August 2008 - Bangkok

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Flight Singapore - Bangkok

That morning I had arrived at Singapore's Changi Airport early for my flight to Bangkok on Thai AirAsia departing 10.55am. The plane arrived at the gate around 10.30am. I chose a seat on the right side behind the wing, my favourite area to sit on a plane. The Boeing 737-300 must already have experienced many flight hours, the seats were damaged and the whole interior didn't look very modern. At least it wasn't a long flight, only about two hours. After all these long-haul flights of the past weeks, this really wasn't long for me.

Once again it didn't take long before I walked out of the highly modern terminal building with my suitcase, looking for the Airport Express Bus stop. I had purchased a cheap ticket for that bus on board of the plane and my hotel, the Sawasdee Khao San Inn was directly next to a stop on the route.

Getting lost at this airport is impossible. I walked through the door and almost ran into the bus waiting for departure. Around 2pm we left and about one hour later I could check in at the hotel.
That is, I tried to. It wasn't easy. The lady at the counter hardly spoke English and demanded a deposit of a few hundred Baht, more than I had with me. So I had to withdraw money at an ATM before I could continue the check-in process. After finally having won the fight against the barriers of language and incompetence, I went to look for the lift. It took a few minutes for me to realize that the only way upstairs was a very steep and narrow staircase.

The room plain shocked me. Empty wallks, a cold tile floor, not a single power outlet and a bathroom that rather reminded me of the lavatories in a medieval castle. When I drew back the curtains to see what was going on outside all I saw was another concrete wall, about one meter from this building's wall. Needless to say, it was dark in this gap. It was not a hospitable place, but for 14€ a night and only one night stay I didn't complain.
I tried several methods to find out how the door could be locked. When I finally had I went outside to explore the surroundings. The world-famous Khaosan road was just around the corner so I thought I should take a look at it.

It is a short street, packed with shops and European backpackers. I bought a T-shirt and took a turn into a crossing street, walked back. There was nothing specific I wanted to see in Bangkok and I didn't have a plan. Meanwhile I wasn't so eager on exploring anymore, either.

I went back to the hotel, meanwhile it was 5pm, and spent some time reading magazines. Later that evening I went to Khaosan Road again to have dinner there. I decided for McDonald's and had a meal I would tell my friends about for years: I had a BigMac and a large Coke for less than 2€. When I ordered the Coke the woman even asked me if I wanted ice in it! In Germany (and eveywhere else I've been so far) they would fill the cup at least half full with ice.

Back at the hotel I went straight to bed to get up early the next morning (around 6am). The first Airport-Bus would leave at seven and I wanted to catch that one to be at the airport on time. My flight to Munich would already depart at 11.25.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Flight Bangkok - Munich - Hamburg

For once in my life I had no problem with getting up early and I caught the bus even though the check-out counter was vacant for about 20 minutes before the lady came back. At the airport I looked for a chance to have breakfast, but all there was didn't really wake my appetite. Only in the departure concourse, in the last corner, I found a Burger King. By then I had already eaten an expensive sandwich somewhere else.
I spent my time walking around the departure concourse looking at planes wherever the architecture would allow it. LTU flight 1753 departed from gate E1 on time.

Ten hours later when I was in Munich I called my mom to tell her I was safe back in Germany and against her expectations had not been robbed, abducted or killed.
I don't remember anything from the flight to Hamburg. That is because I fell asleep right after take-off and woke up right before landing. At 9.40pm I was back where everything had begun - Hamburg Airport, Terminal 1. The circle closed, after 14 days, roughtly 35,000 flight kilometers, seven airports, three airlines and huge loads of experience and impressions. At 11pm I fell into my familiar bed at home.
Starting again wasn't as easy, though. I had experienced more than some people would in their whole lives. My life had changed forever, I was a different person. I had grown with every day I had woken up in a foreign city. On top of all, my wanderlust had not been stimulated by this trip, it had been fueled.