26 July, 2024

We are so looking forward to a proper 5-star hotel with working air conditioning, lifts and edible food in Bangkok. Our hotel in Tallinn had no working A/C in early June when we arrived from Helsinki but we were promised that all would be operational by the time we returned in July. We even had a message from the hotel 2 weeks ago advising that indeed the A/C is operational. No it isn’t! At least we are only in the hotel in Tallinn for 2 nights after returning the hire car before we take the ferry back to Helsinki.

We book a taxi to the Tallinn Ferry D-Terminal which is only a short 10-minute drive. We arrive 2 hours before we are due to sail but we didn’t see any reason to hang about at the hotel. Surely the terminal is more comfortable.

As we arrive very early for the ferry the terminal is almost deserted but that means we have a choice of seats at the Cafe.

An ordinary coffee each and we catch up with emails etc while the crowds build in the terminal. It’s still mid-summer so there are lots of car and foot passengers booked on today’s sailing.

Before the expected crowds arrive Lynn has a wander around the terminal to determine our expected path to the ship.

Once the boarding gates open the massive hordes race to find their favourite seats by the windows of the various ship decks. We are not that fussed. After all, this is no 10-day sea cruise so we just find a table with seats near the ship entrance/exit and a cafe to wait out the 2-hour cruise. We have free internet on the ship so we plug in and entertain ourselves.

I didn’t even realise that we had slipped out of Tallinn Harbour until Lynn returns from a walk around the ship to check out the shops and deck areas.

Since breakfast was so bad at the hotel we decide to have a baguette each for lunch. I regret it immediately. This is no French baguette.

The ship is very well fitted out with some lovely lounge areas, a garden terrace at the stern and a number of restaurants, cafes and shops. Probably more than you need for a 2-hour trip. However, a number of the local Finns have trolleys full of beer, wine and spirits. Maybe they just take the ferry to rebuild their stocks of booze.

The crossing is as smooth as silk and just as we dock the exits are stacked full with everyone trying to get of the ferry as quickly as possible. Welcome to Finland. My usual Amaysim message announces that any calls will be made at eye-watering rates. This is a message we have received every time we cross a country border in the last two years. I promptly delete it.

The tram stop is only about 100 meters from the ferry terminal. We had planned our travel from the ferry back to downtown Helsinki when we departed 2 months ago so the process is known to us and we purchase 2 tram tickets at the platform. We take the number 7 tram to the Senate and change for a number 4 tram to the stop just behind the Noli Apartments. We will be here for only 3 nights while we do our laundry, repack our luggage and check in for our business-class flight to Bangkok which is on the 29 July.

When we were last in Helsinki we stayed at the Grand Marina Hotel in the next street just before embarking on our 2-month exploration of the 3 Baltic countries. We decided to stay here in the Noli Apartments as they have a washing machine in each apartment and the Grand Marina’s A/C was not working when we were last there. What is it with Baltic and Scandie countries and their lack of A/C understanding? With Global Warming coming they need to get up to speed quickly.

On arrival at the Noli Apartments we are forced into a self-check in for our apartment. What would normally take minutes takes at least 20 minutes to check in and get our room key cards. We are on the 5th floor of a converted warehouse and as we open the door to the apartment we are hit with a face full of hot air. Apparently there is no A/C in this hotel despite instructions to the contrary on the wall. Rather it’s a ventilation system and it is useless. Our room faces the westerly sunset so we can’t even open the windows yet.

I am reminded why we will be avoiding 3rd-world countries on any future travels. Even Thailand can manage A/C. It is now proven that the Scandies and the Baltics are definitely 3rd world!

Even before we unpack Lynn attempts to acquire a fan but she is told that none is available. How about a room of the eastern side? None available as there is a Cold Play concert on this weekend and all the apartments are fully booked. Sooo looking forward to Bangkok!

