Early August 2019.

Flew to Bangkok for several days before proceeding to Pattaya.

Highlights:

1. Finding a taxicab outside the airport train''s Makkasan station (where one can connect to the subway train) about noon on a weekday was next to impossible. The traffic lane next to the sidewalk has been designated for left turn. The main road is Soi Asok with the traffic heading south to Sukhumvit Road. WHAT HAPPENED to all the taxicabs that used to wait near the subway opening? Grab (the Uber-like company) siphoned off many taxicabs? Traffic is worse, trapping taxicabs from easily picking up passengers?

2. A new high-rise (at least 30-storeys) hotel seems to be in the last stage of construction on the corner of soi 14 and Sukhumvit. A sign in front indicated that the hotel has a Japanese name.

3. Terminal 21 has a food court on the 5th floor in the far corner. A plate of food, like noodles and meat, start at 30 baht. No wonder on a mid-afternoon Sunday, the food court was packed with eating customers and lines in front of many food stands.

4. Tops supermarket is in the basement of Robinson Department Store building, two short blocks west of Terminal 21. The supermarket has some cooked meals prepared and on a counter near the fresh vegetables, but has a little higher-priced for similar take-out meals at Big C in Pattaya. I visited on plastic Sunday, meaning no plastic bag for my purchases. But, I always carry a few plastic bags folded in my pocket. Particularly handy if you do not have a condom.

5. Food carts are on the sidewalk of both sides of Sukhumvit. My favorite food cart item is sausage. Not many sausage carts are around, but can usually be found during the late afternoon next to an on-going construction site, serving workers. Note that if the largest sausage is selling for a low price, it might be mostly rice with bits of meat. Not all meat, but tasty although not as filling.

6. If you like sitting outdoors (no air conditioner) and eating Thai food, a lot of people dine at the restaurant on a small dead-end road, parallel to Sukhumvit, but about 50 meters away off of Soi 14.

7. To get across Sukhumvit, especially around the Soi Asok intersection, the safe way is to walk up the stairs to the skytrain platform or pedestrian cross-overs. A few stairs up have an adjacent escalator up. At the Soi Asok intersection on the north side of Sukhumvit, you can cross Soi Asok by going down the subway stairs or escalators.

I have many close calls during my life and a few happened when I tried to cross Sukhumvit Road. A car whizzed by me missing by an inch just as I leaned forward to walk across; I looked both ways but the last look was in the wrong direction, not used to vehicles moving on the left side of the road. I thanked my lucky stars, buddha, thor, and whatever was watching over me.

8. The best exchange place in Bangkok is Super Rich, according to bankexchangerates.daytodaydata.net/default.aspx . Super Rich has a booth in the basement of the Suvarnabhumi (BKK) airport. Another of its booths is on the skytrain platform (before passing the turnstiles into the skytrain area), near the stairs in front of the 7-Eleven, 20 meters east of soi 14 and on the south side of Sukhumvit.

9. Red Planet Asoke Hotel about 70 meters on soi 14 from Sukhumvit Road gives a small discount compared to agoda.com (hotel booking site), when booked direct. The hotel room is very clean, modern, and has a large bathroom with shower. But, the queen-sized bed takes up 80 percent of the main room. The room lacks a mini-refrig, a closet, etc. It does have a flip-up mini-table attached to a wall, a medium-sized combination safe, a hanging bar with several hangers, and a wall-mounted 32-inch LCD flat screen tv.

However, the tv recognized my usb key; but did not list or play any of the loaded movies or tv series in mp4 or vob file format. Note that LCD flat screen tv are older than LED models and may not play flv and other file formats other than mp4. Also the room's tv remote control stopped working when I touched any button for any non-tv source. A hotel engineer-type staff keyed in a code to get the remote to work, but did not understand my request in English to show me the code. I did not have a long-enough hdmi cable to try any video from my laptop.

The tv cable company provided no USA news channels. Its news channels in English included EuroNews, France 24, Al Jazeera, NHK World, ChannelNews Asia (Singapore), CGTN (China), Russia Today. On the other hand, some good channels were Comedy Central, Hits (old tv series), Action Hollywood Movies (old films), Thrill, Warner, and Paramount.

10. Soi Cowboy. Many years have passed since I last spent a lot of time in the gogo clubs of Soi Cowboy. One night, I did a quick walk-through. A few clubs at the soi 23-end of Cowboy were closed. Otherwise, the same clubs seemed opened for business, but with fewer offering happy hours.

