Trip Reports - Asean Urban OdYsseY (SIN, JKT, MNL, CEB, BKK) via SQ, CX, PR (Part I)

After a couple of months of intense work in Europe, my much-awaited two-week break in Asia finally came. Here's a trip report with random observations about the flights and the destinations. Hope you enjoy reading about my travels ...

Friday, 29 Oct-Saturday, 30 Oct
Heathrow
SQ LHR-SIN (Y)
Changi
I was still finishing the last output from my project when my mobile beeped with the flight alert from SQ: flight was to leave, on schedule, at 18.30 in 4 hours' time. Love this SQ service! Fortunately, I had already checked in on-line and even managed to get a window seat on the emergency exit row. Sighed and resigned myself to bringing my work laptop with me. Oh well, time to re-arrange the suitcase a bit...

Cab arrived on time and off I went to Heathrow. I couldn't hassle with the Heathrow Express this time because my brother insisted that I bequeath him a suitcase I had grown weary of, so it had to be an expensive (£65) cab ride to Terminal 3. Ah, the things you do for family...

I arrived three and a quarter hours before takeoff but there already was a line for the economy class travellers at the SQ counter. But it was nothing like the hell in Christmas 2002 so I was able to get to the counter in about fifteen minutes' time. Very friendly checkin person (I wonder if that was due to the early checkin), and so friendly that she ignored what had to have been my overweight luggage (two suitcases, one containing the damn laptop). Score one for SQ.

As I wasn't (yet) an elite gold KrisFlyer, I couldn't use the SKL in Heathrow, and because I was flying SQ, my status-match lounge access vouchers were useless. I decided to check out the dutyfree offerings in Terminal 3. Nothing interesting, especially because I'd be choosing from the selection at Changi during my vacation. Nice little Starbucks bar in the middle of things, though, so I could engage in a bit of people-watching while I shook off my near all-nighter from work. After a jolt of caffeine to revive me, I wandered over to the lounge allowed by my Priority Pass membership. Oy vay. What a dismal lounge. Small, sort of dark, and the walk, through grubbily-carpeted hallways, must have been designed to lower your expectations. My expectations -- already lowered by Priority Pass experiences in T2 and by the walk -- were still too high. The best thing was the selection of drinks to help calm your spirits. (There was a view of the tarmac, but this was London in late autumn, so the weather was gray and depressing.) Once again, I was thankful to the genius of the English for coming up with the gin and tonic. The lounge was full of passengers whose flight was delayed, but the gin and tonic eased the wait until it was time to head to the gate.

Boarding was handled with the usual SQ efficiency, with travellers in Y class being politely but firmly told to wait their turn if they tried to board before their seat row was called. Love that. Score two for SQ. Even got to play the SQ boarding game: figure out what time to queue, so that you're right in front as possible as your row number is called for boarding. Might as well make the boarding process entertaining, right? Got to my assigned seat and noticed how much I liked the additional leg room (despite the wall jutting out). There are times when being short isn't such a bad thing, and this was one of them.

Smooth takeoff, and usual punctual handing out of hot towels, menus, headphones, Y class amenities. Score three for SQ. Can't remember the menu selection, but as always, I chose the Asian option. I've never been disappointed. My seatmates, Scots on the way to New Zealand, were very impressed with the food as well. We had a laugh comparing the selection to BA's offering. Couldn't really sleep much so I took advantage of the KrisWorld IFE selection, and mostly caught up with my much-missed American sitcoms.

I was seated right near the galley, but it never got noisy from the bustle. Must be the amazing training that the SQ FAs receive. My requests for water were met with offers of snacks. Very nice, personable service. Score another for SQ.

Dutyfree trolley came around and I did my usual shopping, which always seems to endear me to the FAs. :) (More on my dutyfree purchase later.)

Our plane landed smoothly in tropical Singapore, quite a contrast to the rainy London I left. The tropical greenery surrounding Changi never fails to lift my spirits. But then again, maybe it's because it's a sign that I'm on holiday. Short taxi to the bridge, and then disembarked into my favorite airport. Changi may be old-fashioned in many people's eyes, but there's just something about the controlled bustle, the cleanliness, the efficient signage, and the splashes of indoor greenery that makes it my favorite airport. (I can't wait to see Hong Kong's airport in March, though.) Oh, yes, I do admit, the retail spaces warm my shopper's heart. In case it isn't obvious yet, I love the place!

For the first time in my trips to Singapore, though, the bags didn't come off the belt quickly. Very strange. My Singaporean best friend -- who waxes patriotic mainly when he talks about SQ or Changi -- would've been incredulous. It must have taken more than twenty minutes before the bags began to appear; I began to wonder whether there was an industrial action going on. But all's well that ends well. It turned out that in my excitement to start my vacation, I forgot one of my KrisShop purchases on board! Just as I was figuring out which counter to approach to report my loss, along comes one of the FAs with my purchase. He had tried to chase me, but said I was walking too quickly. I guess it didn't help him that Changi immigration is so damn efficient about getting visitors through the checkpoints. But I got my brother's present back, received a nice good-bye from the FA, and then took the cab ride underneath the the lush tropical canopy that transitions visitors from Changi into the city of Singapore. All in all, a good start to my vacation. Is it any wonder I like the London-Singapore transition so much?