We need alcohol! Around the corner is a supermarket and a separate grog shop so we stock up with our breakfast needs, some red wine and the local Original Long Drink of Gin & Grapefruit and Gin & Lemonade. We also decide to just buy dinner from the supermarket for tonight to avoid the poor quality, expensive hotel restaurant.

Lynn is also keen to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics but is stymied as there isn’t a TV in our apartment. There are only 2 TVs in the apartment complex, both in the common area on the ground floor, 1 dedicated to video games and the other in the already occupied guest cooking/dining area. It’s not tuned into the Game coverage.

Sleep in the heat is difficult but once the party noise from the ground-floor restaurant terrace dies down I open our room window (as far as it will go) and we manage a few hours’ sleep.

27 July, 2024

At least our home-made breakfast is edible this morning. Lynn has a hair appointment at 10:00 am and I will put on another load of washing, reorganise my suitcase and carry-on to check weights and prepare for our flight and stay in Bangkok.

When Lynn returns 2 hours later she looks like a tom boy in a skirt, her head having been shorn of all her fluff. Handy for these warm days in Helsinki and 30+ degrees and thundery days in Bangkok to come but she might find it a bit parky in early August in Sydney for the week.

We try to sleep with the window open tonight as it is like an oven in our room. This apartment block really is unsuitable for human habitation in the summer. I have to get out of bed about 2am to close the window as the street traffic noise is unbearable. Perhaps a ferry has just arrived in the port as the volume of truck traffic is like peak hour down there. We should have stayed at the Radisson in the town centre but we chose this place as it has a washing machine and we thought that the ferry from Tallinn returned near here. We didn’t book here because it was cheap. In fact it is more expensive than our 5-star hotel in Bangkok and our 4-star hotel in Riga (Radisson Blu).

28 July, 2024

It is Sunday morning and we had planned to head out for a coffee after breakfast but it seems that the entire town is closed. After a walk around the area looking for a cafe we give up and head back to the apartment. The Noli Apartments advertise their restaurant for breakfasts but luckily we have our own supplies as their restaurant is also closed today. Even most restaurants are closed for dinner tonight so we head around the corner to the supermarket for a salad and a frozen dinner.

Tomorrow we fly to Bangkok where we hope to find better food and customer service levels. Perhaps I am just over the European culture of no service, bad food, expensive booze and tiny uncomfortable living spaces.

I spend the remainder of the day doing backups of our blog, photos and spreadsheets. Lets hope Finnair business class is better than this Finnish level of accommodation.

29 July, 2024

A final weigh of our luggage shows that we are just under 23 kg of checked luggage each. Whoever heard of business class luggage limits of 23 kg per person? Still, much heavier can be a nuisance for us to drag around.

Our car and driver (Marko) arrives 15 minutes early at 10:15 am whisks us away to the airport. Our flight isn’t departing until 14:05 but we have access to the Finnair Lounge which is far more comfortable than our couch-less hell hole apartment.

The Finnair bag drop kiosk fails on two attempts of scanning my passport so we go to the service desk for a normal and more reliable bag check-in. Next is security where the flash, new, supposedly faster Finnish scanners don’t require laptops or fluids to be separated from your carry on luggage. It worked a treat last time we flew out of Helsinki but today it seems an over-zealous operator is sending most hand luggage down the manual check slot. Perhaps just as well as a petite woman with a large carry-on bag has it opened only to reveal not 1 but 3 very large kitchen knives. Has she never flown before? Didn’t she read the list of prohibited items when she checked in? Is she a moron? She and her luggage are escorted away and hopefully forbidden to ever fly again.

Both our bags are sent for inspection. Lynn’s bag is opened and her wrist blood pressure monitor is revealed as the cause for the check but she is quickly cleared for flying. Mine is sitting in the queue for another 20 minutes mainly due to the knife idiot but when selected by an operator it’s not even opened after the operator closely views the X-ray image. That is 20 minutes of lounge time we won’t get back.