Lighthouse gogo club had girls holding a sign that said, Happy Hours, 90 baht - all drinks, up to 9 pm. I went in and asked the waitress, if all drinks included a beer. She pointed at a menu to the section listing whiskeys. I repeated my question and she finally answered, yes. She brought me a bottled beer but seemed angry. A minute later, she was talking to another girl, gesturing at me, and giving me dirty looks. I guess, Thai think drinks include beers. Or, maybe she did not like hearing the same qestion three times, although the music was loud and her English sound like a dog barking. I had always thought a drink when referred to alcohol covered spirits and not beers.

Otherwise, it was 4 girls dancing listlessly on stage. The club's interior looked the same as ten or more years ago, except much fewer and fatter girls. Not inspiring to visit more clubs.


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Advisory. Read the following, only if interested in the details of going from the airport to a hotel.

From AIRPORT to SUKHUMVIT ROAD, SOI 14, in gory details:

I flew into the Bangkok airpor on a Thursday morning in early August. I had a medical appointment in Bangkok for the next day Friday.

With a morning arrival, I could take the airport train, avoid a taxi rid, and pay much less.

Arriving at the airport, it was long walk to the Immigration stands. I avoided the long line of several hundreds of people and went to the short lines of 10-15 persons. These lines were for priority, seniors, handicap, and families. I got into one line that was served by two different Immigration officers. This line should go fast.

Another officer motioned us to move forward, forcing us to choose which Immigration stand to get in line for. The stand on the right had a family group of four persons. The other stand on the left had a male-female couple being processed. Of course, I chose the wrong line and stood in line for the left stand.

The Thai immigration officer in right stand processed the family of four, while Thai immigration officer in the left stand was still working on the first person of the couple. Finally, the left stand processed the first person of the couple and began on the second person, while the right stand processed another six persons. Finally, the left booth directed the second person to go to the right stand. It took nearly 30 minutes of total wait time to clear Immigration.

I went to the luggage carousel to get my suitcase. Overhead sign said, last bag. Luggage was being taken off on the far side of the carousel from where I was standing. There were over 100 pieces clustered together. Apparently, a lot of my fellow passengers were in that long non-priority line for Immigration.

Could not easily identify my suitcase. Looked again. Still could not find it. Sat down. Retrieved my Thailand money from my carry-on. Put away my mp3 player. Got out my pre-paid hotel voucher. Block-printed its address, in case of need to show to a taxi driver. After a few minutes, I got up and went looking for my suitcase again. Half the luggage and other pieces were gone. This time, I spotted my suitcase, tightly parked between and among other bags. Next time, I am tying on a bigger, longer piece of colorful plastic to the top of my suitcase -- to make it stand out. A few others had also tied plastic to their bags.

Took the escalator to the basement. A new airport hotel had opened. Went to the area on the left side where the train fare machines were located. Had to pass one section of booths for money exchangers. No real-life person selling train fare. Many people lining up in front of the half-dozen machines. I got in front of a machine and touched screen the English button. I read the stations to be selected and did not recognize any name.

I went over to the information counter, where two Thai ladies wearing scarf on their heads were answering questions. I picked up a folder. It had a map showing one station intersecting a subway. That was it. Makkasan. Returned to a machine with the shortest waiting line. Touch screen, English. Touch screen, Makkasan. 35 baht. Fed the machine two 20-baht bills. Machine dropped a black button and, after a few seconds, a 5-baht coin.

Went up to a turnstile, and held the black button against a screen. Its two-door gate opened. I went thru. A guard on the other side pointed me to the elevator. Others took the an escalator going down.

On the platform, I tried to figure out which side to stand on. People were waiting on both sides of the platform. Odd, because the booklet said that the airport station was at the end of the line. The hanging overhead signs were unclear. They gave the name of the final station. But, those names were unfamiliar to me. Reading the next stations on the signs, I stood on the side that showed Makkasan five stations away.

Train arrived. People got out. A cleaning lady gestured for everyone to wai. She got on the train and cleaned. After a few minutes, a guard motioned for us waiting passengers to get on. We did. Doors closed and the train moved.

A recording announced the next stop. Compared the recording's pronunciation to the name listed above the door for the next station, they were about the same. I was headed in the correct direction.

