury at the Avani Riverside Hotel. Seriously.....this is such a step up from some of the very humble accommodations we’ve had (and we’ve enjoyed them all for the most part) that it is kind of hard to believe. As an example, Here we’ve got an infinity pool on the 26th floor, a view of the river and the city scape that is stunning, and where a hamburger in the restaurant costs $20! So, we won’t be having too many hamburgers here!!! It is a beautiful hotel and it was part of our plan to really give ourselves the luxury of this as we begin to transition back to home. An amazing bed, a super nice shower, an incredibly quiet room, service that goes above and beyond all of the time, and being able to put toilet paper in the toilet again.....all are very much appreciated and doing what we’d hoped as we use this opportunity to rest from our long time on the road and prepare for the flight(s) home.
Being here is also giving us a chance to experience this District of Bangkok. Our hotel has a complimentary shuttle boat that runs up the river to the main port (about 20 minutes up and on the other side of the river) and that is where you can either catch another public transport boat or a taxi or a tuk tuk or the rapid transit. We’ve used it and it is beautiful but we’ve also found that using a taxi is most often much quicker and really inexpensive.
As an example, the other night we were heading off to see the Calypso Caberet on the other side of the river at Asiatique. (Asiatique is a huge tourist site that used to be warehouses on the rivers edge). We can see Asiatique easily from our hotel but to get there by boat we’d have to take the shuttle from here to the main station. From there we’d have to walk to the Asiatique shuttle stop and wait for their boat. Then we’d have to take their boat back down the river (almost as far as we’d gone up it). In total it would have taken at least 45 minutes. Instead we opted for a taxi. From the front door of our hotel to the front gate of Asiatique (and just steps from the Cabaret location) it took just over 10 minutes and the cost was under 100 baht (less than $4). To make it even better the staff at our hotel call the taxi for us, make sure it is a metered taxi, tell the driver where we want to go, and even write down the taxi’s number on a card for us in case we forget anything in the cab they’ll be able to retrieve it for us.
The Cabaret performance was pretty amazing and we had great seats for the 900 baht ticket. We had a little table between our chairs where we could put our complimentary drinks during the show. It lasted 70 minutes and included 15 major numbers. Some were comedic and others dramatic but all of them included amazing costumes and colour. All of the performers are male. Some are dressed and perform as men but most are ladyboys. Each time I’ve seen one of these cabarets in Thailand I am amazed by the fact that there are always one or two (even up close) that I cannot tell are boys. In the end, the show did it’s job and the audience was well entertained by the troupe.
One other evening we went to see a movie. Yes, a movie.....but this was different than most movies! It is called the Diplomat and is on the 6th floor of the Central Embassy Plaza. The plaza is an experience before you even get to the theatre! Every massive name brand there ever was has a shop in this mall. There was Hermes and Rolex, we saw RayBan and well.....you get the idea..... This mall was also open from the 6th floor to the first in the centre so the ‘view’ you got on the escalator on the way up was AMAZING! But back to the movie.......This one included a welcome drink, a buffet “dinner” of appetizer type dishes and non alcoholic drinks. It was an all you can eat/drink for one hour prior to showtime. Our 1000 baht ticket also included complimentary drink service in the theatre and every seat was a fully reclining oversized leather chair complete with slippers and a blanket. I could easily get used to this kind of movie experience! To top it all off.....the movie was Bohemian Rhapsody and both Lynda and I had been wanting to see it since it’s release. We both thought we might have to wait for it to come out on DVD or Netflix as we’d missed its release while we’ve been over here. But lucky for us, this was it’s last night playing at this location in Bangkok and we were able to get tickets. WAHOO! By the way......LOVED the movie!!!!!
We also visited Wat Pho yesterday. This temple is home to the giant reclining Buddha here in Bangkok and what a beautiful place Wat Pho is. Both Lynda and I agree that we prefer it to the Grand Palace as there are fewer people and it has a much more zen-like vibe about it. The reclining Buddha is MASSIVE and breathtaking both for its sheer size as well as it’s gentle beauty. The bottom of it’s feet (which are each 15 feet long) are embedded with detailed mother of pearl inlay images. Along one wall of the building that houses this Buddha image there are 108 little pots where you can drop coins in as you put your wishes out into the ether for consideration. Of course both Lynda and I paid the 20 baht for a pot of coins so that we could take part in that custom. Wandering around the temple grounds was so beautiful. They’d given us a complimentary bottle of water and their were additional refilling stations at a couple of locations which was a really nice touch. As well, Wat Pho is home to one of the most prestigious Thai Massage schools in Thailand. As you may guess....no one had to twist my arm too tightly to get me to say yes to a foot massage here. It was definitely more expensive than most other locations (350 baht or about $15 CAD for 30 minutes) and they sure had us packed in there like sardines but I gotta say....it was a damn good foot massage! I marvel at how strong their hands are...and to think that they keep that up for hours at a time is amazing and gets my respect and appreciation. There are also a couple of resident fortune tellers at Wat Pho and so I decided I’d try this out too. My 90 year old fortune teller was an interesting man and it was an interesting experience but....I probably would have preferred an additional hour of massage for what the cost was and what I got out of it. I do remember that he said my years between age 65-74 are going to be very happy and that beginning Feb 22, 2019 and for 18 months I should focus on investments and accumulating wealth....which was good news since I’ve set my 2019 “theme” as building business. He also cautioned me to think before I speak which is always good advice. :-). Bottom line....we really enjoyed our time at Wat Pho and consider it a ‘must see’ for anyone visiting Bangkok.
Tomorrow we’ve found another hotel that also has a pool and that is right by the airport and where the price tag is more aligned with our wallets so we’ll be moving there for our final two nights in this dynamic city. It is also quite near one of the floating markets so that will give us a chance to visit it while we’re there as well. And the fact that it has a pool will allow us to continue our plan for R & R as we prepare for the long journey home on the 18th.
Till next time,
LorLyn
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