4:00 PM Osaka –
Me: “Hi. I am taking a flight tomorrow with Jet Star and I was wanting to check the weight requirements for my checked bag.”
Jet Star Employee: “What is your name and date of birth… I am sorry ma’am, but you are only allowed a checked bag from Osaka to Fukuoka and not Fukuoka to Bangkok.”
Me: “When I buy a flight and pay for luggage, shouldn’t that be through to my destination?”
Jet Star Employee: “No, ma’am.”
I then inquired into the Dutchman’s ticket and low and behold even though he had been charged for the ticket, Jet Star only had a seat reserved for him on the Fukuoka to Bangkok flight. To say the least we had a stressful evening spending way too much time getting to know Charice from India. We decided to book it to the airport with the hope that the Jet Star desk would still be open. Nope! We got there ten minutes after closing. So we set up camp for another lovely night at Hotel Del Airport.
On the flight I sat next to an executive for an airline company. He is from Australia, but now works in their Japan headquarters. We discussed the oddities of work life in Japan. Just one example he gave was that an employee damaged one of the planes by running into it with a truck. He went to the airport with the head of security to do an audit. He asked the head of security, “So what are you going to ask the employees about the event last week?” The head of security said, “Nothing. We will stick with the safety checklist.” “Yes, but we need to make sure they know what to do if that situation happens again and how to avoid it.” “But it is not on the checklist….” “Ok, let’s say we are doing the audit and there is a fire happening while we are running through the checklist. What should we do?” “Ooooooh that is difficult sir. We must finish the checklist first.”
To be fair he said that his Japanese coworkers would offer to help him with his workload and had excellent work ethic. The problems he faces are around decision making and managing problems or rare events. It all revolves around creative thinking.
After a long 48 hours, I stumbled into the lobby of the Twin Towers Hotel (bad name I know) to see my long-term friend Matt standing there holding my Christmas gift from my parents and godmother. If I hadn’t been loaded down with all my stuff, I would have done a jig. Matt took me on my first tuk tuk and we spent the night catching up over four plates of delicious Thai food. Good thing I have a week to hang out with him cause a few hours wasn’t going to be enough.
Matt and I hit the ground hard our first full day in Bangkok. One aspect of Thailand I really don’t like is that taxi drivers and restaurant promoters are very in your face to the point of being aggressive. The driver of the first taxi we jumped in urged us to allow him to be our tour guide. I have heard that throughout the tour these drivers will take you to their friends’ establishments and in return they receive a cut. We strongly told him all we wanted was a ride to the Grand Palace. In the end we had to go with a tuk tuk. If you go to Thailand, be very cautious of anyone that suggests you join their tour. These same drivers were even standing outside the Grand Palace telling people it was closed and that they would take them to other great sites.
It was a hot and muggy day, but I was excited to rub sweaty elbows with hordes of fellow sightseers. Matt donned a pair of rental pants over his shorts since you are only allowed in with long pants and shirts with sleeves. My guide book said you needed close toed shoes, but that didn’t seem to be the case. From outside the gate the famous gold cone was visible gleaming in the sun. I feel the palace is the number one must-see in Bangkok. It was built in 1782 by Rama I. He moved the capital from Ayutthaya and wanted the palace to show the strength of Thailand and to be more impressive than the grandeur of its predecessor. The massive complex achieved this goal. The buildings that make up the palace complex are very awe-inspiring, but also a bit overwhelming and to an extent gaudy. Out of the many buildings only 6 can be visited. Plan on around 3 hours to see the whole complex and another hour to visit the Reclining Buddha (Wat Po) just one km down the street (Don’t take a Tuk Tuk… Walk). All I can say about the Reclining Buddha is AMAZING. I first learned of it watching The Amazing Race. Since then it has been high on my list of places to visit. It greatly met my expectations.
The most significant building in the palace complex is the Wat Phra Kaew. It is the home of the very famous Emerald Buddha. The name is a bit misleading because the Buddha is actually made of jade. The statue is only 31 inches tall and unfortunately resides on a very tall pedestal. The only person allowed to touch it is the king, who changes the Buddha’s wardrobe three times a year. The statue is believed to have been created in the 14th or 15th century. He was then covered in plaster and completely forgotten. At one point a monk noticed the plaster flaking away from the Buddha’s nose. Low and behold he discovered the true significance of the statue and due to its brilliant green color it was dubbed the Emerald Buddha. He became even more sought after when he was stolen by the Laotians in 1552. He did not return to his homeland until Rama I conquered Vientiane in the 18th Century. The Emerald Buddha is the most sacred Buddha statue in Thailand.
Matt and I then took a longboat tour of the canals and landed at Wat Arun just in time to participate in one of Thailand’s most famous festivals, Loi Krathong. What are the odds that the one day we were in Bangkok coincided with this festival?! Loi Krathong originated in India. People light candles on floats made of dough and send them down river with hopes of expelling bad luck from the previous year and of summoning good luck for the year to come. Some people place their fingernail clippings or hair on the floats so that the water goddess knows who they are, along with money to appease her. Matt and I snagged a spot right on the river bank and watched the colorful boat floats go by, the fire work show, and people lighting their dough floats and lanterns. Behind us were a few streets of street food, performers, monks blessing people with holy water, and people hanging money in front of the temple. Don’t worry the day wasn’t over yet! We headed to the famous party street Khao Sun Road to meet up with his college friend Danaan.
We had a jam packed first day to say the least. Next up Railay Beach!