More to come ...

Saturday, 30 Oct-Sunday 31 Oct
Singapore

Meridien Hotel, Orchard Road
I've decided that whenever I go on holiday in Asia, I would try the services of at least one hotel. So , I went on www.priceline.com.sg and bid for a 4 to 5 star hotel in the Orchard Road or Marina Bay area. I got the Meridien.

First, the lobby experience: not impressive. I'd previously stayed at the Peninsula in Manila and the Shangri-la in Makati. The Meridien's lobby, while spacious, just doesn't compare. It looks like it needs to be refurbished. Much space, and no oomph. Feels like a place about to be abandoned.

Then, the room. Again, not impressive. Quite small, and not very well-designed. The saving grace was the broadband connection on the desk. It made working much easier (not that I wanted to be working, of course). But it was very inconvenient in that there was only one conveniently located outlet close to the desk. The was fine for a laptop, but not so convenient if you wanted to charge your mobile or PDA at the same time (assuming the PDA was going to be charged through the wall socket rather than the USB port on your laptop). The bathroom was also not very appealing. Some bathrooms make you feel like you're luxuriating as you primp, but this one made you want to do your business and get out as soon as possible.

About the only thing going for this hotel, in my opinion, was the location (on Orchard Road and close to an MRT station). I'd give this hotel a miss the next time I'm in Singapore, unless the price is irresistible. Damn, I missed Raffles the Plaza. ;)

Sunday Brunch
Mezza 9
The Grand Hyatt

Yummmmmm. I got this recommendation from other FTers (jpatokal receiving special mention). Very very nice. I wanted to treat my dad and my brother to something special, and I got to do just that. The setting is grand: you go up a curving staircase at the lobby and get shown to your table by very gracious hosts. (I booked from London two weeks in advance, as advised by FTers in the SIN forum.) There's just the right balance of dark wood and light. A huge spread of food is available in different areas -- Chinese, Japanese, Western, and even a table just of desserts -- and of course, free-flowing champagne. (The price was S$88 per person.) I tried to watch my diet, but alas, failed. But it was failure accompanied by a smile. We waddled back to the hotel utterly content, dropped my dad off at the airport to catch his flight back to Manila (he complained he was too full to enjoy SQ hospitality) while my brother allowed the champagne to let him catch up on his sleep.

Highly recommended. I think this will be a ritual for future weekends that I find myself in Singapore. ^

Show at the Esplanade
Mamma Mia!

I'd read a lot about the famed Durian, so I wanted to experience a performance in there. Again, FTers came to the rescue, Gibspmuh in particular suggesting how to find out about what was showing and how to secure tickets. To my good fortune, Mamma Mia was extended, so how could I resist buying a ticket for my brother and me? (Tickets to the London show are notoriously difficult to get.)

The experience was exhilarating. First there is the walk underground that gets you in the mood to see something artistic. Then you get to go up flights of escalators for dinner and maybe a bit of shopping above the theater. The theater itself, as expected, is very modern and very airy (quite a contrast to a number of London theaters, which offer a more intimate feel). The acoustics are terrific, and for this play, the cast was fantastic. The audience was perhaps a bit too well-behaved in the beginning -- hmmm, is that a Singaporean quirk? -- refusing to applaud the first two songs; I was initially confused about how to react to the musical numbers. But the cast eventually warmed the audience up, and by the third song, the applause flowed warmly and freely. It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance. Some members of the audience were even standing and dancing in their seats during the encore songs! That made me smile. And all this made my first experience at the Durian memorable. Hmmm... I think this may be another ritual-in-the-making!

Big thumbs up on the Esplanade. It's too bad we didn't get to check out the atrium.

After the show, it was time to head back to the hotel and try to get some sleep, because in London, while procrastinating on one of my late-night stints at work, I had managed to get a couple of cheap Cathay Pacific tickets. The following day, after checking out of the Meridien, my brother and I were about to take our first trip to Jakarta! :D

More to come ...

Thanks for the report - always nice to read about SIN and SQ. Thansk for the Hyatt tip; might try that some time.

The Meridien is a dump, I have to agree with you. Many other hotels around for the same or similar prices. When I use PL for SIN I never select the Orchard area just so as not to get stuck in the M.

Monday 1 Nov-Wed 3 Nov
Jakarta interlude

Waiting for CX flight

Checkin late afternoon in Changi's Terminal 1. As we only had cabin baggage, we took a bus rather than a taxi, which was a relatively painless way to get to the airport (the only pain being the seemingly daily short burst of torrential rain that afflicts Singapore, which of course fell as we were headed to the airport). The nice circular pattern of falling water in Terminal 1 was a charming welcome into the airport. Have I mentioned I'm a fan of Changi? :p

No lines at the CX counters, but that's probably because we were there very early. We wouldn't have waited too long anyway, because I would've used my BA gold card to check in at the First or Business Class counters. Friendly checkin staff; it's just that the trainee got confused about my wanting to credit the miles to my MPC account rather than my BAEC account. (I could smile patiently while things got sorted, because Guy Betsy had reassured me that using my BAEC to check in and get lounge access while using my MPC to accumulate mileage and status points shouldn't be an issue. And it wasn't.) The trainee also tried to check me into the flight leaving before us, which was headed to HK. Needless to say, she couldn't find our reservations for that flight. Oops. But nothing the smiling supervisor couldn't fix.

