I spend the entire month of February in Thailand and briefly stopped over in Singapore.
It was mostly for business and but of course I am going to have pleasure in the process. I flew to Bangkok from San Francisco on United and again I was in business class. I was glad I flew the day of the Super Bowl. The 747 has half empty. I never saw so many open seats on a trans-Pacific flight. Considering the fact that the Green Bay Packers didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, there was no point in watching it so I booked my trip the day of the game. Turned out to be a wise idea.
As usually, there service on United was wonderful. The captain announced the score of the Super Bowl during the flight. I was so tired and wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not but I was happy to hear the the Patriots lost. I went right back to sleep after the announcement. I must have slept a good 7 hours on this flight because I only had the meal after takeoff and shortly before landing. It is really hard for me to sleep the night before a long flight so I just stayed up all night packing and slept on the flight.
my pad in Bangkok
Instead of staying at a hotel, I rented a shared condo for the month in Bangkok. It was a nice place and relatively close to the main transit lines. I was closest to the Petchburi canal taxi. I missed this on my previous trips to Bangkok. That was amazing how people jump on to the rickety boat and cram in. The canal waters can get very choppy during rush hour when there are many boats passing through the canal. The blue tarp on the side of the boat is for you to raise up when a passing boat goes by. That is so water won’t splash up on your face.
The fare collectors scale the side of the boat hanging on to a rope and walking along a plank that isn’t more than 5 inches wide.
That funny looking guy in the picture is Airliners.net member Fridgmus.
mini-meet in Bangkok
We had a small impromptu Airliners.net gathering in Bangkok with me, Fridgmus, ChrisTao17 and that other guy who I forgot to ask his username.
I stopped by the MBK mall to found a model plane shop. This place is awesome! I could have spent all of my money in this store. There were so many cool model aircraft at this store. I bought a 1:500 scale BOAC VC-10.
This toy is just WRONG!
This was at a different store at MBK.
I made a visit to the Civil Aviation Training Center in Bangkok. I met with a few staff members and had a tour of the facility. I would love to attend this school. All I need is $61,000.00 (USD).
Any donations?
One of the things I love about Thailand is the food. A good friend of mine who works at Suvarnabhumi showed me an awesome restaurant near Suvarnabhumi. It is in the takeoff / approach pattern (north-south direction) of Suvarnabhumi .
This is a place where many of the support staff at Suvarnabhumi go and eat after work. It is one of those places where you grill the food yourself at your table. The whole menu is in Thai and so are all the customers and staff. This a great way to learn another language. No tourist go here and the food is awesome and very cheap. 99baht per person ($3USD). The only downside was the live music in which the performer placed very back versions of Lionel Ritchie covers. I was hoping to hear traditional Thai music instead. Oh well.
There were several other places similar to this on the outskirts of Bangkok that I ate at.
Interesting to see a sign for North Korea's Air Koryo. I wish I could have seen their IL-62 at Suvarnabhumi.
After Bangkok, I went to Singapore. This time I chose Cathay Pacific. I flew business class on the upper deck of their 747.
Their new business class seats are great. They are lay flat seat but at an angle. Very comfortable seats indeed. The service was very good. Prior to push back I had a few rounds of their champagne.
They served Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne.
It’s a lot better than that Andre Cold Duck I’ve had on the ground.
The starter meal was marinated and smoked salmon with vegetables and parmesan cheese.
The main course meal I chose was stir-fried pork with green peppercorns, steamed jasmine rice and sautéed cabbage and carrots. I passed on dissert as I don’t really have a sweet tooth. I did had Cathay Pacific’s signature drink Cloud Nine. It is a concoction of vodka, cointreau and Sprite and a hint of lemon flavor.
Sorry my camera started acting up on this flight and was not able to get a good picture of the meals.
When landing in Singapore, I saw their A380 and as I tried to get a picture, my camera didn’t want to focus. This is what I get for using a cheap Nikon digital. I should have brought my trusty and very reliable Canon 35mm SLR rebel.
death warning for drug smugglers
You don't see these warnings often unless you are going to Singapore.
