One night (or more) in Bangkok

A view from my room

Well, you know what they say...makes a hard man humble.  More than anything, the jet lag sure does.  After a few days of adjusting, I didn't really even get a chance to spend non-jet-lagged time in Bangkok.

Stay:
Chatrium Riverside is a lovely 5-star hotel.  Essentially, you're in a suite with a mini kitchen, couch, table, and separate bedroom.  More space than I needed, for sure.  A lovely view of the river, and a pretty fantastic pool.

Relaxing at the pool

I arrived very late (or early!) and luckily there was a 7-11 on the property that was open late for snacks.  Spent some nice pool time the day before working, as it was plenty warm and humid.  I skipped any sightseeing, as the jet lag was strong and had to get ready for work.  I also managed a run in the well-equipped gym while there.  They had treadmills with built-in fans, so that was great.


Eat:
We ate at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel--a Chinese selection and we ended up with some soup and dim sum.  Solid breakfast buffet as well.  Most of the rest of the time was spent eating hotel food during work, but we did make it out two evenings.

Asiatique:  We walked there--an upscale tourist set of shops and some restaurants.  We ended up at a local place with some decent Pad Thai.

Tuk Tuk time

Khaosan Road:  After about a 40 minute taxi, we hopped out to Khaosan Road, your typical hippy backpacker joint filled with bad tie-dye shops, hammer pants, and dreadlocks.  We took a stroll and were shouted at for different foods, souvenirs, massage chairs, etc.  Landed at a pretty relaxed cafe and had more Pad Thai.  Decided to take a tuk tuk home, which was really nice considering the warm temps.  Haggled down to about $7 for the ride most of the way across town.  Granted, taxis were cheaper, but it was nice to enjoy the breeze.






Wear:

Monday's elevator selfie

Tuesday's elevator selfie

Ran a 2-day meeting with the team, so balanced out the hot temps outside with the a/c freezing on the inside.  Dressing for Asia meetings can always be tricky.  Suits for colder temps and formal places, separates for others.  Although that depends on the client, too.  This one is relatively casual, so that's good.  I went with a dress and a sweater for day 1, then a bright pants/short sleeve shirt/jacket for day 2.  Worked out well, and selfies in the elevator to prove it.



Travel day to Vietnam was an early one.  We were out the door by 4:45 to catch a 7:30 flight--knowing that airport, it was the right thing to do.  I ended up trying a new travel outlet--a t-shirt maxi.  Super comfortable and great for warmer temps.  Found a great opportunity to photobomb in the airport.  Classic.

One of these things is not like the other!

Although it was a short flight to Vietnam, we still got a small meal.  That's the crazy thing about flying non-US airlines, you tend to get a bit more for your buck.  I barely had a chance to finish a cup of coffee and we were already on the descent.

A meal on a short flight.

Short flight, big plane