CX lounge at SIN

Small lounge, and uncrowded because the HK flight left as we got there. It's cozy, with muted lighting, a dark green color scheme, and a small selection of hot food for those feeling peckish. The seats were comfortable, but you sink into them, so they're probably less suitable for work. Two computers with flat screens to access the Internet, which I used to confirm that my LHR-SIN leg the previous Friday made me Silver Elite on KF. Woo hoo! Couldn't wait to get the snazzy newly-designed card FTers had been discussing. (Well, really, they were discussing PPS cards, but those are way beyond my reach.)

Very friendly receptionist when I was there. When I asked to have the white wine replenished, she was extremely apologetic and went looking for me when the wine was ready. When I asked whether my brother and I could leave our bags so we could go shopping (a lie), she said she would describe a handsome man to the person replacing her so I could be recognized and allowed back in. Charming! I love flirty personnel.

Overall verdict: nice lounge to get away from the crowds and to get some peace if you just came from a hectic day of doing business.

BA/QF First Class Lounge at SIN

I was going to show my brother the BA Business Class lounge, but there seemed to be some refurbishments going on so we instead went straight to the First Class lounge. What a contrast to the CX lounge! Large, brightly lit, sharp modern lines, with water flowing a la the Terraces concept. So impressive. Where the CX lounge comforted my frazzled, jet-lagged self, this lounge revived me (but in a soothing way). The food selection was more of the cheese and sandwich variety (thus less appealing for someone in search of a decent Asian snack), but it went nicely with the wide selection of drinks (e.g., champagne and cognac). The open spaces made people-watching at the lounge more fun. Especially if you could dish in Tagalog and be pretty much sure no one could understand you. ;)

Summary: I prefer this lounge to the CX lounge, because it has the private-ish areas for finding tranquility and, at the same time, the open spaces if you want a charge of energy from crowds. I can't see this lounge feeling crowded even at peak times (though to be fair, the BA/QF flights weren't boarding at the time we were there), unlike the CX lounge which seemed it would fill up if there were a flight to HK. If I retain my BA gold *and* if I travel on a OneWorld airline out of Singapore (the latter a big if, because I'm hooked on SQ), this would be my lounge of choice.

CX711 SIN to CGK (Y)

A bit of a scrum at boarding, despite the announcement of priority boarding for premium class passengers and OneWorld elite. But order was restored right where you headed for the plane. A couple of economy passengers without OneWorld elite status were politely told to wait when they tried to sneak past the gate lady. I boarded using my current BA gold card while my brother used my still-to-expire BA silver card. :p (Sorry, but had to find a way around the system: it's the Filipino in me.)

I managed to get us exit row seats when I booked on-line (privilege allowed even to green MPC members?) so we had plenty of leg room. But the seats seemed more worn out than those of SQ. The seats also felt less comfortable, particularly in terms of lumbar support. The ears on the headrest were kind of useless, because if you let your head lean on them, they sank back. Finally, the PTV screens were more wobbly than those at SQ. Quite disappointing for a vaunted carrier like CX.

The service, however, was impressive. It seemed less polished than SQ's (my call light was unanswered; I finally decided to turn it off), but the service also seemed much more personal. Extra points for efficiency on such a short (1 hour, 15 minutes or so) flight: the meal was served then cleared, the drinks were replenished, and I accomplished my dutyfree shopping with plenty of time to spare. Very nice. (As I noted before, FAs perk up when I buy something from their catalogue, so I got an extra dose of smiling recognition after buying some cufflinks for myself and model planes for my brother. That said, the KrisShop catalogue seemed to offer a wider selection of goodies.)

Based on this flight (my first with CX), SQ wins on newness of equipment and polish of its on-board teams, but CX wins on the warmth of service.

CGK Arrival Experience

Terminal was practically empty when we got there, but CGK seemed like a nice airport to land in. Well, certainly nicer than MNL's Terminal 1! We didn't need to deal with arrival visas because of our Philippine passports (one of the oh-so-few times Philippine passport holders aren't subjected to lengthy and annoying questioning) so we sailed through immigration and customs. Judging from the people who were bunched around the luggage belt, it had been a good idea to squeeze my laptop into my cabin baggage and then pray that my bag looked small enough not to need weighing.

