Ok, I made it to Bangkok in fine shape, more or less, after paying a HUGE overweight baggage fee in Casablanca. I know it has to be some kind of scam. Beware of too much luggage on Qatar airlines flying out of Casa. When I went to pick up my bags off the carousel in Bangkok, I noticed that many travelers were hauling off mammoth bags and there is no way that they were under the weight limit. NO way. Maybe they had to pay for the extra kilograms, but if they did, they went broke because these were some of the biggest suitcases I have ever seen and the people trying to pick them up looked like they were ready to burst blood vessels doing so. Qatar in Casa charged me about $60 per kilogram for being over the limit. $60 PER KILO (about 2.2 pounds per kilo). The lady behind the check-in counter told me that I was 10kg over, but that she would only charge me for 5. Come on now, if these people have that much discretion, they also can decide who to charge and who not to charge. My boss, also, told me he thought it was a big scam. One of my friends here in Bangkok, Eugene, said that he was charged a similar excess baggage fee just 6 months ago when he moved from Korea to Bangkok, but that Korea Airlines charged him only $7 per kg. So, Qatar Airlines is making out like a bandit and their rating, in my eyes, drops way down. Beware if you are flying Qatar Air and you’re at all worried about how many kilos you’re over their low 20kg limit for checked baggage.
Anyway, I got to the guesthouse ok in a typical monsoon deluge. It rained buckets again today for about half an hour, but now it’s down to just a light sprinkling. It’s not too hot, but very humid. I work up a sweat just pigging out on fresh fruits and seafood.
I did get to hang out with Eugene for a while, and we ate a rather large, 7-course breakfast at Crepes and Co. off Sukhumvit Soi 12. I’ve eaten there before and they have a great menu. A bit on the pricey side (over $14 for breakfast, but then again, I had the smoked salmon crepes as one of my courses), but be sure to give them a try if you get over this way. What the heck, here’s my complete breakfast, in case you’re interested:
1st course: choice of beverage–coffee and orange juice
2nd : choice of either fruit plate or fruit salad–fruit plate (mangos, watermelon, and cantaloupe)
3rd : bread basket–choice of 3 types of bread–I had croissants, toast, and English muffin
4th : choice of muesli, yogurt, or something else (I forget)–I had yogurt
5th : choice of eggs with many side portions, like smoked salmon, mushrooms, bacon, ham, etc.
I had fried eggs with bacon and mushrooms
6th : choice of pancake–I had one with smoked salmon
7th : choice of another beverage–I had tea
Excellent place to eat. What a life!! More later.
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