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...

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. 

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

"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