Our next stop is at Immigration. Let’s hope the Finnish border guards know their Handbook rules better than the Danish. We head for the ‘All Passports’ section and I hand over both our passports to the guard. He goes through every page of my European (Irish) passport much to my amusement and Lynn’s concern. He then asks when I entered the EU. Almost immediately he realises his mistake and turns a little flushed with embarrassment when he sees that my passport is an EU one. He smiles and we have a little laugh. He quickly stamps Lynn’s passport and we pass through without further delay. Hopefully the little bit of fun has made his day.

It’s a long walk to the Finnair Lounge but at least it is adjacent to our departure gate. The lounge is large, comfortable and sparse – in both furnishings (how Scandie) and inhabitants.

Champagne? Bloody oath!

The food and beverages in the Lounge are excellent. Time to relax before our 11-hour overnight flight to Bangkok.

Even as our departure time approaches the Lounge doesn’t get very busy. Once the gate opens we cruise to the departure gate and take our seats in Business Class on our Finnair A350 aircraft.

Flight items out of the hand luggage? Check. Hand luggage stored? Check. Business Class accoutrements? Check. Hot refresher towel? Check. Glass of pre-flight Champagne? Check. Relaxed and ready to fly out of Europe? CHECK!!

Just as we are about to push back right on schedule the Captain announces that there will be a slight delay as there is an issue with the air bridge. 5 minutes later we are underway. I don’t care what sort of delay we have. Even an 11-hour flight will seem too fast in this very comfortable seat.

Once airborne I check out the entertainment on the large, personal screen. I have chosen to watch “Elvis” the movie since I didn’t get to see it when it was released. It’s a long movie but I have wanted to watch it as our Brisbane friends’ daughter has a small role in the movie.

Dinner is served during the movie. Both the dinner and the movie are very good. Post-movie I convert my seat to a bed and settle in for about 5 hours of sleep before we are woken for breakfast.

30 July, 2024

We are about a half hour ahead of our scheduled arrival time into Bangkok. Landing is at a jet-lagged hour of 5:00 am. It’s still dark outside as we touch down.

We quickly depart the aircraft ahead of the poor devils in economy class and head for Passport Control. Most Asian destinations traditionally have enormous queues at Passport Control so it’s important to stay ahead of the mob behind us. To our surprise the process is very fast with almost no queues at all. Perhaps it’s the time of day that helps.

After a short wait for our luggage to be deplaned we go in search of our car and driver. A 10-minute wait at the pick up point then we are allocated our spacious and air conditioned people carrier. We have a very nice lady driver and a large van for the two of us and 45 minutes later we are deposited at the Pullman King Power Hotel in the heart of Bangkok. All for a total of A$25.

It’s not yet 6:30 am when we check in so we don’t expect to have access to a room yet for our 9-day stay. However, to our surprise our room is ready. It will be so nice to change and unpack and head to the pool as we try to readjust our body clocks to Bangkok time.

Coffee!! After we unpack we go downstairs for a coffee in the hotel lobby. It feels really strange to see other guests just starting to emerge for breakfast when it feels like we have been awake for half a day. The coffee is very good, albeit an eye watering A$7 each. Coffee is mandatory if we are going to stay awake until after dinner local time.

A refreshing dip in the hotel pool is wonderful. The pool water temperature is a pleasant 25 Deg C but if we are going to stay awake we need to check out the local area. The hotel is attached to its own Duty Free Shopping Mall so we check it out and also go in search of restaurants in the area. There are not many suitable restaurants in close vicinity to the hotel so we also check out the food hall of a shopping mall 1 block away. There seem to be a couple of Japanese restaurants that may be suitable for dinner tonight and one even has a sushi train.

Back to the hotel to sort out some plans for the week, work out which Spa pamper packages in which Lynn will indulge and check out our transport options for our arrival into Sydney next week.