This was my first time in Singapore. I was very impressed with Singapore. I had to meet up with an associate shortly after I landing. I ended up taking the subway in to downtown Singapore. Two cute young ladies saw that I was a bit confused with the directions I had. They explained to me where I had to go and were kind enough to get off at the station I needed to get off at walked with me to where I needed to go. One of them actually liked me so we are staying in contact. Just 1 hour is Singapore and already the place has left a very positive impression on me.
Later on that evening, me and a friend went out drinking downtown and the place seemed very Western. I felt like I was downtown any major American city. Then again, I had just spent an entire month in Bangkok.
Don’t ask me why I found this fascinating but this is a mashed potato and soup dispensing machine. I saw this at a 7-11 in Singapore.
These light globes at the Singapore airport really caught my attention. I love these because they look so 1970s. This was at the 24 hour food court on the 2nd. Floor.
My flight out of Singapore back home was on United Airlines through Hong Kong. I flew business class on my flight back. They service was great on both segments. On the Hong Kong – San Francisco leg, I had the best in-flight meal ever. I wish I had saved the menu so I could have remembered the kind of steak I had. It was a steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables. I do remember the menu mentioning some sort of ‘Kenyan’ seasoning or sauce. Perhaps some members here might know what kind it was. The steak was on par with steaks I’ve had at high-end steak houses. Kudos to United Airlines for providing such outstanding meal service.
The Cathay Pacific flight was outstanding as well and someday would like to fly them long haul.
JTR From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 113 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 24517 times:
That plane is not "so wrong" but rather simply amazing. I hope you bought every copy and will give them out as gifts to future A.netters you meet!
Msl747 From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 411 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 24208 times:
Wow, an Airbus 757? Thats got to be worth something! Great report, I too hope to get to SIN sometime, if only to get on a 380.
Fridgmus From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 1383 posts, RR: 11 Reply 4, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 24200 times:
"Funny looking"? Thanks Superfly! Did I post about you and those Thai transvestites? No I didn't. You're just jealous of my extreme good looks!!!
All kidding aside, I had a great time with Superfly and Christao17. My holiday in Bangkok was extended due to the fact I had to have arthroscopic knee surgery after twisting my knee, so I got to hang out with the "Legendary" Superfly longer! He's a great guy and Thailand definitely suits him! He had so many girls lined up, they had to make appointments! I introduced him to Cajun food at the Bourbon St. Bar & Grill and Boutique Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22. It's owned by an American from New Orleans. Look them up on the web at www.bourbonstbkk.com They were really helpful to me during and after my knee surgery. Their room rates are 1300-1400 THB per night with free wireless access and breakfast.
That was my fifth trip to Thailand. The Thai people are just plain wonderful, as is their culture and their country. Real estate is going up in Bangkok proper, but outside the city, it's much less expensive. As the old saying goes, "Location Location Location" As you might have guessed, I'm looking to move to Thailand. I'm not a city fan, but there's something about Bangkok that I like. Once the overhead and underground trains start running to the outer part of the city, then those rates will go up as well. Get 'em while they're hot!
I flew on EK in J both ways and it was fantastic as usual. One thing though, my flights into BKK weren't filled but all of them are coming back?
The Lockheed Super Constellation, the REAL Queen of the Skies!
Buck3y3nut From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 864 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 23407 times:
Superfly From Thailand, joined May 2000, 38501 posts, RR: 80 Reply 6, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 23291 times:
Quoting Fridgmus (Reply 4): Thanks Superfly! Did I post about you and those Thai transvestites?
Quoting Fridgmus (Reply 4): I got to hang out with the "Legendary" Superfly longer! He's a great guy and Thailand definitely suits him!
Thanks. I had a great time hanging out with you as well. Thanks for telling me about Bourbon St. Bar & Grill and Boutique Hotel. Aside from the very pricey dining atop of the Baiyoke Hotel, Bourbon St offers the best non-Thai food in Bangkok at reasonable prices.
The rule in Thailand is to never eat non-Thai food. The non-Thai food is awful just about anywhere you go. I love Thai food, especially the spicy stuff but about about 3 weeks, my stomach said enough is enough. I did get sick but luckily the drugs are very cheap and you don't need a doctor's prescription.
Doug at Bourbon St is a great guy and had fun drinking and hearing his stories after you left.
Quoting Fridgmus (Reply 4): He had so many girls lined up, they had to make appointments! I
You are going to blow my cover and tarnish my image as a wholesome young man.
