Bangkok

Besides Jakarta, Bangkok is one of my favorite places world wide. Like in most asian mega cities you will enjoy the lifestyle most likely at night. If you are one of the lucky ones and able to stay longer you should think about one of the many serviced apartments. I had recently stayed in Somerset Suanplu
for a couple of times and admit that this is a very good alternative to a boxed hotel room. For sure its not luxurious as most of the five star hotels available in Bangkok, but offers a comfortable place to stay indeed. For "ONE NIGHT" in Bangkok or if you need just a shower before leaving back to the airport, there is a pretty decent Four Points by Sheraton.
Don't be late for the night out in BKK as many clubs will close quiet early. My favorite place to go out is still famous RCA area. Thats an entertainment area with lots of bars and clubs. Check out 808

Even if the webpage looks a little boring you should give Tapas a try. Thats a multi storey bar/ club within the gay area next to Sala Daeng station.
If you are looking for a decent place for lunch or dinner you should look out for Secret Garden restaurant on sathorn road. They do offer delicious thai food and yummy cakes from their bakery!
When you missed you breakfast or you are looking for a very special place to go, you should consider the diner @ THE ATLANTA - eggs and bacon served with style!

Gulf Air Sucks!

My upcoming travel plan included flights on Gulf Air from Cairo via Bahrain to Bangkok. I booked my First Class tickets with them already in december. A few days ago I checked my schedule online to recognize that they canceled my flights, but didn't inform me so far. I did some research on the web to recognize that GF will stop their First Class service. I called them and they mentioned that they canceled my flights due to some fare mistakes and what they offer is a refund or fly Business Class for a much higher prices instead. I opted for the money and have to reschedule everything. F**ck- I hate these unprofessional guys!!

Conrad Bangkok

A vibrant city like Bangkok is always worth a visit even so it is just for one night on your way to your final destination. The hotel market in Bangkok is as vibrant as the city, so there are many place to choose from. This time I opted for Conrad a classy hotel in the heart of Bangkok (Wireless Road). As I arrived late and planned to fly out early I opted for a standard room rather than preferred Club Floor. Check in was a swift and I had been escorted to my room immediately. To be honest I did not expected much, but the service received and the layout of the room was indeed nice. Very comfy bedding and the bathroom was inviting enough to think about taking a bath. The breakfast buffet at X2 is alright- but nothing special as I do not like the overall layout of the venue. There is enough to choose from for most people, but it was indeed not my cup of tea in the morning. After breakfast I checked out the "flyers" in the hotel room and found an advertisement for an "old school" barber shop in the lobby. Right when I entered the venue I was simply impressed- as it is a mix of a cigars lounge, a whiskey bar and of course a barber shop!!! If you are seeking for a special service the gentlemen's should think about a brief visit.
Right before taking a few laps in the pool I asked for a brief viewing of the club lounge. Michel, a very friendly women from FO showed me around, explained everything and even offered to show some more accommodation options in the hotel. From my point of view I would opt for a deluxe corner room on club floor. The room gives you not such a boxed feeling (Michel's words) and while taking a bath you can enjoy the amazing skyline of Bangkok as the bathtub is next to the window.
Conrad will be my place of choice when I need my next hair cut in Bangkok!

Bangkok

Well how should I start- Bangkok is one of my favorite places to be in south east asia and for you fellow travelers a very good starting point to explore the region as it is also the hub of Thai Airways (good C-Class service from Zurich). If you are on a shoestring- Bangkok is perfect for a cheap and amazing stopover and one could easily organize onward travel on one of the plenty low cost carriers like AirAsia to most south east asian destination. But please hold on- Bangkok is worth a longer visit and of cause you could easily spend a lot of money to enjoy yourself.
Places to stay:
Accommodation in Bangkok is compared to other places around generally cheap. I do have several options for you depending on what you are looking for. If you are seeking top notch service compared with amazing views from well done Suites I would recommend the Banyan Tree.

