Riyadh-Bahrain-Bangkok
"Flight SV648 from Riyadh to Bahrain is now ready for boarding. Please proceed to gate no 2.
First class and families to gate no 1. Thank you."
Finally the time had come for the departure to the Far East. All travel documents checked and ok.
It was just to sit down in the Pepsi Cola flight, relax and enjoy the trip. One hour later we
landed according to the schedule in Bahrain, a piece of the desert that has risen from the waves
of the Arabian Sea. The waiting in Bahrain was long -12 hours. After that it was take off to the
first real goal - Bangkok. Was awakened to a nice breakfast and a little later we landed. The
runways are between the wholes of a golf course in Bangkok! Palms, banana trees, grass, flowers
and other greens, how nice! The formalities on the airport were quickly done and than a limousine
took me to the city centre to fix a hotel room. No problem there either, the driver had friends
who had a hotel, we went there had a look. Nice room, nice price, so I took the room.
The rest of the day was spent sightseeing and a tour to get a feeling of the city how it was built.
Changing from modern to poor. Enormous traffic. Beautiful temples, modern business blocks and slum.
The temple with the Gold Buddha was magnificent. All temples very nice and very decorated. They were
calm and peaceful oasis in the city filled with noise from the traffic. Without any doubt, it is the
beautiful temples, which gives you the feeling of being on the other side of the world. Did you know
that king Rama I founded Bangkok in 1782? And that Thailand means [the land of the free]?
The Temple with the Gold Buddha
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The evening was spent in a seafood restaurant. Wonderful! First you walked along a 50 meters
long counter and chose the seafood you wanted to have. I chose lobster, crayfish, prawn in
different sizes and oysters and some vegetables to this cocked in a Thai way. The shelled
seafood was barbequed. To this I had beer, nice Thai beer. Real beer and seafood! I was
enjoying myself for hours. After that it was time to move, so I went to a couple of nightclubs.
Later on I had a very nice sleep and a long one.
After a late breakfast, a short walk around the town. It was warm and humid, so after 20 minutes,
I had to go back to the hotel and change my shirt. After that I went - by car this time -
to look for interesting things to buy.
I spent the afternoon in thew shades from some trees in a park. Ate real Thai food there.
The park was full of people trying to sell things. Raffia mats to lie on could be rented.
Snacks and food of many different varieties. Friendly people came and chatted for a while.
No stress or hurry there. Pleasant unforgettable hours. A little chat, a little snack.
Sometimes sign language but it worked out fine.