We need to do a little bit of shopping while we are in Bangkok as we no longer have the checked baggage limits that we had with Finnair so we have a quick look around the shopping mall and pick up a few pharmacy items.

We return to the sushi train restaurant but find out that it is not a sushi train ‘as we know it’. The process is far too complicated and the food seems to be lower quality than we would care to sample so we decide to just have a quick dinner at the hotel. We are somewhat jet-lagged so thinking too hard is simply too hard.

By 8:00 pm I am ready to sleep so within 10 seconds of turning the lights out I am fast asleep. I could have slept for a full 12 hours but I am awoken by the click, click of Lynn sitting up in bed deleting photos from her phone. No idea what time it is but it’s dark outside. After complaining about my sleep disruption I suggest Lynn turns off her phone and goes back to sleep. She says that she can’t sleep but I remind her that I can so she decides to go downstairs to the lobby to finish her untimely tasks.

31 July, 2024

I go back to sleep immediately and only awake at around 7:30 am as the room starts to lighten. It’s nice to have sunset at around 6:45 pm and sunrise at around 6:00 am. And not the European summer sunsets at 11:00 pm and sunrise at 4:00 am. I will never understand why the Europeans haven’t yet invented black-out curtains. We even have them in the back blocks of Brisbane City.

Breakfast at the Pullman is wonderful with every International taste catered. Why can’t the Europeans do this? Or haven’t they learned that there are other civilisations outside of Europe? Even the English worked that out. Not everyone in the world desires luncheon meats, cheese, hard boiled eggs, pickled fish and stale bread for breakfast.

By mid-morning it’s time for a dip in the pool. We relax here for a couple of hours until the early afternoon light rain starts. This afternoon Lynn is booked in for the 1st of her 3, 90-minute massages and I will check out some more of the local area. There’s not much planned for the next 9 days so I expect that the daily routine will be: long breakfast, dip in the pool, shopping, search for a restaurant for drinks and dinner, sleep and repeat.

While Lynn is being pampered I check out the local area and the transport options so that we can head to the shopping district, a 30-minute walk from the hotel. A 30-minute walk in Bangkok heat and humidity can be a problem but it seems that all local transport including the elevated rail system, taxis and tuk tuks require cash payment. I try to find an ATM but the ones that I try all charge a THB220 fee (A$10) per transaction. I never want to hear anyone complain about Australian bank fees or charges after this experience.

Unwilling to pay a $10 fee to get $40 cash out I manage to find a FX change ATM. Although the rates are a bit steep it’s still better than the ATMs. We have some GBP and Euro notes left over and since we don’t plan to be back in Europe anytime soon it may be a better option to change these. I will discuss it with the boss when she emerges from her massage.

We decide to try our luck again back at the local shopping Mall for some Japanese for dinner. Now that we are a little less jet lagged we find a restaurant that we overlooked last night. The food is reasonable but no alcohol and they don’t accept credit cards for less than THB500. We are just under the targeted amount but we order Lynn 2 mochi to go that takes us to THB501 (A$21.78).

1 August, 2024

The weather in Bangkok for the next week is the usual cloudy skies (we won’t be seeing any blue skies until Sydney at best), 31 Deg C and extreme humidity and, surprisingly, extreme UV.

There is no way that we want to walk the 30 minutes to the shopping district and back again in this heat. We have our usual late and long breakfast, a couple of hours in the pool and plan our tour of the markets. But first we head next door to change some currency. With the exchange rate at about THB23 to A$1 we have a fist full of THB after exchanging GBP20 and EU20. That won’t go far but if we limit dinners to restaurants that take plastic we may have enough for a few small purchases. The train to the shopping district is about THB28 (A$1.22) each way per person but the plan today is to check out the Pratunam Markets then the Platinum Fashion Mall and end up at centralwOrld for dinner.

