Good morning from Bangkok! \240We arrived after 16 hours on the airplane. \240Pretty much smooth sailing into Bangkok. \240We took JAL airlines from Seattle to Tokyo. \240Was fun to experience the new Boeing 878. \240Airplane was very smooth with fantastic leg room for us tall folk. \240Only downside was the food was straight up nasty on the plane. \240But this was offset a bit by very good food at the SeaTac airport where we had a very good vegan omelette and an incredible mocha for Cathy.

We had a quick layover in Tokyo and we experienced very good ramen! \240Superb yum.

Checked into the Ibis Hotel in Bangkok. \240This is a no frills hotel but was good for our first night considering we got in at around 2am.

Now we are off to get some Breakfast. \240Jet lagged and hungry. \240We google best bakery near our hotel. \240Off we go, jet lag and all.

Alrighty! \240We checked out of our temporary hotel and into our new digs at the Peninsula Bangkok. \240This place is very nice! \240Normally we’d be staying in a much lesser hotel but since we booked right in the middle of COVID lockdowns, hotels were going for around half price.

This is a new location for us so we will have to check out everything that is near by. \240One added touch is it’s just blocks away from Icon Siam which is Bangkok’s newest mall. \240If Cathy goes missing for any extended time, I know where to look!

Our first full day in Bangkok was interesting. \240I’m always a big fan of looking for “the best of” and just going for it. \240

Woke up and the intent was to go to one of the hippest coffee joint around. \240Hopped in a cab and drove for half an hour only to discover it was closed for the day. \240Yes I fully admit somebody forgot to confirm it was open. \240That person was yours truly. \240Not off to a good start and Cathy visibly grumpy with me. \240But who can blame her. \240I blame the jet lag.

So we had to come up with plan B. \240The one thing I have learned to understand about Thailand is there are a lot of plan B’s. \240Late for this, stuck in traffic for that, lost, cabbie can’t understand you or can’t locate your destination. \240But you need to learn to accept it, grin and bear it.

We found another really good spot 15 minutes away and all was good. \240Cathy was still a bit icy and we had a bit of a quarrel but we hashed that out and enjoyed our coffees.

There were over 15 employees at this coffee shop. \240Coming from Seattle, I know coffee. \240But Bangkok just does it soooooooooooo much better. \240The Thais have so much attention to detail and are very experimental. \240The net result is coffee and food that is hard to beat.

Part two from yesterday. \240We had booked a four hour spa session online at So Thai Spa. \240So when in Thailand, what do you do to prepare for such an event? \240Why yes, get an hour long massage near the hotel. \240One always needs to find a cheap massage joint near your hotel, that is a must! \240This place delivered!

We finished and then drove off for the spa session and got lost. \240Finally found it and wow was it worth it! \240Four hours of pure bliss and the practioners really knew their craft. \240Cathy and I agreed that it may have been the best massage we’ve ever had in Thailand and that’s saying a lot! \240Highly recommended and it will be one of the highlights of our trip!

Returned home and ate at a whole in the wall. \240Food only so so. \240Doubt we come back. \240Went home and absolutely crashed. \240Betwee the massages, beer and jet lag, everything started sounding like waaaa waaaa. \240Cathy hates when this happens to me but man did I crash. \240In bed by 10pm. Zzzzzzzz.

Woke up early this morning. \240Still trying to adjust to the new time zone. \240Excited for the buffet at the Peninsula Hotel. \240Went down and was blown away. \240So much food to choose from. \240Free coffee beverages which is nirvana for us Seattle folk! \240Highlights were the custom juice bar and huge selection of quality food.

Cathy chit chatted with a nice lady from Camas. \240Nice to see her being chit chatty as she always accuses me of being to talkative with strangers.

We sat right on the river and enjoyed our food. \240Man, ate too much! \240Definitely have a food coma as I write. \240Cathy and I feel tad dizzy and I’m tired. \240Too much food and again, that damned jet lag.

Now off to Siam to look for a hat. \240I’ve gotten to appreciate hats as I’m now old and follically changed, it’s a good look for me.

Yesterday started off with a plan of going to a hat shop to look for a cool hat for me. \240Zipped all the way over to Siam and got there only to find out they only had baseball caps. \240Not what I was looking for! \240The problem with these “misses” is getting around Bangkok is a gargantuan effort! \240So we did manage to waste around three hours for nothing. \240But as they say “This is Thailand.” \240After being here as many times as I have, you learn to accept these mishaps as they are par for the course. \240Gotta just laugh and take it in stride. \240

Also from yesterday, one of the big main events was the highly anticipated Afternoon Tea at Authors Lounge in the iconic Mandarin Oriental. \240The MO was the first hotel ever built in Bangkok back in the early 1900s.

It’s literally right across the river at our hotel. \240We took the free shuttle boat over and in we went.

A little back story on booking this event. \240High Tea at MO was HUGE on Cathy’s wish list. \240They only book about a month out in advance. \240So Cathy was eye balling making reservations daily while we were in Seattle. \240Guess what? \240The week that we were here, it was all booked up.