Me: “Hi. I am taking a flight tomorrow with Jet Star and I was wanting to check the weight requirements for my checked bag.”
Jet Star Employee: “What is your name and date of birth… I am sorry ma’am, but you are only allowed a checked bag from Osaka to Fukuoka and not Fukuoka to Bangkok.”
Me: “When I buy a flight and pay for luggage, shouldn’t that be through to my destination?”
Jet Star Employee: “No, ma’am.”
I then inquired into the Dutchman’s ticket and low and behold even though he had been charged for the ticket, Jet Star only had a seat reserved for him on the Fukuoka to Bangkok flight. To say the least we had a stressful evening spending way too much time getting to know Charice from India. We decided to book it to the airport with the hope that the Jet Star desk would still be open. Nope! We got there ten minutes after closing. So we set up camp for another lovely night at Hotel Del Airport.
On the flight I sat next to an executive for an airline company. He is from Australia, but now works in their Japan headquarters. We discussed the oddities of work life in Japan. Just one example he gave was that an employee damaged one of the planes by running into it with a truck. He went to the airport with the head of security to do an audit. He asked the head of security, “So what are you going to ask the employees about the event last week?” The head of security said, “Nothing. We will stick with the safety checklist.” “Yes, but we need to make sure they know what to do if that situation happens again and how to avoid it.” “But it is not on the checklist….” “Ok, let’s say we are doing the audit and there is a fire happening while we are running through the checklist. What should we do?” “Ooooooh that is difficult sir. We must finish the checklist first.”
To be fair he said that his Japanese coworkers would offer to help him with his workload and had excellent work ethic. The problems he faces are around decision making and managing problems or rare events. It all revolves around creative thinking.
After a long 48 hours, I stumbled into the lobby of the Twin Towers Hotel (bad name I know) to see my long-term friend Matt standing there holding my Christmas gift from my parents and godmother. If I hadn’t been loaded down with all my stuff, I would have done a jig. Matt took me on my first tuk tuk and we spent the night catching up over four plates of delicious Thai food. Good thing I have a week to hang out with him cause a few hours wasn’t going to be enough.
Matt and I hit the ground hard our first full day in Bangkok. One aspect of Thailand I really don’t like is that taxi drivers and restaurant promoters are very in your face to the point of being aggressive. The driver of the first taxi we jumped in urged us to allow him to be our tour guide. I have heard that throughout the tour these drivers will take you to their friends’ establishments and in return they receive a cut. We strongly told him all we wanted was a ride to the Grand Palace. In the end we had to go with a tuk tuk. If you go to Thailand, be very cautious of anyone that suggests you join their tour. These same drivers were even standing outside the Grand Palace telling people it was closed and that they would take them to other great sites.
It was a hot and muggy day, but I was excited to rub sweaty elbows with hordes of fellow sightseers. Matt donned a pair of rental pants over his shorts since you are only allowed in with long pants and shirts with sleeves. My guide book said you needed close toed shoes, but that didn’t seem to be the case. From outside the gate the famous gold cone was visible gleaming in the sun. I feel the palace is the number one must-see in Bangkok. It was built in 1782 by Rama I. He moved the capital from Ayutthaya and wanted the palace to show the strength of Thailand and to be more impressive than the grandeur of its predecessor. The massive complex achieved this goal. The buildings that make up the palace complex are very awe-inspiring, but also a bit overwhelming and to an extent gaudy. Out of the many buildings only 6 can be visited. Plan on around 3 hours to see the whole complex and another hour to visit the Reclining Buddha (Wat Po) just one km down the street (Don’t take a Tuk Tuk… Walk). All I can say about the Reclining Buddha is AMAZING. I first learned of it watching The Amazing Race. Since then it has been high on my list of places to visit. It greatly met my expectations.
The most significant building in the palace complex is the Wat Phra Kaew. It is the home of the very famous Emerald Buddha. The name is a bit misleading because the Buddha is actually made of jade. The statue is only 31 inches tall and unfortunately resides on a very tall pedestal. The only person allowed to touch it is the king, who changes the Buddha’s wardrobe three times a year. The statue is believed to have been created in the 14th or 15th century. He was then covered in plaster and completely forgotten. At one point a monk noticed the plaster flaking away from the Buddha’s nose. Low and behold he discovered the true significance of the statue and due to its brilliant green color it was dubbed the Emerald Buddha. He became even more sought after when he was stolen by the Laotians in 1552. He did not return to his homeland until Rama I conquered Vientiane in the 18th Century. The Emerald Buddha is the most sacred Buddha statue in Thailand.
Matt and I then took a longboat tour of the canals and landed at Wat Arun just in time to participate in one of Thailand’s most famous festivals, Loi Krathong. What are the odds that the one day we were in Bangkok coincided with this festival?! Loi Krathong originated in India. People light candles on floats made of dough and send them down river with hopes of expelling bad luck from the previous year and of summoning good luck for the year to come. Some people place their fingernail clippings or hair on the floats so that the water goddess knows who they are, along with money to appease her. Matt and I snagged a spot right on the river bank and watched the colorful boat floats go by, the fire work show, and people lighting their dough floats and lanterns. Behind us were a few streets of street food, performers, monks blessing people with holy water, and people hanging money in front of the temple. Don’t worry the day wasn’t over yet! We headed to the famous party street Khao Sun Road to meet up with his college friend Danaan.
We had a jam packed first day to say the least. Next up Railay Beach!