These markets are all close to each other but the first stop can’t be reached by train so we walk the 20 minutes to the Pratunum Markets through grubby side streets and main roads choked with traffic. Not a pleasant experience. The markets are full of cheap and ugly clothing and merchandise much like a bottom-end $2 shop without air conditioning or EFTPOS. Lynn is struggling to keep up with her injured knee and it becomes obvious that the trek is a waste of time so I push on to get to the Platinum Fashion Mall where it is, at least, air conditioned.

The Fashion Mall is still loaded with cheap junk and the stalls are jumbled around so trying to find specific items is a game of frustrating roulette. I give up trying to buy a new pair of lined-swimming trunks but I find a couple of cotton short-sleeved shirts. It turns out that the shirts are quite good quality and they cost less (A$17 each) than having my current shirts laundered in the hotel. The hotel laundry cost is exorbitant, as expected. The shirts may fall apart after one wash but still worth it. Unfortunately, the stall holders only accept cash which really limits what we can buy. Perhaps the merchant costs imposed by the local banks is just as bad as their ATM costs.

The Fashion Mall is just across the khlong from centralwOrld so we give up on any further shopping and head for somewhere air conditioned and who takes credit cards for dinner.

At least the walkway (R Walk) that crosses the canal is raised and takes us above the stink and congestion of the roadway.

After the long walk in the heat and the frustration of the markets and the Fashion Mall we are done with shopping for today and just want to find a suitable place to have dinner. Right at the entrance to centralwOrld is a Cheescake Factory restaurant. That will do. Although we don’t have Penny as our waitress the food is excellent quality and the portion size is true American so we can’t finish our meals let alone back it up with a slice of cheesecake. For Bangkok, the meal cost is expensive but we really enjoy it. Next time, if we return, we should share a main course and a single slice of cheesecake.

We don’t bother checking out centralwOrld tonight as we are now both tired after all our walking in the heat. Outside the centralwOrld Mall is a Street Food setup but not as we know it. Although there are some street food stalls in the Pratunam Markets which are the usual dubious health standards food stalls, the street food stalls here look more like modern BBQ stalls at a food and wine exhibition back home. Although we would never be seen eating street food in Asia we would probably survive these stalls if we were tempted.

Even at centralwOrld the nearest train station is a choice of either Siam (500 meters away) or Chit Lom (300 meters away). Lynn chooses Chit Lom.

At least there is an elevated walkway to either station. On arrival at Chit Lom we have to queue for about 10 minutes to pay cash for a single trip ticket. They still haven’t discovered credit/debit card tap on/tap off yet in Bangkok. Still, the trains are frequent, clean and cheap and we are disembarking at Phaya Thai station in a few minutes. We still have to walk a further 10 minutes to the hotel but at least the sun has set and it is significantly cooler. A train both ways in future.

2 August, 2024

While we are lying by the pool this morning Lynn receives an email from Janine, one of her Sydney friends from high school, informing her that Jack, her husband of 36 years, died a week ago. Although Jack’s health had been declining over the past decade, his sudden death still “came out of the blue” for his family as Jack was still writing and editing up to 2 days beforehand.

In 1998 Jack, a doctor, was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for the “development of quality assurance in health care in Australia”. Just 9 years later in 2007 he was awarded the next tier, an AO (Office of the Order) for “service to medicine and to public health … and as a contributor to the development of rural and remote health services and medical education programs, particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities and regional Victoria” [Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet].

We last saw Jack when we all met up for dinner in Sydney in 2018 on our road trip south to Tasmania. His presence, towering intellect, wit and outrageous humour will be sorely missed.

Late this afternoon we are returning to the shopping area so that Lynn can purchase a long shirt that see noticed yesterday in the Platinum Fashion Mall. We will also return to centralwOrld to find a suitable and air conditioned restaurant for dinner.

As we exit the hotel we notice a new addition in the entrance – a portrait of a Royal, but not of the King whose portrait is everywhere, even on the side of a multi-story building nearby.

