Bangkok

View from our room

Back in Bangkok after a delay of five days because a mob of anti-government protesters decided to shut down the airport to make their point. We arrived just after midnight on the first United Airlines flight to resume service into Bangkok. The plane was about two-thirds full and the airport was pretty deserted when we arrived at 12:10 am on December 9.

We arrived at our hotel at 1:30 am and were in bed by 2:00 am. We were both wide awake and unable to go back to sleep by 5:30 am.

The hotel lobby with a blue-lit Christmas Tree. I don't know how many Thai people actually celebrate Christmas but there are no shortages of Christmas decorations around town.

Our first day in Bangkok and we headed to the mall to see a movie. Every mall complex in the Siam shopping district has a multiplex theater on the top floor. They're all very modern and new but they all play the same five or six films.

We settled on seeing the new Bond film (just OK). Remember when James Bond could actually smile? And when did James Bond turn into the Terminator?

We also went to see "The Day the Earth Stood Still". All I can say is save your money.

Theater tickets here are just under $3.00 (all reserved seating). You get to pick your actually seats, similar to many theaters in Europe. The theaters are all very cold as the Thai people equate air conditioning with being better off, so the lower the temperature, the more privileged you are. You also have to sit through about a half hours of previews and commercials before you're requested to stand and pay your respects to the king. Then the movie you actually paid to see can begin.

The malls in Bangkok are all trying to out-do each other with newer and flashier stores. The biggest draws however are the eating establishments. Unlike the malls back home where the eating concessions are all very controlled and similar, the Thai malls have a greater variety to choose from. Eating establishments are located in multiple areas of the malls and they're usually always full whenever the malls are open.