Cathy was heartbroken! \240Well I decided to reach out to the Peninsula to see if they could get us in. \240They came back saying it’s a no go…all booked up. \240Cathy was very disappointed.

Well we checked into our room and shortly afterwards, we received a little envelope saying they got us in for the following day. \240However we already had plans for that day! \240We went down to the concierge to see if we could bump it up a day and guess what? \240They got us in!

We arrived and entered the room for seating. \240Lo and behold, they put us off to the side! \240WTF! \240I don’t like to use that term but WTF! \240Not being in the main room is like going to Carnegie Hall and listening to a concert from the closet. \240No bueno!

Cathy asked if we could relocate and we were told no..all booked up. \240Did I mention my lovely wife is determined? \240She aptly noticed one couple was leaving. \240The fact that they were closing in an hour worked out well for us as rest assured, no other set of grandiose women would be seated for their tea.

Ahhhhhhh, the gods must have been watching over us and YES YES YES they transferred us to the main room. \240It’s a big deal as they only have maybe 6 to 8 tables period. \240You should have seen the look on Cathy’s face. \240She works hard for this and deserves it…big time.

I’ll find a way to submit photos of this room but photos don’t do it justice. \240All the walls are white, there is lovely light coming in from the ceiling. \240There is a remarkable staircase that rises above with a live piano player. \240It’s heavenly. \240Yes that’s really the only way I can discribe it. \240HEAVENLY!

The waitress came over and went over the tea sets available. \240One was traditional and the other was Thai style. \240We chose one of each.

The tea sets arrived nd my immediate thought was who is going to eat all these desserts? \240It was crazy! \240Everything was superb as you can imagine. \240Cathy looked radiant. \240The atmosphere was almost old, rich, formal southern plantation style? \240Can you even say that anymore? \240Well I just did so don’t get triggered ok? \240It’s just old school class that a couple can only experience once.

It was grand! \240So happy for Cathy, it was a big day for her. \240

We took a good hour walking the grounds of the hotel snapping photos as Cathy looked divine. \240Well let me clarify, she always looks divine. \240But tonight she looked like an angel and it only makes sense to capture the moment with what any Filipina would do and that’s to take photos until your right finger falls off.

Last night after MO Tea, we went for another massage. \240Admittedly, I was working on a sugar coma from afternoon tea so a little down time via massage was nice.

After the massage it was dinner time. \240We didn’t have plans so we walked around and found a neat Japanese restaurant. \240What a cute place. \240I had a few beers and some hot pot. \240I was duly impressed, Cathy thought it was so so.

But what makes Bangkok sooo much cooler than Seattle is the choice of superb restaurants. \240Not only is the vibe 100% better, the food is better and would you believe the bill came out to only $20? \240Only in Thailand baby, only in Thailand! \240This illustrates perfectly why we always come here!

Walked back to the hotel and they had some Thai holiday. \240They had fireworks show that we watched from our balcony. \240Enjoyed it but man we were tired. \240That’s par for the course. \240Fall asleep at 10pm. \240We ain’t teenagers anymore LOL.

Last nights big event was GAA Restaurant up on Thong Lor. \240No doubt this was our fancy schmancy restaurant for the entire trip. \240The restaurant is owned and run by a famous female Indian Chef. \240The food is best described as Indian influenced neo cuisine in which Thai locally sourced ingredients are used.

Arrived early as we were starving. \240They seated us for the first dinner which was cool. \240Many of the fancy restaurants in Bangkok are located in these restored older traditional Thai style homes. \240The restaurant and grounds were immaculate.

There are around 8 tables and everyone gets the set planned chefs meal. \240They did make a few alterations as I’m not a huge seafood fan.

All told, we had 14 very complicated items. \240Cathy and I thought everything was delicious!

I had an Old Fashioned cocktail and Cathy had a custom fermented lychee cocktail that they age in house.

Here’s where I thought it was interesting. \240As each course was brought out, a different waiter came out to thoroughly explain what was in each dish. \240Then when you were done they would pick up the plate and ask what you thought. \240So all in all, it was very interactive and fun. \240This made me wonder how successful this approach would be in Seattle with our Seattle Freeze? \240I think many in Seattle would disapprove as they just want to get their food and eat uninterrupted. \240In fact, we were sitting near two older German men and a German lady. \240He had no problems telling the cute and overly polite waitress that his first beer didn’t live up to his standards. \240Then half an hour later, Cathy said he was motioning to another waiter to skip the description of the food and go away. \240Ah the Germans! \240Their reputation definitely proceeds them wherever they go. \240Not only that, but they do nothing to dispel their reputation! \240I remember talking to a Dutch guy in Bangkok many years ago and he said the other Europeans don’t like the Germans either.

Ok, enough ramblings on about the Germans. \240Not only they could spoil this night. \240Good food and matching fantastic customer service. \240Another hit! \240Did I mention we love Bangkok?