Quoting JTR (Reply 2): That plane is not "so wrong" but rather simply amazing. I hope you bought every copy and will give them out as gifts to future A.netters you meet!
No way.
Quoting Buck3y3nut (Reply 5): great report... that toy is hilarious Big grin
Fbgdavidson From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 3687 posts, RR: 31 Reply 7, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 22850 times:
Nice pictures Larry!
Looking at your pictures reminds me of trips to Thailand, I can almost smell *that* Bangkok smell! That model shop looks pretty good and I like your taste in models, BOAC VC-10
I'm looking forward to returning to Bangkok for a few days in May, and I'm on Cathay Pacific like you!
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): Their new business class seats are great. They are lay flat seat but at an angle.
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5671 posts, RR: 29 Reply 8, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 22727 times:
What a great trip report. I wish I was there.
I dig the Airbus 757.
You should have included a photo of those Australian hippies.
Zone1 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 1033 posts, RR: 7 Reply 9, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 22700 times:
ThaiA345 From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 814 posts, RR: 17 Reply 10, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 22324 times:
Hey Larry!
Great TR as usual! To bad we really didn't manage to catch up during the New Years while I was in LA. I am sure we will manage to catch up sometime soon. Hey maybe one day you should try to make a trip down to Jakarta! Awesome chicks here too!!!
Quoting Zone1 (Reply 9): Do the chicks have their wings?
They aren't student pilots. They are studying airline management. They will probably be future been counters for Thai Airways or another airline. Students in Thailand at the University level are still required to wear uniforms.
Quoting ThaiA345 (Reply 10): Hey maybe one day you should try to make a trip down to Jakarta!
That is very possible.
I will be back to South East Asia sometime this summer.
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 11): Not keen on Bangkok myself, but did enjoy other parts.
Bangkok is not for everybody and I can understand how some wouldn't like it. I do like the other parts of Thailand as well.
KLM685 From Mexico, joined exactly 8 years ago today! , 1577 posts, RR: 21 Reply 13, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 22070 times:
Great Trip Report Superfly!
I'm amazed at the speed you get girls, like the SIN one. Now I understand why you were at BKK for a month . Having fun of course!
I LOVED the picture of the Airbus 757 that's actually a 747. IT IS so wrong lol.
Thanks for this great trip report! Great pictures as well.
UK_Dispatcher From United Arab Emirates, joined Dec 2001, 2550 posts, RR: 33 Reply 14, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 22049 times:
I apologise in advance for being a miserable b*****d but there was not much in this report about the flights.
Quoting KLM685 (Reply 13): I'm amazed at the speed you get girls, like the SIN one. Now I understand why you were at BKK for a month
Maybe the reason he was in Bangkok for a month is to do with the speed he doesn't get girls when he's not in Bangkok . Have you been to Bangkok? You literally have to tell them to 'go away', unless of course thats what you're there for...
Superfly From Thailand, joined May 2000, 38501 posts, RR: 80 Reply 15, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 22035 times:
UK_Dispatcher:
I guess you missed this part in the thread starter.
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): It was mostly for business and but of course I am going to have pleasure in the process.
The main purpose of my trip was for business and that is well, none of your business.
I hope not to sound like a a miserable b*****d.
What else would you like to know about my flights?
I'll be more than happy to discuss that here in the forums.
Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 14): Have you been to Bangkok? You literally have to tell them to 'go away', unless of course thats what you're there for...
That is only in the red light district and that was certainly not what I was there for.
Christao17 From Thailand, joined Apr 2005, 889 posts, RR: 9 Reply 18, posted (5 years 2 months 1 week 3 hours ago) and read 21338 times:
Hey Larry -
Glad you had such a good time while here. Sorry my schedule didn't allow us to meet up a few more times but I know you'll be back.
Sounds like UA's transpac service has improved a bit. I've not been on them in a while for a variety of reasons but I am glad to hear they treated you well.
For others' reference, it is formally called the San Saeb canal (or "Khlong San Saeb" in Thai) and, as you said, is not only a bargain way to get into the old city but is also one of the most interesting.
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): ChrisTao17 and that other guy who I forgot to ask his username.
Ken - don't think he has a user name.
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): Don’t ask me why I found this fascinating but this is a mashed potato and soup dispensing machine.
