Bangkok in 18 hours

The great thing about Bangkok is that there's lots to see. Unfortunately, I was only there for a grand total of 18 hours (including sleep, time at the airport, etc...). Needless to say, I didn't see much.

While the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel looks quite old from the outside, it's pretty damn nice on the inside. For starters, there was the band in the lounge.

Now when was the last time you saw a hotel in Malaysia where the band wasn't Filipino? It's nice to be able to actually understand what the performers say when they're not singing.

And they're quite talented too. They play mostly country, classic rock and easy listening stuff. And best of all, they don't play Michael Learns to Rock, Celine Dion or any of that rubbish. Very tasteful.

The other journalists and PR people started making fun of me when I took close-up shots of the female vocalist. You know, the usual childish "Wah, you ham sap loh (Cantonese for dirty bastard)! Taking pictures of girls arr...? What, for your own private collection izzit?"

I was annoyed and rather disappointed in their lack of maturity. Yes, she's pretty, but it's not like I'm spying on her from afar with a zoom lens (which is what they'd probably do). I've always had problems taking close-ups of people in the past but after some tips from a friend, I've learnt that the best way to take a portrait is to go up to the person and ask politely. It's a little odd at first, but - more often than not - people actually like having their pictures taken. Plus, it's definitely more respectful than zooming in from behind the bar/potted plants with a 300mm lens.


This was the view from my room. In Bangkok, the Royal Orchid Sheraton is unique in that every room faces the Chao Phrya river, which is cool. Shame about the haze, though...



These pictures were taken along one of the canals that branch off from the Chao Phrya river. Unlike most other major cities, the people of Bangkok use the river as a daily mode of transportation (via bus-like boats). Everyday, thousands (millions?) of people use these rivers to commute to work or to get around.



I'm sure I wasn't anywhere near the trendy or more modern parts of Bangkok, but these streets remind me a lot of the older parts of KL. What surprises me is how similar it is to KL, with food stalls by the roads, loads of motorcyclists, old buildings interleaved with new ones... Quite interesting. Wish I had more time to explore.


Last but not least, a silly English sign. There were also a bunch of signs at the airport saying "Apologize for any inconvenience cause. We are upgrading the system."

So, I'm supposed to say sorry that I have to queue longer than usual? :) Yup, Bangkok is similar to KL in many ways...