(Asia 2012) Fourth stop: One night in Bangkok!

For those of you who have followed my previous posts from this vacation, you many recall that my last night in Chiang-Mai was less than ideal...

"And then, the weirdest thing, I suddenly started to feel really exhausted and weak. My throat began to tickle, and I had no choice but to excuse myself and go back up to the room. I took a hot shower, in the hopes that the warm water would alleviate my aching muscles. Alas, it was no resolve. I laid in bed and fell asleep for a bit, only to wake to my cousin and sister asking if I was ready for dinner. "Guys, I hate to stay behind, but I just feel too awful to move. And you know something's wrong when I decline a meal."

After they headed out for the evening, I phoned room service and ordered two glasses of orange juice before passing out around 8pm. What the hell was happening to me?"

11/26

Luckily, since I was living out of my suitcase, there wasn't a whole lot of packing to be done. So, I crawled in to bed at 8pm and, after a solid 9-hours of sleep, I awoke to my obnoxious alarm "ding" at 5am. Hey, I was feeling a bit better and wasn't about to miss the breakfast buffet before our 9:30am flight to Bangkok. Especially after learning that service began on weekdays at 6am! I figured, with a 5am wakeup call, I could finish packing *and* get ready for the day before the breakfast bell rang.

My sister and cousin took turns sighing when my alarm went off. "Listen up," I blurted in a loud whisper. "I may be sick, but I'm not about to miss another great meal. Did you know that I drank orange juice for dinner last night? Y'all are just gonna have to deal with me rummaging around the room until 6am."

After stuffing myself like a goddamn sausage, my sister and I grabbed our bags and bid Cousin Eric adieu. "Mr. P," our adorable/awesome driver from the previous day, picked us up in front of the hotel and drove us to the airport. We were capital-bound and quite eager to spend "one night in Bangkok." And to annoy the crap out of everyone whilst singing that one verse over. And over. And over again.

After a quick Air Asia flight (think 45-minutes), we landed in the capital city...

Bangkok has two airports. We landed at the smaller of the two.

Like suckers, we paid extra to a) be driven to our hotel in a black Mercedes sedan, sans other passengers, and b) opt for the tollway. Time is money, honey. Apparently, traffic off the tollway is no joke and a total nightmare. And I just don't have time for that shit.

After approximately 30-minutes in the car, my sister and I finally arrived at our hotel, the Banyan Tree Bangkok. "Dude, I'm starting to feel like crap again," I mumbled whilst checking-in at the front desk. "I'm sorry, but your room is not yet ready." From the dramatic gasp I exhaled, the desk agent must have sensed that I was about to burst out crying. When what I really was about to do was curl up on the floor in the lobby and pass out hobo-style. Not a minute later, she exclaimed, "My apologies, your room is ready!" While I was going in for a bear hug, the desk agent quickly backed up and handed me the room keys. "You're welcome," she said, with an uneasy smile.

"Premier? This sure seems like a high floor for a 'standard' guest room," my sister quipped. Sure enough, as we opened the door to our room, we were shocked by what we saw...

"Where's the bed?" I asked. After walking inside, we quickly realized that we had been upgraded to a suite! That's right, folks, adjacent to the living area - complete with seating, a bar, a desk, and another television - was our bedroom. My sister and I jumped in the air - strummed the air guitar - and high-fived each other.

The bathroom contained a separate shower and tub and, perhaps my favorite detail of all, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel in pump bottles! Now there's a green concept, America! #asiansdoitbetter

While my sister went out to explore Bangkok solo, I stayed behind to nurse my sick ass back to health. I decided that lounging in the sun could be relaxing and 'just what the doctor ordered.'

Next to each chaise lounge was a "service bell" that guests could ring if they needed anything from the staff. I so wanted to last longer than the 5-minutes I actually did so that I could have rang the bell and ordered a tropical beverage. Alas, my sickness got the best of me and I quickly retired to the room.

After a hot shower, I ordered a delicious room service lunch. Sick or not, a girl has to eat!

Feeling incredibly weak and coming to the realization that I would only experience Bangkok from my hotel room, I cried myself to sleep and awoke at 6pm. When my sister finally returned at 7pm, we walked down to the lobby to grab a drink (Oh, calm down. It was a "virgin" lime daiquiri, for god's sake.), snap photos, and take a quick walk outside, since I had not left the room all day.

It was upon seeing this sign that we turned around and walked back to the hotel.

For dinner, we decided to stay in and order room service so that we could pack for tomorrow's journey: Hong Kong!

Sticky rice spring rolls with mango and coconut ice cream

"One Night in Bangkok" and the world's *not* my oyster...

Well, there you have it, folks. My "one night in Bangkok" absolutely sucked because I was not healthy enough to enjoy anything beyond my hotel room. I will say that I hope to return to Bangkok some day and make up for all that I missed.

Don't worry, I promise that my Hong Kong recap will be way more exciting!

…

Until we eat again,

Lindsay, The Lunch Belle

TravelThe Lady Who LunchesJanuary 8, 2013TravelComment