I had booked a Silver Taxi to take us to the hotel, and it was easy to find the counter and see my name on the electronic board. Good tip for people traveling into Jakarta: have your hotel arrange transportation. (But see the note about the cost later on.) The taxi counter people even guessed who I was, and upon seeing my passport, greeted me with a cheerful "Magandang gabi" (good evening in Tagalog). Nice welcome. I love Indonesian hospitality. People rave about Thai hospitality, but I suspect it's a Southeast Asian thing, because I get the at least the same warmth in Indonesia and the Philippines. (Of course, it didn't take long before people started to talk to me in Bahasa. It seems my facial features can fit those of many Southeast Asian nationalities.)

Gran Melia Hotel, Jakarta

This hotel I booked through www.asiahotels.com. As in the Makati Shangri-La, there are multiple security checkpoints: first for your cab as you drive to the lobby entrance, and then another for your luggage as you enter the hotel. You then go up a flight of self-starting escalators and step onto the lobby. *This* was the kind of grand lobby experience I associate with good Asian hotels. Very effusive welcome hug, like the one given by a distant but very warm rich aunt who hasn't seen you in a while. I didn't quite understand the big globe in the middle of the lobby, but somehow, it worked. There was a live band playing when we arrived so we could listen to some jazzy music while checking in.

Hallway lighting was muted and very tranquil. I much prefer that to bright lighting. The room was easily better than my room at the Meridien. Clean modern lines (as at the Makati Shangri-la, and unlike the Manila Peninsula) and lots of space (more so than at the Makati Shangri-la). Very nice set of toiletries as well. Staff seemed always to be walking around the hallways so it would have been easy to request something. And finally, the room had a number of conveniently located wall sockets, so you didn't have to crawl under a desk to charge your electronic devices (an experience I find too common in European hotels).

On another major criterion I have for a hotel -- the breakfast experience -- The Gran Melia didn't disappoint. Wide selection of food (I skipped most of the Western offerings), an omelette station (that was my concession to my Westernized ways), and a good selection of Asian food. The kambing curry (goat? mutton?) was very gentle to the stomach, even in the morning. (I didn't, however, have the courage to attempt the kimchi.) And finally, the coffee was nice and strong. Mmmm. Hooray for Indonesian coffee!

The dinner selection at the hotel, though, wasn't very good. My brother and I were too tired after our day's rushing around (see below) to venture outside the hotel so we settled for the same restaurant as the one we had breakfast in. It was nothing special. But because there was a buffet table, at least there was a nice parade of tourists and better-off Indonesians to observe. We ordered a la carte and had food that can best be described as decent.

Strengths of the hotel: price, location, grand lobby, breakfast, gracious service (they didn't clean my brother's shirt to our satisfaction, but fixed the problem within a couple of hours). Minuses: rather limited dinner options in the hotel itself, and the Irish pub on the concierge level wasn't very skilled at making good cocktails. Don't waste your time on the Tom Collins. My standard remains the Tom Collins at the Equinox Bar in Singapore's The Stamford.

Highlights of One Day in Jakarta

What do two Manila boys -- one whose time in London hasn't really attenuated his New Yorker ways, the other used to Singapore's leisure activities -- do when they have one day to feel the pulse of a city? Wake up late-ish, have an energizing breakfast, and experience how people shop and eat! So after breakfast, we got a Top Three list of shopping malls from our concierge and off we went.

Plaza Semayan: nice selection of stores, and two Starbucks outlets at the anchor department store to load up on caffeine. Allowed me to complete my collection of Starbucks mugs from the original Asean member nations. Do not eat at the food court (I forget whether it was on the second or third floor). So disappointing after tasting the quality of food in Singapore food courts.

Plaza Semanggi: don't go. Fluorescent lighting all around, and quite limited selection at the stores. We were back inside another taxi within ten minutes.

Plaza Indonesia: the best of the three we went to. Wide spaces, nice stores, even a bit of live entertainment at the lobby. Nice view of the national monument outside the mall, too. But note that this is my judgment, i.e., the judgment of someone who tends to look for price deals on Western brands and who isn't really into native products. The place was getting busy as we were leaving so it might have had a more entertaining parade of shoppers as the evening progressed.

But we couldn't give Jakarta night life a chance, because we had an early flight to catch the next day.

CX714 CGK-SIN

Early start to our day to catch our 8 am flight to Singapore: too early, in fact, to have breakfast at our hotel. I had to count on the CX lounge to help out our soon-to-be growling stomachs.

Hotel checkout was smooth and painless, but then again, we were also the only ones there at that hour. At 6ish, Jakarta traffic is still very manageable, which isn't something you can say for certain areas of Manila. As our cab drove us to the airport (by the way, the hotel seemed to be making quite a margin on the cab fare: the charge on the bill was 120,000 Rupiahs while the meter barely reached 80,000), I was struck by the smoky haze lingering at ground level. I also noticed it the day before. I wondered if this was a daily occurrence. Seemed much worse than the pollution in Manila.

It made me sad to see how much worse the airport experience is in Manila than in Jakarta. We had a nice drive up a clean, wide, tree-lined street to the terminal. The checkin counters weren't very enticing, but there was plenty of natural light as well as attractive dark wood accents to brighten the walk to the gates. The Philippines really does need to improve the experience in NAIA's Terminal 1. Blah blah blah Terminal 3. Until it's open and operational, travellers will mostly have to slog through Terminal 1. How embarrassing.