Another funny thing to mention, about half way thru the meal, Cathy and I both agreed that we might pay all this money and still be hungry after we were done. \240But somehow magically, I went from hungry to “oh goodness, I’m stuffed.”

We’ll close this entry out on our ongoing joke. \240Bangkok has some world class cocktail lounges and we had one earmarked only a dozen blocks away. \240Yet we never make it there! \240Ever! \240Neither Cathy nor I are huge drinkers but usually we are so tired at the end of the day, when given the choice between a nice cocktail or a massage, we opt for the massage. \240Oh well, they have cocktail bars in Seattle so no biggie.

Fun night, A+

Yesterday was a bit of a chill day with not much planned. \240My tummy was not happy so I decided to hang around the hotel while Cathy took a cab over to central BKK for shopping.

I always enjoy walking around neighborhoods to see how the local Thais live. \240Why? \240Because it gives me an opportunity to realize how damned spoiled we America are and how we worry and bitch about stuff that, at the end of the day, really doesn’t matter much.

It can be rather humbling when you look down and come to the conclusion that your sneakers are worth more than that oncoming Thai man makes in two months. \240It’s apparent that the cheap pair of pants he is wearing are probably 10 years old yet he is smiling!

Meanwhile the shit that we Americans complain about is just rubbish, pure rubbish. \240It’s quite embarrassing.

Ok enough about politics. \240I found a new massage place down the road from the hotel that was excellent! \240No doubt we’ll go back again. \240

Cathy got home around 4pm and we had booked an Italian restaurant over at Taksin BTS station. \240Place was cute yet the food was so so. \240It was good but lacked flavor. \240The tiramisu was sure good tho.

We then went for drinks at the iconic cocktail bar at the Mandarin Oriental called Bamboo Bar. \240We showed up and we were the only ones in there. \240Very beautiful bar and the drinks were great!

We took the shuttle ferry back to the hotel and we were out by 9pm.

We are still having a tough time adjusting to local time unfortunately. That and we are lightweights in the drinking department but it is what it is! \240Gives us the opportunity to rise early, enjoy the wonderful breakfast buffet and then come back to the room and spend time on the balcony blogging and enjoying the morning sunshine.

There were two areas of Bangkok that we’d consider living in when we retire. \240Still think CM is the best and least expensive destination but Ari and On Nut are areas we want to explore.

Yesterday we hopped the BTS and went to Ari. \240Ari is an up and coming neighborhood that is kinda artsy and hipster with lots of coffee shops and restaurants.

We had heard that this restaurant Ong Tong had really good Khao Soi. \240We went and found the place and wouldn’t you know, we’d already been there during a food tour.

But we remember it was good. \240We ordered pork belly, Khao Soi, northern Thai sausage. \240All the food was fantastic!

We then walked around and found a cool coffee shop. \240I ordered a coffee drink called Dirty Bitchy and Cathy got some lychee coffee. \240Mine was good, hers not so much.

On the way back, we ran into a guy from Seattle and we chatted with him for awhile. \240Small world isn’t it?

We hung out until it was time for dinner and did manage to get a massage in at noon. \240

Ok now for the sucky part. \240We had made reservations to go to Spectrum Lounge in Nana for dinner. \240This is a swanky rooftop place known for good food and drinks. \240Unfortunately we couldn’t find any cabs to take us there! \240So we had to cancel! \240We were super bummed! \240

We ended up going to an overpriced touristy Thai place at Ikon Siam mall. \240Anthony Bourdain would be spinning in his grave! \240Yes we broke every foodie rule in the book but we didn’t have many options.

Two days remain in Bangkok. \240We were going to go to Soi 77 but we decided to FINALLY hang out by the pool and relax.

We got a nice cabana. \240Pool is super nice and not too busy.

God I love me some sunshine!

Not much to report from yesterday. \240We had a much needed pool day and it was fun to actually use a pool at a hotel. \240We rarely do use the pool but this one was so nice, it was a must.

Last nights highlight was dinner. \240Went over to the Penthouse Restaurant. \240I had a ribeye and Cathy had the salmon. \240Both were great! \240The dessert in particular was superb. \240I think both Cathy and I were a bit drained and tired last night. \240We skipped the massage and went to bed at 10pm.

It’s our last day in BKK. \240We are sad but also look forward to spending time in Chiang Mai. \240The weather has been amazing in Bangkok! \240It hasn’t been too hot and we’ve had some sunshine! \240Many times when visiting Bangkok it’s been overcast. \240Actually got a bit of color on my face and the air quality hasn’t been bad at all.

Driving around in cabs, it’s soooo amazing how busy and lively this city is compared to boring Seattle. \240I tell folks that BKK is the complete opposite of Seattle. \240I’ll be sad to leave BKK. \240Trust me there are cons like the crappy traffic and not being able to get a cab at times but it’s still fun!

The ironic thing is we are just getting used to the time change difference and now it’s time leave!

Haha, just as I wrap this up, the balcony below me is smoking weed. \240As the smoke rises up, Pete now has a contact high.