We catch the train to Chit Lom then access the R Walk back across the Khlong to the Platinum Fashion Mall where Lynn purchases a shirt for A$13 and I purchase 2 more shirts and 2 pair of shorts. We manage to find a couple of stall holders who reluctantly accept credit cards (for a fee). Obviously these shop owners haven’t yet worked out that they would sell more if they accepted plastic even with a fee. Cashless economy is coming people. Tax evasion and money laundering will eventually become a thing of the past.

Even with a fee I buy the shirts and shorts at an easy A$19 per item. You can’t buy much in the way of cotton tropical-style clothing back home at that price. Just the shot for our Brisbane summer weather.

From here we retrace our steps over the Khlong to centralwOrld where we find a Japanese restaurant on the 6th floor. It seems we have a hankering for Asian food after our 2 years in Europe!

Daisen offers a set of 8 pieces of sashimi and 8 of sushi which goes perfectly with my Asahi beer and Lynn’s cold sake. Compared with the A$11 330ml Singha beer at the Cheesecake Factory last night my 600ml Asahi beer is a reasonable A$6.50.

After dinner we have a quick walk around the mall. There doesn’t seem to be a logical layout to the shops but they are all modern and the mall has just about anything for sale except a supermarket. We even find a watch store that has Citizen watches on sale. Lynn’s current watch is starting to fall apart after about 10 years of constant use, 4 new watch bands and 5 new batteries. I research a replacement waterproof watch and the best option is a Citizen eco-drive ladies’ dive watch. The watch is charged with ambient light and when fully charged can run for 6 months in total darkness. So, no more looking for replacement watch batteries at the most inconvenient times when traveling. I have been checking out prices here in Bangkok and the best price (with Duty Refunded) is A$416.00 here in the Citizen watch store. Recommended retail is about A$550.00. I will go online when we get back to see what the online prices are like before we commit.

Once again we are back on the air conditioned train, alight at Phaya Thai and walk to the hotel. Lights out at 10:30 pm.

3 August, 2024

Lynn has another of her pamperings at midday today. As it is Saturday we are in no hurry to head to the pool this morning as it seems that the Chinese have descended upon the hotel to spend the weekend duty-free shopping next door at the King Power Duty Free store.

This morning I further research watches and find an online watch specialist who priced the watch at A$290 but they have no stock which is probably why it is so cheap. It is just a bait and switch scam. I then find a jeweler and watch retailer in Tasmania who is selling the same model Citizen watch with a 5-year warranty for A$315.00 with free shipping to Brisbane and they have the watch in stock. Bargain! So I order the new watch for Lynn with a delivery date for after we return to Brisbane. Sometimes Duty Free is not always cheaper nor better. So, that’s Christmas sorted!

We only want to go nearby for dinner so we walk back to the Century Movie Plaza and call into a restaurant whose menu promises food we might consider eating – BBQ ribs and a baked potato. Unfortunately, we forget to check beforehand whether they take plastic. Nope – cash or pay by phone. I have to high-tail it to an ATM while Lynn is held hostage. As I already know, at the ATM I’m forced to pay a A$10 fee for a cash withdrawal. So, what were cheap prices for cheap quality food ends up being expensive, cheap low quality food.

4 August, 2024

A quote from today’s world news: “I can’t get any sleep because it’s too hot as there is no air conditioning and the food is awful”. And guess where that guy is located? Paris, France – one of the Olympic athletes. Just sayin’! We can attest to the statement which reflects all our European experiences.

Today is a dedicated day by the pool as for the first time since we arrived the sky has changed from a brilliant white to blue with the occasional cloud. This is followed by a Subway for dinner. Best quality dinner so far. Even took credit cards.

5 August, 2024

Several hours by the pool but by 2:00 pm it’s getting a tad hot so we retire to our air conditioned room. As we leave to get the train to the centralwOrld mall for dinner the sky is heavy with black clouds.

