Bangkok - Day 1

We arrived in Bangkok to temperatures in the high 20s. Who would have thought that we needed to escape to Thailand to get away from the heatwave in Australia! As soon as we cleared customs, Jason had ordered a Bolt, a ride share app used in Thailand. We were on level 2 of the airport, but the Bolt driver was on Level 4. We had to quickly rush up the escalators and try to find the driver amongst a sea of taxis. All of a sudden a car pulled up and a man was waving his phone and pointing at us. Yes, it was our driver, so we quickly jumped in and took off along the Bangkok motorway.

The trip from Suvarnabhumi airport to Sathorn in the centre of Bangkok brought back memories of previous trips. Things seemed like the same old Bangkok we knew, but perhaps a bit more hi-tech. We arrived at the hotel, and in stark contrast to the budget transportation, we landed one of the most luxurious apartments that we have ever stayed in. So spacious we almost needed an intercom system to contact each other.

As we got out of the car, I started to pay the driver, but Jason thought the driver was trying to extract more money than the app quoted for the trip. The extra was the two tolls, and in any case it was only $5.

We quickly checked in and dropped off our bags to go in search of provisions. We got some cash out of the ATM near the hotel and then headed to the closest 7-Eleven. I’d forgotten my passport so couldn’t get my Thai sim card. By this stage, Jason had been awake for 24 hours and needed to get some shut eye, so we tucked ourselves in for the night.Read more