There was already a line for economy passengers at the airport, but we used the business class counter because of my BA card. The checkin attendant graciously ignored the fact that my hated laptop pushed my carryon luggage beyond the legal weight for CX. Terima kasih to her, and off to our flight! Again the immigration officials recognized our passports and sent us on our way with a cheery "Mabuhay".

Some of the duty-free stores were already open at this time, but I was more interested in getting some brekkie at the lounge. We went to the lounge shared by multiple airlines (JL, CX, SQ, LH, to name a few), and were not disappointed. It had plenty of seating and a good selection of drinks and munchies. I was able to get some bihun noodles with chicken, and an attendant insisted that he bring my espresso to the table where I was sitting. Very nice service. The lounge passed my criteria: little risk of claustrophobia, no risk of feeling hungry or thirsty, and ability to escape the freneticness of air travel, even for a few minutes.

When we boarded the plane, we were surprised to see the same crew that were on the SIN-CGK leg. And they recognized me! A couple of them even came over to my seat to say hello, ask about our trip, and ask why were already heading back. CX definitely scores high on the personality of its FAs. And remember, this was for an economy class passenger!

Quick, painless flight back to Singapore, though I again noted the irritatingly wobbly PTV screens and lack of lumbar support. Thank God the trip was mercifully short, because the breakfast on offer wasn't much better than the Deli in the Sky imposed on intra-Europe flights by BA. :(

Quick side trip to my brother's place to pack my luggage, and it was time to start the Philippine portion of my vacation...

More to come ...

Thanks for a good trip report.
Glad that you enjoyed your trip to SIN and CGK.

3 - 9 November, Philippines, Part 1

SIN-MNL
SQ Raffles Class!

Well, thank God for SQ's partnership with Virgin Atlantic. I transferred my Amex Membership Points to Virgin, and then booked an award ticket on Raffles Class. Now *that* was a good use of membership points.

And so, I discovered why SQ gets such loyal premium class passengers (and why Star Gold passengers resent being shooed away from the SKL in Singapore). The Silver Kris Lounge was great: large; dark enough to be tranquil without being somnolent; conducive either to working or to catching your breath; and featuring a wide variety of munchies for those not concerned with or abandoning their diets. Used my time there to check email, make sure that no urgent work stuff happened in my few days' absence, and generally soak in the atmosphere. With a gin and tonic in hand, of course. Very very nice. In fact, enjoyment of the lounge was the reason I ran late-ish to my flight.

During the flight, on-board service was impeccable. High FA-pax ratio, and unlike with CX, a call light didn't go unanswered. The food, as I'd expected, was delicious. Still, the service in Y at CX seemed more personable. But I really can't fault this level of friendly efficiency. Outstanding.

I think I had one too many Silver Kris slings, because I soon dozed off and woke up as only we approached NAIA.

Arrival in MNL

Oy. What can I say? I haven't been to KLIA but I heard it was a nice airport (albeit located in the middle of nowhere, but this from my Singaporean best friend, who has a viscerally negative reaction to things Malaysian). I must, sadly, conclude that the Philippines has the worst welcome to tourists among the Asean nations. The rubberized flooring with those round things designed to prevent slipping, the hospital-like antiseptic feel to Terminal 1, the bored-looking immigration officials -- what an awful welcome to an otherwise nice country. Smiling doesn't even seem to work on the people who stamp your passport. How unrepresentative of Filipinos' ability to smile.

It was a quick wait at the baggage carousel because of the priority tags on my suitcase. Yet another reason to consider splashing out on Raffles class when I visit the Philippines. And the positive experience continued: the customs officials smiled back when I greeted them!

Now the most positive thing at MNL: Changi always makes me happy as I start my vacation, but all its charms (see previous post) canNOT begin to match my niece's smile and outstretched arms when she saw me. Didn't matter that I had to do the silly thing of lining up by my mom's maiden name in the welcome area (too many people with surnames beginning with the letter of my surname). I was home, and soon hearing my niece's squeals when she saw the BA and CX teddy bears I bought for her ...

MNL-CEB
PR in Y

This was my first foray into domestic air travel in the Philippines, and I have to say, I was damn impressed. PAL's domestic terminal has that modern, airy feel that the better airports have. You don't feel your energy sapped during the wait for your flight. I would count the domestic (!) terminal as one of the best airport experiences I've had (this comment is from a management consultant who travels around Europe a lot). Philippine authorities need to transfer this feeling to Terminal 1. The domestic terminal has lots of daylight, and lots of options for getting something to drink or eat while you wait for your flight. My brother claims it's even better than ducking into PAL's Mabuhay lounge.

Ah, PAL. There is no way it can claim to match the services of such carriers as SQ or CX. But I must say, they did get a damn good designer to come up with the tail fin design! :D I love the way they incorporated the Philippine flag into the design, with the 8-rayed (it has to be 8 rays, for symbolic reasons) sun rising to its place in the equally symbolic white triangle. Well done. Makes PR planes one of my top 5 planes to spot at an airport.