Probably the most fascinating thing is that it is in Singapore, a country that I don't normally associate with mashed potatos.
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): I had the best in-flight meal ever. I wish I had saved the menu so I could have remembered the kind of steak I had.
That's very good to hear. Actually, the best in-flight steak I ever had was on UA, too. But the other 49 I had on them were really awful! =)
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): You are going to blow my cover and tarnish my image as a wholesome young man.
I'll vouch for you. All it will cost is, say, 200 baht...
B747forever From United States of America, joined exactly 6 years ago today! , 16574 posts, RR: 11 Reply 19, posted (5 years 2 months 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 21107 times:
Great TR
The pics are good
Quoting Superfly (Thread starter): It is really hard for me to sleep the night before a long flight
The same goes for me, impossible to get any sleep.
Quoting Superfly (Reply 1): I just realized this photo didn't come through.
This photo was suppose to be in the thread starter.
LOL!! The Airbus 757.
Seems that you had a great time in Bangkok, will you return sometime again to Bangkok???
Superfly From Thailand, joined May 2000, 38501 posts, RR: 80 Reply 22, posted (5 years 2 months 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 20827 times:
Quoting Christao17 (Reply 18): For others' reference, it is formally called the San Saeb canal (or "Khlong San Saeb" in Thai) and, as you said, is not only a bargain way to get into the old city but is also one of the most interesting.
Thank you. I forgot to include that.
Quoting Christao17 (Reply 18): That's very good to hear. Actually, the best in-flight steak I ever had was on UA, too. But the other 49 I had on them were really awful! =)
You should give United Airlines another chance.
Quoting Christao17 (Reply 18): Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):
You are going to blow my cover and tarnish my image as a wholesome young man.
I'll vouch for you. All it will cost is, say, 200 baht...
It's a deal.
Quoting B747forever (Reply 19): Seems that you had a great time in Bangkok, will you return sometime again to Bangkok???
Yes, very soon.
Quoting BMIFlyer (Reply 20): Can I have the one on the right? She's well cute
I'll send her an email and ask. Do you mind if I point her in the direction of the Self pictures threads so she can see what you look like?
Quoting Coal (Reply 21): You should've told us you were coming to SIN. We would've organized another mini-meet with DocPepz and SQ452.
I was totally thinking about you folks tool.
My trip to Singapore was last minute. I didn't know I was going there until two days before I went. I only spend like 18 hours in Singapore and I had to meet with someone most of the time I was there. I will be back in a few months and yes, we should plan on all of us meeting up.
I was thinking about sending you and SQ_EK_freak an IM letting you all know I was in town but I knew I wouldn't have time on this trip.
I will be back this summer so yes, let's plan on meeting up.
Just like my world trip report, I got so consumed with getting my photos rotated and properly linked and forgot to do a spell-check and proof read my report.
I apologize for the poor grammar and misspellings.
BMIFlyer From UK - England, joined Feb 2004, 8810 posts, RR: 62 Reply 23, posted (5 years 2 months 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 20725 times:
Quoting Superfly (Reply 22): I'll send her an email and ask. Do you mind if I point her in the direction of the Self pictures threads so she can see what you look like?
Triple7man From Thailand, joined May 2005, 679 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (5 years 2 months 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 20489 times:
I will be in Bangkok next week. Where is the MBK mall located (the one with the model shop)? I'll have to go and see it.
Have you kissed a 777 today?
25 Superfly: The name of the store is Toy Studio located on the 2nd. floor of the MBK center. The best way to get there is on the BTS Skytrain and exit at the Nat
26 Sh0rtybr0wn: Nice Job Superfly. I just came back from a week in BKK so I recognize alot of your pics... I was on that same river boat. Thats a crucial boat-ride be
27 Omoo: Definitely, let me save some much needed $$$$
28 Superfly: I am embarrassed to say that I have not been to those parts but I have been east. I visited Khon Khen and Pattaya and rented a motorcycle and rode ou
29 Singapore_Air: An interesting trip report SuperFly! How was the inflight service rendered on your flight?
30 Superfly: Excellent. I believe I already covered that in the thread starter. Unless something unusual happens, I don't go in to details about what time service
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Great report, I too hope to get to SIN sometime, if only to get on a 380.
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