For the guys of you looking for something special, not the typical tourist stuff I have the following places on offer.
Reflections Thai is a arty place- all rooms are done by a different designer but please keep in mind that they don't have a pool anymore on the new location. Their restaurant near Ari Station (old location) is not bad either. For River a place next to the river go for Ibrik. This is a tiny hotel with just three rooms, so reserve well in advance!
Other options for the design fans would be the newly open Tenface or the Luxx on Decho Road. Hotels from the "past" would be the next category. Colonial charme starts right with the Jaguar old timer pick up service from the airport followed by afternoon tea in comfy leather chairs and a soaking bath in a copper tub- if thats what you are looking for you should try to get a room in The Eugenia. Cheaper and a little "younger" the old time favorite The Atlanta is a very good option to smell the former times. Its a little run down and reservations are not that easy done but you should stop by to have a look while in Bangkok, maybe for a very good vegetarian lunch.
The hospitality market in BKK is in general really vibrant, so keep your eyes open for the upcoming places to stay or just stay tuned for my next update for Conrad Bangkok.
Nightlife:
If you are in PORN business Bangkok is the place to be. Since the Vietnam War- the US troops developed Bangkok as a huge brothel for the soldiers and still the opportunities in BKK are growing. On the other side the "regular" entertainment market is growing as well. So don't think Bangkok is just full of prostitutes. Many people enjoy just them self and don't wait for a stupid western guy to paid them a drink. In general the party ends early as most places will close at least at 2am- so come early and drink fast! If you found a local on the dance floor who is attracted to you, he or she might show you around even after 2pm.
So be kind and enjoy yourself in the following places. There is one area called RCA- kind of nightlife Cluster consisting of several bars and clubs. My favorite is Club Culure. Other options are the famous Bed and Supperclub or Glow.
Shopping:
Shopping is a must in BKK- there are so many Shopping Centers to keep you busy for several days. Besides worldwide known brands I would recommend you to shop by @ Greyhound.
If you have plenty of time check out the area at Soi Sukhumvit 55 (or Soi Thonglor). There you might find also some nice shops, but take a cab to stroll down the road to find something as shops are coming and going.
Smart shoppers will have to stop at Propaganda to find everything they might never need while in BKK.
Food:
Wherever in Asia- eat on the Street! There are several hawkers around so keep your eyes open and smell the taste of Thailand. Even late at night the best option to get in touch with the people while having a late night supper and a Singha before leaving for bed.
Getting Around:
To and from the airport take a taxi. Depending and on your destination and the traffic you should be able to reach most places within 40 min using the toll road for a maximum price of 500 baht all in.
Within BKK you should consider to use the Skytrain as this is the most convenient way to circle around the city. Its easy to use, cheap and safe! Another option are boat trips on Chao Phraya river. You can buy a day pass or if you just wanna use the service a few times single tickets on the boat. At night take a taxi- if the driver do not wanna go on meter bargain hard!

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on world wide travel!

Last night in Bangkok

This morning I woke up to find this strange guy in my bed- gosh I thought I just had some Singha, but maybe I went on with some other stuff. Anyway, I had a bad hang over and even my newly opened outdoor pool could not give me a relaxed feeling. I am still thinking where I picked him up?! The strange thing is that he has not the typical hot thai butt and he is drinking Asahi. Anyway after a few laps I went on dreaming my upcoming trip to vietnam where I will meet some friends. A very good friend of mine talked about someone looking like Jude Law. Besides this I am not sure what might happen, but I know that I will get the chance to go to Cambodia as well as I have some appointments in Phnom Penh. Happy endings in Phnom Penh are guaranteed!
I will keep you up to date if the communist ladies cycling around are real beauties or just propaganda! Stay tuned for more hot reports around Asia!

Lost my mobile!

just wanna let you know that i lost my hand fon. so please send me your contact details as i lost all the data as well. during the next time you can contact me via my vietnamese number( +8404076039 ) as my thai number is a secret!

Stay tuned folks!

Bangkok

dear monney penny- james is back to bangkok! thai royal orchid service is always a pleasure- so i am back to this wonderful city. singha is available 24/7 as well everything else you might need during the night. within the next days i will keep you up to date about my recent stayover here. i will attach some images as well as some in depth reports on traveling vietnam and cambodia.
stay tuned!

Flight Tracker

As you might recognized the global travel market and especially the airline industry is rapidly changing. For my next trip from NYC I planned to use the ultra longhaul direct service to Bangkok using Thai Airways. But fuck it- they canceled this service due to high oil prices. Thai Airways introduced a Premium Economy worth the extra Bucks compared to regular Economy Class if you don't wanna fly Business Class. So I thought it is a very good idea to use their service on a regular base on my way to Asia. My other favorite options Singapore Airlines offers a all business class direct service from NYC to Singapore using the well known new business class cabin, but indeed seat availability is restricted. Other options would be flying through Europe or using ANA via Tokyo. Any other ideas?

Stay tuned for more reports on global travel market!