This being the MNL-CEB route, we got one of the large aircraft (A330?) PAL usually reserves for international flights. There was plenty of leg room, and my seat was even more comfortable than what I got with CX. The IFE was wholly irrelevant for such a short flight (they played Friends on the large screen but didn't hand out head sets!), and the snack on offer recalled those for short intra-Europe flights. Dire. And not much smiling by the FAs. It was a flight best suited for catching up on your reading.

Claiming luggage was painlessly quick (hmmm, maybe I should fly into Cebu rather than Manila), and the Mactan Island Shangri-la arranged transportation to the resort. You ride in one van, and your luggage rides in another (just make sure you get a luggage claim tag!). Short ride to the resort, which was set off from the street, thus providing a feeling of privacy.

You don't walk into an airconditioned lobby, so you feel the tropical weather embrace you as you check in. But actually, that was a nice prelude to your stay, because in November, the humidity isn't too bad. Vacationers coming with children should be warned that the wide open spaces in the lobby will be sure to make your kids want to run wild. (My brother has personally had to deal with this impact on his children.) Checkin was quick, and my brother and I got an oceanview room. I would've preferred a room with broadband connections, but that was only because I had one last bit of work to get done.

As we were checking in, I noticed that the man in front of us, about to check out, had a CX MPC Diamond luggage tag and PPS leather tag on his bag. I'm one easily impressed by a fellow road warrior (and envious that he gets to do it in Asia.) An FTer, perhaps? I hope he had a good break while here. I was ready to enjoy mine...

More to come ...

Loved it, loved it , loved it. Great read , very descriptive. Thank you. SQ is the way to go.

3 - 9 November, Philippines, Part 2

Highlights of Mactan Island Shangri-la

This was the real start to my holiday. On 4 November, I finally finished off the last bits of work-related stuff (outputs to my client, admin documents) so I could finally (after a phone call to my colleague in Switzerland to tie up loose ends) completely relax.

Shangri-la's Mactan Island resort was an ideal setting for forgetting about the pressures of a career. There is a private beach -- small, but exclusive. You'll have no danger of running into crowds of vacationers. Weirdly enough, the juice bar on the beach doesn't start squeezing fruits until around 10, although they have beer ready to serve at that hour. Even more weird, there were people already with brewskis in hand at that hour!

The hotel itself has a number of swimming pools, in case you'd rather not brave the surf, and for those with children, there are children's pools with vigilant lifeguards on duty. You just have to put up with parents speaking baby-talk (perhaps less oppressive if you don't understand Taglish [the English-Tagalog mix favored by Filipino middle-to-upper classes] ;) . "O sige na, say good-bye na to the pool because we have to change pa for dinner mamaya." Funny.

One thing good about Cebu is that it's smack in the middle of the country, so that typhoons and similar weather disturbances will have petered out by the time they reach this part of the country. During our stay there, there was not a drop of rain, whereas Manila had a couple of Singapore-type downpours (short but wet).

I have to confess to a bit of a bias, which is that Philippine mangoes are the best-tasting in the world. Despite protestations from my Latin American friends, they simply can't convince me that those things pass off as mangoes. My (physician) brother tells me his Singaporean colleages concur with my opinion. And in the Philippines, Cebuano mangoes merit a special place. They're the best of the best. So, needless to say, I pigged out on any mango delicacy. And the Shangri-la indulged my passions. Fresh mangoes, fresh mango juice, green mango juice, and best of all, mango cheesecake! I ordered mango cheesecake a la carte when the buffet didn't feature it. Well worth it. My waistline is still ravaged by my indulgence.

As for the buffet on daily offer, the Shangri-la didn't disappoint. Go for the breakfast buffet, which has an amazing selection of goodies. There's even an egg station with eggs made to order (I got cheese omelettes when I was there). For lunch, you can go to the Chinese restaurant, which is very very good.

For after-dinner drinks, my brother took me to the Tinder Box, which is a place some distance from the hotel, about 30 minutes through the city of Cebu. Get a car service from the hotel to bring you there and then wait to take you back. Impressive selection of wines, especially since the Philippines is more of a beer-loving country, and cheeses to complement your choice of alcohol. Well worth the ride from the resort and back.

Alas, all good things come to an end, so it was soon time to pack up and head back to Manila. (But I did get some stuff from the Shangri-la shop: can you guess I like shopping? I got a t-shirt perfect as a pajama top as well as flipflops to remind me of the beach!)

So we packed our stuff, checked out, and made sure our luggage came with us. My brother was experienced enough with domestic travel to double-check that our luggage had been placed in the van heading to the airport. They told us the luggage had been packed but they were nearly left behind! That would not have been nice, especially since my work lap top, as punishment for ruining the first half of my break, was consigned to my checked in luggage.

Cebu Airport offers nothing to ease the trip to wherever you're headed. Absolutely no retail entertainment landside or airside, at least to my taste. The PR lines were long -- in fact, the line where I stood, which was for lowly economy passengers, moved faster than my brother's premium passenger line -- but the line moved quickly enough. It really was best to stay landside sipping coffee than to sit in the sterile airside departure lounge waiting for the flight to board. There's one area of improvement for Cebu's officials to look into.

