One Night in Bangkok...

Unknown fruit for breakfast.  Anyone know what it is?

We had ONE thing on the agenda today…get out of Saigon, and to Bangkok!!  So, after breakfast and packing (including some not-quite-dry swim wear), we called our ride and set off for the airport.  This is one of the challenging things about travel in Asia.  How long is the commute?  Depends.  Could be long, could be longer!  How long for airport and security etc?  Well, on arrival it was almost an hour…so better plan for that!  As it was, it took a bit longer to get the car than expected, a bit longer to get to the airport than expected, but the airport blocks were pretty quick.  Traveling Business Class has privileges.  We walked by the VERY long line (maybe 300+ people?) for immigration and security to the BC line, where we found about 8 or so people in each of three lines, so we were clear and through immigration and the scanners in about 20 minutes.

For some reason the best route to the airport was through a market!!

The Business Class Lounge

The BC lounge was on the way to our gate, and…well…of COURSE we’re going there!!  It was a nice little spot.  They had nice food options—not that we were hungry, having just had breakfast 3 hours earlier.  But there was room for a small bowl of Pho, and a 10AM beer, while we enjoyed some plane watching.

I don't always travel well...but I like to!!

What happened here???

No jetbridge...at least a good view of the plane--if you like A321.

This was our first time on Vietnam Airlines, so curious what to expect.  At 10:30 we headed to our gate for 10:40 boarding.  We arrived 3-4 minutes early, in time to observe there was no jet bridge, but a bus.  And then saw the cabin crew…and then the flight crew… arrive and board the first bus.  Guess we’re not boarding at 10:40! 

Ready to go!!

Once on the plane we got everything situated and started taking stock of the cabin.  It was…nostalgic.  The seats reminded me of the Business Class AA had back in the 00’s, except with a fabric seat cover that seemed odd.  Too light, how do they keep it clean?  Then we noticed…the drop down monitors from the PSU rails.  WOW!!  I remember those being cool and exciting in the 90s when I was at Continental!!  The seats did have ample recline (for a day flight), as Theresa quickly found out when the person in front of her reclined the full amount, so her seat back was touching Theresa’s tray table.  That was…not great.  At the end of the flight, the woman was trying to return it to the upright position, but the hydrolock (the part of the seat that controls recline and has the spring to push it back up) seemed broken so I helped push it upright.  20-year-old seats need maintenance too!

These seats are right out of the early 2000s!

Nothing like "Shanty-town" right up to the airport fence!!

Check out these vintage 1990s drop down monitors!

Surprisingly, the door was closed and we were on our way a little early. I wondered when they would start offering headphones.  Even though they had the monitors, and headphone jacks in the seats, they didn’t actually have In-Flight Entertainment, just a few commercials and then the Flight Map.  Lunch was OK, and service was fine.  So, overall, I’d say the whole experience was “Adequate”. 

Lunch

Just a short little hop across the peninsula.

Our welcome drink at the Conrad.

On arrival, we were graced with a jet bridge (so no carrying bags up and down stairs), and the door opened at 1:00 PM.  The whole airport was less busy than Saigon, and we could use the Fast pass (due to Business Class), so spent more time hiking to the passport control than waiting to get through it.  Customs was similarly quick, and we were out looking for our arranged ride by 1:25.  By 1:45 we were in our ride to the hotel, and checked in by 2:40.  All things considered…pretty good experience, even though it was pouring when we arrived!

WHAT is the DEAL with these Asian bathrooms?!?!

Theresa note – Bangkok was the location we could not get to during our attempted trip 3 years ago. So, up until now, it seemed like something that was difficult to get into and would be of issue.  But, it was such a nothing burger – nobody even checked our pre-arrival declaration form.  Oh well!

If you’re counting (and we are), this is our third airline, third aircraft type, and third country.  (And second new country, so that brings Bill to 73 countries.)  Each airline we flew from their main hub.  Guess what our next airline might be??

We unpacked, made some plans for the weekend, and did some laundry.  Good thing:  the hotel was a great price!  Bad thing:  it’s an hour commute to the touristy spots.  So, we might eschew the typical things and make do with some local activities. To be seen soon!

View from our room!

We headed up to the lounge for “dinner”.  Compared to the JW…it was a step down.  Note that Conrad is the premium hotel for Hilton as JW is the premium for Marriott.  So, while both of us have been loyal Hilton Honors members (Bill has been Diamond for about a decade, and Theresa achieved Diamond for Life), if you are choosing a brand to work on…we would both point you to Marriott!  Anyway, they had some food, and some drinks, so we partook.  And then headed back to the room for some rest.  We had ideas for the first night in Bangkok, but being in our late fifties…ideas are one thing…and reality is another!