Friday, December 31, 2010

Ratchaprasong...the commercial "downtown" of Bangkok


Ratchaprasong is the area in central Bangkok that has numerous shopping areas including several fantastic multistory shopping malls; several of the best hotels and a complex variety of transportation modes.
Above is a view of the Erawan Shrine from the Skywalk above the street level.

Traffic an be very dense and slow in this area as shoppers, tourists and business people swarm to this area

This photo shows the 4 levels of transportation that moves people around this area.
The first level is the street level with autos on roads and walkers and food vendors on the sidewalks.
The second level is the Skywalk which is an elevated sidewalks that wind between the Siam Paragon, Central World, MBK and Siam center shopping malls as well as office buildings.
The 3rd and 4th levels are the BTS Skytrain tracks...an elevated rail system similar to a subway, but 3-5 stories above the street!

There are vendors and multiple beggars on the Skywalk. This one of the several children at his post looking vulnerable and asking for coins to be tossed in his cup. The parents come around at regular intervals to secure the bounty. After I took this photo, there was no way he would let me go without a contribution waving his cup at me..I gave him 5 Baht (about 17 cents)

A very peculiar thing was the New Year's Countdown Bunnies that dotted the area. They are used for entertainment with musicians appearing with them and passersby take each other's photos standing next to them. Digital clocks countdown the time left until the new year...with Australian time usually appearing becuse it is the first major country to pass into the new year.

I go to Phuket Island on Friday to celebrate the New Year.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Arrival in Bangkok


 After 29 hours of travel from my home in San diego to my Hotal in Bangkok, I arrived at 130am. I went to sleep for 4 hours and awoke with the sun on Monday morning. The weather was good with sun, temperature in the day of about 87F and cooling breezes with reasonable humidity. I took a walk around the hotel area in the Ratchaprasong area of central Bangkok. Nearbby in the center of the commercial district was a spritual oasis called the Erawan Shrine. I took a few photos of the people praying and dancing ladies in traditional costume.

Monday I met my friend Aong for lunch at a Thai restaurant and got the SIM card for my phone that he had purchased for me. I resed late in the afternoon and went out for dinner and some nightlife.
On Tuesday I met my cousin, Jean Walzer for lunch at a small Italian restaurant and we talked. After lunch we walked over to her attorney's office to chat with him and pick up her mail. She doesn't trust the Thai postal service in her neighborhood so she has it delivered to her attorney's office. She has lived in Bangkok for 11 or 12 years...originally teaching English writing at a University and then retired about 5 years ago to live in Bangkok.
I have got my brain acclimated quickly to the new time zone.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Returning to Thailand

Tomorrow morning I embark on a 29 hour journey from my home in Del Mar, CA to my hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. I will fly United Airlines this year thru San Francisco and Tokyo with confirmed upgrades to business class on the first two legs but waitlisted on the third leg. I have 2 hour layovers scheduled in both San Francisco and Tokyo. Hopefully this will go with out complications and I will arrive at Bangkok airport as scheduled at 1145pm Sunday nite.
Return to this space for further entries to my blog.......