At the Makkasan station, I took the elevator to the next floor up. Everyone exited through the same set of turnstiles. However, I had to next choose which exit. I picked the one that indicated the subway station. I had done this airport train three times before over the past several years. But, the last time was 3 or 4 years ago.

As I recalled, it was a long walk out of the airport train station. It was a pedestrian walkway over Soi Asok to get to the entrance of the subway station. No problem. Same as before.

I got outside onto the sidewalk. I was on the correct side of Soi Asok to go south towards Sukhumvit Road, where a taxi could turn right onto Sukhumvit and then turn left onto soi 14. The even-number soi's off of Sukhumvit were on its south side. The odd-number soi's on the other side.

Unlike previous visits, there were no taxi's waiting on Soi Asok. Also, there were no other passengers hauling suitcases waiting on the sidewalk. What happened? Where was the taxi stand?

Soi Asok was jam-packed with vehicles waiting. A few were taxi's, but had passengers. I walked north to the end of the short block. The side street also had waiting vehicles, ready to trun left onto Soi Asok. A couple dragging carry-on suitcases passed me, and walked up the side street and after a couple of try's got into a taxi. This taxi followed some vehicles that turned left onto a cutoff that entered Soi Asok. However, that lane on Soi Asok continued to go to the next side street that turn left again pass the subway entrance.

I walked up the side street, but after ten yards there was no sidewalk. I went back and turned left into a parking lot alongside the subway station. I passed the airport train walkway and subway entrance for the second time. I looked at the other side of this exit point and did not see a taxi stand. I walked back heading north on Soi Asok. In essence, I had circled the subway entrance.

Traffic started to move. A taxi in the middle of the lanes on Soi Asok pulled over to me. I opened the rear door and said, Sukhumvit, soi sip-see. He replied, my loo. (meaning, do not know). I pulled out the paper with Sukhumvit and soi 14 written on it in big block letters. He read it. He nodded ok. I put my suitcase on the back seat and climbed into the front sear, left-side.

We were in the left-most lane, against the curb, on Soi Asok. Driver said, must turn left or cop. Can U-turn. However, as we got near to the end of the block with the subway, we got into a line of waiting vehicles for the U-turn point. In the next lanes to our right were many waiting vehicles. Driver said, can turn left. I said, up to you. He pulled out of line and turned left. At the end of the block, he turned left again. We were circling the block with the subway entrance. We were on the side street where I had just stook.

Driver said, we can go straight, turn on soi Nana, and then onto Sukhumvit. I said, better to turn now onto soi Asok, go straigt to Sukhumvit, then turn right, and soi 14 will be on the left. He thought for a few seconds and agreed that was our route.

From the time I got into the taxi until we got to soi 14 took about 20 minutes. Mainly due to waiting for the traffic lights. The traffic light on Sukhumvit only allowed about ten vehicles on soi Asok to drive through. The meter read, 91 baht.

I paid the meter plus gave a big tip. What a relief to end this ordeal from Makkasan station to soi 14.

I checked into the Red Planet Asoke hotel at 1 pm. The lady clerk said that since I had booked direct with the hotel, she would let me into a room before the normal 2 pm check in. I looked around. There were over ten young guys waiting in the area with their suitcases.

I guess if I were to do the airport train to Makkasan again, I would travel very light. In one of my three times before on the airport train, I took the subway to get to a hotel near Par Pong street. The subway guard at the entrance wanted me to open my suitcase. for inspection. In spite of the fact that the airline tags were attached. It would have been a hassle to cut off the plastic ties used to lock my suitcase. And, then I had a lot of stuff inside my suitcase, intended for a comfortable stay of several weeks. I was able to BS my way into the subway without opening my suitcase, showing my hotel voucher, airline e-ticket, printout of subway map, and speaking lots of English.

One challenge of a big city is to learn the best way to get around the city.

Things always change.

i can relate bro. traffic in bangkok--total nightmare.

this is the first trip report ever where the write up on the lousy ride in was longer than the trip itself...

thanks for contributing to this q u i e t board.

I did the Makkasan station before and will never again. It took longer then leaving the airport in a cab.
I had to flag a cab on soi Asok and it took about 10-12 min. From dragging my luggage and hustling a cab. I rather pay the extra 150+ baht and arrive directly from the airport. Especially after a 20 hour flight.