07 April 2008 – 22:33
After watching an entertaining few boxing matches Felipe & I returned back to our bungalows just before midnight, it turned out several hours before some of the other revellers returned in dribs and drabs throughout the night. As a consequence I had a pretty good night’s sleep.
So fast forward to 7am and the last breakfast together. There were some fairly bleary eyes being nursed as people wandered up to the main building to dump their packed bags ready for the trip to the airport, and have their breakfast, consisting of the now familiar fried eggs, toast, mini frankfurters, and a strong coffee!
Before we left the complex, Katie asked us to fill in a short questionnaire about our holiday experience and gathered our contact details.
All too soon that task was done and we loaded the two mini vans for our trip to the local airport, where we were to fly back to Bangkok. From there the party would split up – most returning back to Blighty via Bahrain (which included a 6 hour change ), but the “original four”, Catherine, Christophe, Daniel and myself were to stay on for another night but thankfully were to catch a direct flight back to Heathrow the following morning.
We were dutifully driven in our comfortable air conditioned mini-vans to the local airport, and fairly sombrely checked in around 8am. Our flight was due to take off at 10, but in the now familiar “Thai style” time keeping, we took off an hour later, sitting in our plane waiting for an engine to be fixed!
The flight didn’t take long, and we were soon at Bangkok, where we picked up our bags and said our goodbyes to each other – all hugs, smiles and promises to keep in touch!
With 4 remaining, we took one of the multicoloured taxis back into Bangkok city, this time to our chosen hotel, the Shangri-la.
Our first night and last nights in Bangkok couldn’t have been more different. The second visit was way more relaxing and in comfort & luxury. We were escorted to our rooms; mine on the 14th floor in what must be the fastest and smoothest lifts I have ever been in. I can’t recall many lifts that I would actually write about (after all I have a life!), but these were a pleasure to ride. Equally my room (at a reasonable £80 per night), was kitted out to the specification any European 4-5 star hotel would be proud of. Catherine plumped for the slightly larger more expensive room with a balcony, but I was perfectly happy with my choice, particularly when compared with some of our accommodation at the start of our holiday!
After a little time to ourselves, a wash and change of clothes, we all made our way down stairs to the outdoor swimming pool, where we had a staggered lunch shading under parasols watching the world go by, both in the pool, and on the river that flowed by beyond the low stone wall of the hotel. Catherine plumped for a last bout of Thai sunbathing, while Daniel, Christophe and I all separately wandered around the local streets, taking in the last day’s sights and sounds of the vibrant, aromatic city.
I met up with Daniel and bought some water before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon, where we had a very nice (but expensive!) drink. We decided that we’d go out that evening, and asked the concierge to recommend us a good traditional Thai restaurant.
After changing into our evening clothes, we hired a taxi, and made our way to what turned out to be a splendid Thai restaurant that was recommended earlier. Being our last night, we spoilt ourselves on a meal costing 1000 baht. In the grand scheme of things, 1000 baht equates to about £15. And is a pretty cheap meal, but we were used to spending a tenth of that on the usual meals, so this was luxury
We hailed a tuk-tuk to take us back to our hotel after the feast feeling rather full but not ready to call it a night. The tuk-tuk driver was clearly pleased with the business, and after a small amount of haggling, we were taken on what was yet another fantastic tuk-tuk journey. Storming through the streets, the driver weaved around the road, pulling the occasional wheelie, and generally giving us a laugh. The mad-man/driver even let me “drive” the tuk-tuk by holding on to the handlebars while stretched over his shoulders from my rear seated position. It’s not every day you can be a backseat driver! Un-shaken but stirred & laughing, we returned to the hotel in no time.
We all piled back into Catherine’s room and, with what drinks we could muster, sat out on her balcony for the remainder of the evening, watching the city go about its business and reflected on our time in Thailand.