Initially our plan is to have Italian tonight as the mall’s website indicated that there is an Italian restaurant here but after checking endless store directories (none of which were particularly helpful) the only place we can find is a small ‘Spagetti Factory’. In for a penny, in for a pound and, yes, plastic is accepted.

The menu offers a few traditional Italian dishes as well as a wide range of other nationalities including a complete mish-mash of some.

I choose the spag bol and Lynn the spinach and chicken frajitas. Good call on her part but my spag bol’s sauce is very thin, watery and sugar-sweet. Ugggh! I don’t think that the chef has ever been to Italy.

When we exit the building it appears the storm has come and gone with puddles everywhere and even though it’s a Monday night, the town is heaving with its ubiquitous traffic jams and pedestrian throngs.

Earlier in the year we embarked on viewing the TV series “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”. Joy of joys, she is now on SBS so the rest of the evening is spent watching the last 4 episodes of Season 4. Come on Season 5!

6 August, 2024

It’s 7:00 am! We set the alarm an hour earlier today to get ourselves ready for the imminent 3-hour time difference between Bangkok and Sydney.

While Lynn has her final massage this afternoon I hit the pool. As we liked the food so much last time, this evening we return to centralwOrld and the Daisen restaurant. Lights out 9:30 pm as part of our new regime. We fell asleep to the sound of heavy rain against the windows.

7 August, 2024

Another 7:00 am start and a leisurely breakfast. We hit the pool around 10:00 am, bewildered by the silence. Several families with multiple kids in tow who have monopolised the pool and surrounds are absent today – perhaps they’ve checked out? Silence is golden.

We leave around 1:00 pm due to the heat and an impending storm. Inside we both partially pack our bags in preparation for our own checkout tomorrow.

As we didn’t want to deal with the hordes on another trip into town this evening we decide we’d take advantage of the 20% discount on a meal in the 2nd floor Japanese restaurant, the Tenshino, “Pullman Bangkok King Power’s unique, stylish and ground-breaking signature dining experience.

Certainly, the best Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. Guests can embark on a new Japanese culinary journey in a restaurant set in the most elegant yet casual surroundings with a touch of bohemian chic.”

We were unable to access the menu online beforehand to check out the dishes on offer and the prices but we assumed that it would be expensive. Certainly is. For example the THB120 (A$5.21) flask of sake that Lynn had last night, similar tonight THB700 (A$30.44)! The waiter advised that Asahi draught beer is on special tonight as a buy two pay for one offer. At THB700 (A$30.44) for a small beer that is no special. Thanks but I can get a large bottle of Asahi in town for THB160 (A$7) at a proper Japanese restaurant.

Needless to say we pretty much order the cheapest main courses – small pan-fried fish fillet about 50mm square with a squirt of pureed carrot for Lynn and a small serve of spaghetti with a couple of Hokkaido scallops and a side of sauteed mushrooms for me. No drinks. Still, the bill came to 1660THB (A$72.17) after the 20% discount. Explains why the restaurant is only open Wednesday-Saturday and why we were the only patrons there tonight. And, no, not the best Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. Bloody awful really.

As the portions were so small we immediately go across the street to a 711 and buy 2 mini Magnums for dessert.

I barely make it back to our room in time – Bangkok Belly – which has afflicted me particularly badly these past 2 days. So much so that I’ve lost 3.5 kg in 2 days! Time to scarf 2 Imodiums.

Tomorrow we’ll check out around 12:30 pm. We have a car booked for 1:00 pm to drive us to the Novotel at the airport where we are overnighting as we have an 8:30 am flight to Sydney on Friday and Bangkok traffic cannot be trusted. As it is we will have to be out of bed on Friday by about 5:00 am. We’ll bypass breakfast at the Novotel as we have lounge access with our Business Class flights with Thai Airways. And we’ll also be served breakfast on the plane??

