Back in chaotic Bangkok. I tried to get a room yesterday at {{link http://www.baiyokehotel.com/baiyokesky/ Baiyoke Sky Hotel}}, Thailand’s tallest hotel and, indeed, its tallest building, but I ended up staying back at Wendy’s again. I walked all around the airport, inside and out, looking for a Bangkok Hotel Association desk, but couldn’t find one. A couple of tour companies tried to hook me up with Baiyoke and a couple of other ones I wanted to stay at, but they called them and said they were full. The Lonely Planet guide warns that they will do this, calling instead an associate who will pretend he is at the hotel, just in case you want to talk to the “reservation desk.” They will then try to steer you to another hotel that is paying them a commission. Thus, I didn’t believe them. I tried to get a room at the Reno Hotel, a mid-rate place, near Wendy’s, but they were full (I actually went to the hotel, didn’t phone). Wendy’s, though, did have a room. From there I easily booked a room, another junior suite, at Baiyoke over the internet. I had tried to call the hotel, but being unfamiliar with the public phone system, I couldn’t get hold of them.
Day: August 19, 2004
I left my peaceful island paradise today and returned to civilization, Trang, to be precise. It’s not much for a town, but it does have a large market. I bought my first souvenirs–an orange and black, psychedelic, tie-dyed-style shirt and a couple of “tablecloths.” Quite beautiful.
(Yes, all my friends and relatives, I do plan on bringing back plenty of items from Thailand and Korea for you when I visit next summer.) Most of the food I’ve eaten in Thailand has been delicious, but the shrimp in red curry that I had at Kao Tom Phui, a small, family-run restaurant in Trang, was exceptional. Spicy, but not too much so and it had an exquisite, subtle taste, one I can’t begin to describe. You’ll have to go there to try it.
Tomorrow I continue on to Hat Yai for a few days and then I fly to Bangkok on Saturday. I don’t have a set itinerary in Bangkok, but I would like to attend a Thai cooking class, do a tour of the wats (temples), shop at one of the big markets, and go to a muay thai boxing match.
7/15–Hat Yai
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