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Live the adventures of Dan Walker's travels through reading his travel journal. The travel journals are listed below in descending order of date. To search the travel journals, use the keyword search at the bottom of the page.

Journal Entry:

Thursday, February 22, 2018 17:40:14

China, Thailand to Singapore 2018: 6 Bangkok

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

We were picked up at the hotel by a driver and a guide and taken to the airport where the guide saw us through check in and to a restaurant that also was acting as a lounge for Thai Airlines. The Puripunn Baby Grand Boutique Hotel, where we stayed, would be very high on my recommended hotels list – it was excellent in every way.

The flight was delayed for an hour due to heavy air traffic so I had a hot lunch complements of the airline while waiting. The Thai A330-300 was great. When I stretched my legs out from my super comfortable seat they were still 6 inches from the seat front of me. A hot meal was served on the 55 minute flight full. Thai will join Harbin as our top airlines of the trip.

We were met in Bangkok by a guide and driver. Traffic was brutally heavy in some areas, so it took over an hour to get to the Chatrium Hotel Riverside where the concierge arranged to have out winter clothes suitcase stored by them until we return to Bangkok on March 5. Our 11th floor room overlooked the river and had a beautiful panoramic view of the city. Dinner at the outdoor riverside restaurant was a disappointment, mediocre food and poor service.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

After a massive breakfast buffet we caught the free hotel boat up river to the end of the sky train line and walked through the streets in the area. The sky opened in a tropical torrential downpour, so we sought refuge in a massage place for an hour. When we were done it was bright sun again.

Dinner was with our guide Boomi. The driver, who we call Go Go, crawled along in heavy traffic to a spot about 6 blocks from Chinatown where we had a beer and some Chinese food at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the busy Chao Phraya River that cuts through Bangkok. It was alive with tugs pulling barges, gaudily lit dinner cruise boat, long tail boats and many others.

We walked through a maze of alleys to reach the main street of the large Chinatown area, which was gaily decorated for Chinese New Year, the year of the dog. The street was lined on both sides with dozens of food vendors, each selling different specialties. We tried many tasty items that were new to us, along with a beer here and there, until we could eat no more. A shortcut of a few blocks got us back to our van and to the hotel.

Tomorrow we fly to the island of Ko Samui.