8 August, 2024

It’s just after midnight this morning when I am woken by an unfamiliar barfing sound coming from Lynn in the bathroom. It sounds like she has a worse case of Bangkok Belly than me – vomiting and diarrhea – so I count my lucky stars. Perhaps she overdid the sushi in town or was it last night’s poor excuse for top-shelf food?

Lynn has an extreme aversion to vomiting and apparently this attack is the worst in her life – only 7 previous occasions including childhood, the last session being 30 years ago. Over a 2-hour period she barfs 15 times, not the usual 2 or 3. When it comes to weighing herself this morning, after all that, she has only lost a 1 kg. Amateur!

As planned we check out at about 12:30 pm and our driver arrives at 12:50 pm. Lynn is starting to feel a little better by the time I have a light breakfast and she has a cup of weak black tea and an Imodium.

We are checked in at the Novotel BKK Airport by 2 pm and unpacked by 3 after we spend a short while in the Business Centre printing out our boarding passes and consuming a very pleasant welcome drink.

We have stayed in this hotel a few times in the past so it’s quite familiar to us. The pool is very refreshing but we won’t be using it on this occasion as we are only here for a few hours. Besides, there seems to be way too many people by the pool including noisy children.

After getting organised for our last leg to Sydney we spend a relaxing afternoon before we head down stairs for dinner by 5 pm. At last, some decent food – sweet and sour pork for me and clear broth for Lynn. Lights out – 9pm.

9 August, 2024

Lynn’s up at 4.30 am and we’re on the hotel shuttle by 5:45. Bags dropped, priority through security, no queue at immigration and a short walk to the Thai Orchid Lounge.

A light brekkie then in no time at all it’s boarding time at 7:50. As it’s only a 5-minute walk to the gate C2 we leave at 7:50 only to find a huge queue. We’d forgotten the curious Asian requirement of having your carry on searched and liquids submitted once again. Why?? The small bottle of water we took from the Lounge is now in the bin.

And what’s happened to Priority Boarding? There’s just another long queue! As a young guy checks our boarding passes and passports Lynn asks him just that and he indicates the queue to which she says: “But, that’s everyone.” He then vaguely waves to a guy to the right of the queue so we head towards him and after he checks our boarding pass he lets us through ahead of the queue.

The plane is a much smaller one that I was expecting. And by the look of the seat configuration in the Business Class section and the scratched surfaces it looks like the plane is about 15 years old. Goodness, what’s happened to Thai Airlines? It used to be deluxe. Just hope the maintenance on the plane itself has been better than on the interior.

We push back 15 minutes late and off we go. Thankfully Thai Airlines’ level of cabin service and catering is still good but its entertainment offering is out of date. What hasn’t changed is the requirement to fill in a paper Landing Card for Australia. 8 hours 40 minutes later we touch down in Sydney and 10 minutes later we are deplaning.

Immigration has changed since we last arrived in Australia in March 2020 – namely individual booths to the side of the main walkway where you scan your passport, have your photo taken, collect a paper slip with your photo and details then proceed directly to the luggage carousel. As we have priority bags they arrive shortly after and we head to the exit. Here we need to present our Landing Cards and paper slips which are checked then we take the lane direct to the exit.

Originally, we were planning on taking the train – an hour’s trip – from the airport to Central, changing platforms to Chatswood then a 10-minute walk from the station to the Meriton Suites. Before we deplaned I suggested to Lynn we take a cab instead which she was fine with, as long as I was OK with the $120 fare vs the $25 it would have cost on the train.

Just as well we did. We have a clear run to the north side and 25 minutes later we arrive at the Meriton. 5 minutes after entering our suite I’m sprinting to the loo and hurling my guts, repeatedly. 20 minutes later, a repeat performance. Thanks a lot Thai Airways. Food poisoning from second rate food in Business Class. This should make a good review. I crawl into bed shivering violently. Throughout the night, attacks of diarrhea, but no more vomiting.