3 Days in Bangkok

Every year in the last 5 years I get invited to an Aviation IT Conference. This year I decided to take part and got to spend 3 Days in Bangkok.

The Conference

I work in the aviation industry and aviation is a Tech Savvy industry. Every year, Aircraft Commerce a UK-based company organizes several events around the globe specific to Aviation. One of those events is IT related. Every year, I get invited to every IT event. My first participation in such an event was in London back in 2013. It was quite expensive for me to go to the UK event because of the visa, so this year I decided to go to the Asia-Pacific event which was held in Bangkok.

Bangkok

The most visited city in the world. Most of my colleagues are frequent travelers to Bangkok. I passed by there once but didn’t get out of the airport. My mother and brother went there for a 2 day trip on the way here to Dubai and they did not really enjoy it. I guess that was the reason why Bangkok was not that appealing to me. Then I was proven wrong.

Thank you, Friends.

The night before I was supposed to travel “B” had a check-up. She’s been coughing and having a fever a couple of days before so I decided to get her checked by her pediatrician before I go. Unfortunately, she had to be admitted. Other than a hotel booking, I have not yet made my flight arrangements at that time. I had to cancel my trip to Bangkok.

The following day, the doctor told us that he can discharge “B” after some check. “S” convinced me to go ahead with my trip. Our friend and fellow blogger, cuddlesandcrumbs, was there to help and convinced me to go as well. I quickly made my travel arrangements and went ahead. I lost a one-day hotel booking but it didn’t matter that much because I used miles to book the hotel. Another friend, Kaycee also helped “S” take care of sick “B” while I was in Bangkok.

How I got there

Before going to Bangkok I did my research. I also checked which Airline to fly with to get there on time if I would come directly from work the day before. Thai Airways was a good option but it was a couple of hundred AEDs more expensive. So I decided to use the airline that I work for: Emirates

I read a blog that one of the ways to find out about other people’s culture is to take their public transport. So I Googled how to reach my hotel from the airport using public transport. I used the Airport Rail Link from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Ratchaprarop station which is a short walk away from the hotel. 

The Amari Watergate Hotel

The organizer of the conference selected Amari Watergate Hotel for the event venue which also included arranged rates for the attendees.

As I mentioned earlier, the hotel is a short walk from the Airport Rail Link which made it very convenient. It also happens to be right in the city center. It is surrounded by markets, malls, restaurants, and most of all massage parlors. Coming out of the hotel, Pratunam market is on the left, Platinum mall is across the street. There is also a 7 Eleven and McDonald’s a few steps to the right of the hotel.

Hospitality is never short. The food is amazing and for me, also affordable. 

I only managed to try 2 of their restaurants, The Cascade Cafe and the Amaya Food Gallery for breakfast. Their restaurants have happy hour at different times. If I’m not mistaken, that means 3 happy hours every day! I really enjoyed breakfast. They have different stations — Thai, Indian, Italian, They also have a station for gluten-free options.

The Grand Palace

In every country there is a place that must go and see, The Grand Palace is one of those in Bangkok. It is advisable to go early as the place tends to be crowded and it gets difficult to take good photos. In my case, I was late because I enjoyed breakfast. I wanted to take the bus to go to the place but it would take an hour to reach there so I decided to take a taxi.

When in a new country or a new city, don’t just stay in the hotel. Go out and explore. Experiences outside of the hotel are definitely more memorable.

Have you been to Bangkok? How was your experience? Share below, I would love to read it.