Soon we were on our way back to Manila. Another uneventful flight. Again, the service gap against the likes of SQ and CX showed. When we landed, half of the FAs yakked on their mobile phones rather than bidding passengers good-bye. Simply unprofessional. Upon arrival, priority tags (courtesy of my brother's status with PR) ensured quick pickup of our luggage.

And on to a couple of days in Manila...

More to come...

Great trip report and breezy writing style! Can't wait for the rest. :)

3 - 9 November, Philippines, Part 3

Manila Highlights

Manila, ah Manila. As a Filipino pop song goes, "Simply ain't no place like Manila." Two years back, as I was going on my first trip to Bangkok, people warned me of the bustle, the pollution, the chaos. They told me it would be overwhelming. When I got there, I actually thought it wasn't bad at all, compared to the city I was born and raised in.

Manila isn't a place I recommend to friends who ask me about the Philippines. My usual advice is to speed through it as quickly as possible, and go on to the much more beautiful countryside. (Now that I've visited Cebu, I might even advise them to enter the country through Cebu, although that would mean missing PAL's nice domestic terminal :p . ) But that advice comes from the fact that I really can't volunteer my brothers or my Manila friends to be the tour guides who can show the appealing side of the city. Here are my highlights for those who have the energy and patience to look beyond the urban grit and appreciate the embrace of a dirty but enthusiastically welcoming city:

1. Breakfast at Cafe Adriatico

A nice little cafe in the Malate area (Remedios Circle, to be exact). They open at 7 am, but don't show up that early, as they take some time to get started (they do, after all, have the Filipino notion of time, which I blame squarely on our Spanish colonizers). The menu has two sides: a Western and a Filipino. Go for the Filipino side: it's so much more delicous and filling. Food there is grouped into themes with names like "Farmer's Breakfast". Don't be too concerned, though. You're allowed to swap items from one group theme to another. Filipino breakfasts are usually centered on three items: fried rice; some kind of cured meat (my favorites are tocino [not what you'd expect if you know Spanish] and longganisa [somewhat equivalent to Spanish chorizo]); and eggs. Cafe Adriatico completes this with fresh fruit. (Can you guess which fruit I chose?) All this may be too heavy for Western stomachs, but what a way to start the day! Plus, the cappuccinos at Adriatico are nice and strong. An absolute necessity for someone with the last vestiges of jetlag. All in all, one of my two favorite breakfast rituals in the Philippines. My other favorite is right below.

2. Breakfast buffet at Makati Shangri-la or the Manila Peninsula

What can I say? I'm a morning person who likes to start his day with a hearty meal. The breakfast spreads are amazing. I think the Shangri-la has a wider variety, but the selection at the Pen is so tasty that I find myself concentrating on just a few of the choices anyway. Plus, these breakfasts are a special treat for local Filipino families, so you get to observe a good mixture of families having a nice morning together and the businessmen trying to get some energy for the meetings they have to attend. Entertaining. And nap-inducingly good food as well. The coffee comes in handy so you don't waste the morning sleeping the food off. ;)

3. Shopping at Rockwell

The best mall in Manila, in my opinion, and constructed to afford quite a bit of exclusivity. The stores are on the more expensive side, by local standards, so you won't have to deal with crowds of milling shoppers (that's a minus, if you're into urban bustle). But the prices are still quite low compared to cities like Singapore and Bangkok. The DVDs on the top floor, near the cinemas -- all non-pirated versions -- are a steal (though they might be out later than, say, in the UK). I also like visiting the Celio store for shorts that are sized just right for Asians (unlike the near-tents I have to reject at stores in the UK and the US), while the Pabder store has some of the most comfortable walking shoes (hand-crafted in Italy) I've tried. And to re-charge your energy: dessert at the Sugar House in the basement food court! (Yes, in case it isn't obvious: I quite enjoy good eating. By the way, there's another Sugar House in the EDSA Shangri-la Plaza if that's closer to where you're staying.) Again, nice, strong cappuccinos to go with, you guessed it: fantastic mango-based desserts. It takes a while for the guilt to hit me after I've tucked into the mango torte or the gateau Manila. The feeling of contentment is that good. :D Mmmmmm. Wish I could take those desserts with me on the plane!

4. Dinner in Greenbelt (Makati)

Okay, another mall area, but roaming around malls is how Filipinos postpone having to deal with commuting in the blood-pressure-destroying traffic jams. You get out of work, do a bit of window-shopping and then find a place for a quick drink or some good food (before sitting in traffic for a couple of hours). I forgot exactly where my brother met me for merienda (late afternoon snack) -- the mango dessert clearly wasn't as memorable ;) though the tables had these neat doorbell-like things that allowed you to find a waiter without looking around and frantically waving your hand -- but afterwards he, his wife and I wandered around the dining area around Greenbelt 4 to find something to eat (there is a bunch of differently-numbered Greenbelt buildings, but they're all sort of attached). I have to say, the selection of restaurants was quite impressive. All small in size, but representing a wide range of cuisines. We chose a Vietnamese restaurant named Hue. Very good food, nice cocktails, and this being the Philippines, so cheap compared to London and even Singapore! P.S. There are quite a number of nice pubs / bars / lounges in the general area, so it's a good place to hang out with yuppies if you'd like some drinks after work.

