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Courier Chooses Bangkok & Singapore for First Overseas Flight Shortly after joining the IAATC I read a story by Gene Emrick in the Shoestring Traveler about a courier trip he and his wife took to Australia. I was interested in traveling to Australia, so I got Gene's phone number from information and called him. We had three or four conversations, and Gene ended up sending me a copy of an article he'd written for the Shoestring Traveler about an earlier courier trip to he made to Bangkok, which really fascinated me. So I changed my mind and decided to go to Thailand instead. I purchased a number of guide books and a Thai phrase book and I was ready to go. Jupiter Air in San Francisco gave me a deal I couldn't refuse, extending my time in Thailand to 19 days instead of the usual 12- to 13-day turnaround. The outbound flight to Bangkok included a stop-over in Tokyo with a free night at the Hotel Nikko Narita with meals included. I did not refuse. U.S. ContactLucky
for me, two weeks before my departure I met the owner of
a Thai restaurant who had been general manager at some of
Bangkok's finer hotels before coming to America. When I
told him my plans to visit Bangkok he offered to make reservations
for me at the Royal Hotel.
Crossing the international dateline, I arrived in Narita, followed Jupiter's instructions for clearing customs and immigration, and took the shuttle to the hotel and checked into my room. It was resplendent with hot water for tea, slippers, music, sauna, shower and all the necessary toiletries. The next morning I breakfasted at the upscale restaurant on the second floor, dining on the traditional Japanese New Year's Day breakfast foods of sushi, soup, steamed vegetables, fruits, rice and tea. I arrived in Bangkok later that night, and followed Jupiter's printed instructions. It was a breeze! I passed the "hawkers" touting "limo rides" into the city and took the standard taxi service (set price, no haggling necessary, polite drivers) into dark, dank and wild Bangkok. It was hot and humid as we winded our way for two hours toward the Royal Hotel. The National Museum, Art Museum, Jade Buddha, Chinatown and river were all within walking distance of my hotel. Charlie, my Thai friend back in California, had done me well. Train North to Chiang MaiLike
Gene Emrick, I too decided to take the 13 hour train ride
north to Chiang Mai, deep into the green hills for a three-day
elephant safari and bamboo rafting experience with 10 strangers
and two guides (one English speaking). The trek took us
southwest of Chiang Mai toward Mae Sanang, and into the
hill villages populated by the Hmong (Meo) and Karen (Yang)
Hill Tribe people. The primitive accommodations there do
not include electricity, flush toilets, hot water or showers.
The dirt roads lead to a remote village, then there is a
paved highway and finally a large city. The journey included
nearly three hours of trekking with backpacks up and down
mountains, the highest being 4000 feet, and I made it. The
cost was US$60 for food, transport and the experience of
it all.
In Chiang Mai I stayed at the Central Guest House, which had a mini restaurant with an American/Thai menu (if you wanted to be lazy and not go out) and ice-cold Thai beer. The cost was 150 bhat (US$6) per day for a single room with a queen-size bed, fan, combo shower-toilet and luke warm water. Air conditioned rooms were available, but were more expensive. Peaceful Central ThailandAfter
seven days in Chiang Mai I went south to the dry, dusty
plains of Central Thailand and the ancient architectural
ruins of Sukhothai, which date back to the 12th Century.
This is the land of the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum. Here
you find the Wat Mahathat, the largest temple in the city,
and the Wat Si Chum, with its massive black painted two
story Buddha. Among the 14 temples you can visit is Wat
Chang Lom, with its chedi surrounded by 36 white stone elephants.
To me this historic area is the most peaceful, serene, calming, relaxing and spiritually-uplifting place I have ever seen. It's as if Buddha truly inhabits and protects these surroundings. My three day stay was further enhanced by staying one of my two nights in the Samprasong Guest House on the west bank of the Yom River. This guest house was spotlessly clean and you had to remove your footwear upon entering each time. There were highly-polished teak wood floors, clean rooms with clean sheets and pillow cases, towels and soap, wash basins and showers with hot and cold water at the end of the hall. My room with a fan was 50 baht (US$2) per day! I had a dress shirt mended, washed and ironed for 5 baht (20 cents). I ate my meals from street vendors along one of the main streets. A breakfast of coffee and a bowl of hot soup costs no more than 60›. For a late meal I dined on sliced roasted chicken, vegetables and rice with a brothy soup for 15 baht (60 cents). A large 22-ounce Singha beer was 40 baht (US$1.60) from the corner convenience market. Street Vendors are Best ValueI
ate local food from the street vendors during the entire
journey, except when on planes or in the hotel in Narita.
No burgers, pizza or ham and eggs. Street food in Thailand
is inexpensive, well prepared and seldom if ever do you
need to worry about rotten or spoiled food. The local people
eat at these vendors, who rely on these concessions for
their sole income. If bad food is served the police are
called and immediate action is taken.
From Central Thailand I took the air conditioned bus back to Bangkok. Since I had time to spare and had never been to Singapore, I decided to take a courier flight there. When I first arrived in Bangkok I had called Siam Trans International (Jupiter's office in Bangkok) and spoke with Ms. Siriat, who was able to book me on a courier flight aboard Thai Airways to Singapore for 3500 baht (US$140) roundtrip. Courier Flight Within a Courier FlightSingapore
is everything you have ever heard or read about and more.
Clean, clean, clean. The airport was spotless. Public mass
transportation, all I ever used there (bus or MRT), were
clean to spotless. No garbage or trash is thrown on the
streets; doing so results in a fine! No chewing gum; another
fine! And a huge anti-smoking campaign ensures that there
is no smoking in buses and public buildings. Travelers are
not even allowed to bring cigarettes through customs.
Again luck was with me. Using the free hotel reservation service desk at the airport, I got one of the last "reasonable" rooms remaining in a city known for its very expensive hotels. I stayed at the Mayfair City Hotel for about US$45, which I considered a bargain since it was very late on a Friday night and the town was filled for the weekend. The Mayfair City Hotel is located in the Colonial District and is within easy walking distance of the National Museum, National Art Gallery, the huge Raffles City Center, Raffles Hotel, the Singapore River, Clark Quay and numerous places to dine. I had the obligatory and famous Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel for S$15 (US$10), which was expensive. But almost everything is more expensive in Singapore than in the rest of Southeast Asia. I rode the MRT east to Jurong Town and the famous Jurong Bird Park. It boasts the world's highest man-made waterfall and has a comfortable air-conditioned monorail from which to view the park if you don't wish to walk the entire area, which is quite large. My last night I took the cable car from Mount Faber at the World Trade Center, over the beach resort island of Sentosa and returned. At night the view is simply spectacular. Breturn to BangkokI
returned to Bangkok for four more days, took in a Thai kick-boxing
match at Lumphini Park, strolled through the streets of
the Banglamphu and enjoyed eating at my favorite food stalls.
Then I hopped my return courier flight to San Francisco.
This was my first taste of international travel, except
for jaunts to Mexico, and I learned three tips worth passing
on:
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