Afterwards, we all had a nice to walk around to help get the digestion started. This being November, the walk was very pleasant: nighttime temperatures were on the cool side, and Christmas lights were beginning to be put up. This brings me to my favorite Manila highlight:

5. Christmastime in Manila (Pasko!)

Maybe it's just because I grew up in this city, but I have yet to find a place as infused with the magic of Christmas as Manila. Not New York, with its awe-inspiring store displays, the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas spectacle, and the trinkets and gadgets at FAO Schwartz. Not London with its grand lights on Oxford Street. Christmas in Manila just resonates in every corner, despite the poverty, despite the grime, despite the occasionally irritatingly insistent "Merry Chrismas" from the street urchins. The word that comes to my mind is "all-embracing." It all starts very early, in November, and ends very late, in early January. I just love Christmas in the Philippines, and will miss being there this year.

So there you are, the highlights of my trip to Manila. Soon I was off to NAIA's Terminal 2, but at least looking forward to a nice transition to the next stage of my vacation, courtesy of SQ's Raffle Class service to SIN.

The NAIA Departure Experience

Painless checkin, as expected; I was the only one in the Raffles Class line. Priority tags for my luggage, which were to come in handy when I reached Bangkok.

The bothersome aspect was the hassle the authorities impose on OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). Now they actually make you get out of the terminal (no signs beforehand to warn you that you'd have to do that) to get the certificate that proves you're going abroad as a legal worker. If it weren't for the price difference (P100 vs. more than P2000 if I chose to use my UK residence permit to prove my legality), I wouldn't have bothered.

I was the first passenger to arrive at the Silver Kris Lounge (Raffles Class side). My impressions: spacious area, with a nice selection of drinks and food and good views of the tarmac, but I can't really say I was impressed. It just felt soul-less, sort of like the BD business lounge in LHR's Terminal 1. Good for getting away from the crowds but you found yourself counting the minutes to your departure. There were 4 computers for Internet access, but the speed was rather glacial. At least I got to log on to confirm that CX had already credited my SIN-CGK return flight (though not yet the inflight dutyfree purchases I made).

I managed to sneak into the CX lounge for a quick comparison, as it was being closed down after the pax left for their flight. It was a lot darker than the SQ lounge. I wonder why CX seems to prefer dark lounges. Maybe to complement the relatively small size? The feel recalled that of the SIN lounge, except that this lounge was a lot smaller. Maybe CX business class passengers need a strong dose of tranquility after Manila :D ?

SQ 76 MNL-SIN
Raffles Class

Again, I experienced the wonders of Raffles Class. Compared to the SIN-MNL leg, the crew seemed a lot more energetic, enthusiastic and welcoming this time. Maybe it was the time of day? Regardless, I was amazed by the level of service. The smiles and the quick offers to help with anything, the almost-instantaneous response to the call light or to a raised hand, the feeling that nothing was too much for a passenger to ask for -- it all made me think about spending more Membership Points on a Virgin award trip, or about spending as much on the SIN-MNL segment as on the LHR-SIN segment. BA had better not ask me to take part in one of their surveys where they ask to compare BA's service with the service at other airlines. They'd get depressed about my responses! (Then again, since they're clearly the best among the large European carriers, maybe they just won't care. :rolleyes: )

Anyway, my chatty seatmate, a frequent traveller within Asia from Vancouver, described Manila to me as "Bangkok without the charm". Honestly, I have to say I couldn't really disagree with him. But I also know he just didn't have the inside scoop on Manila. :cool:

Speaking of Bangkok, I was now on the last part of my Southeast Asian holiday...

For those who have patiently read through my ramblings so far, thanks ...

Final installment to come...

9 November: Transitioning from Manila to Bangkok

Singapore then Bangkok via SQ

Okay, so maybe I lied a bit in my last post. I think this may the NEXT to the last installment. Apologies to those who had been waiting for the end of my two-week saga.

Singapore Changi while waiting for my flight

Besides the retail entertainment that seems particularly tailored to a shopper like me, there is another aspect I love about Changi without my being a PPS member or a premium passenger. And that's the more-than-adequate facilities at the Plaza Premium Lounge, accessible to Priority Pass members or pax willing to pay the entrance fee.

I scheduled a half-hour back massage, took a refreshing shower in one of the immaculately clean (yes, I love this aspect of Singapore living) stalls, and then had a quick bite to eat while waiting for my massage appointment.

I was assigned to an older Chinese lady who draped a towel over my back in one of the darkened, spa-like massage rooms (too bad the serenity was ruined by the inability of the guy receiving the massage in the next stall to control the volume of his voice), and then proceeded to find the knots that I hadn't even been aware I developed in my back and shoulders. It was thirty minutes when the words "pain" and "pleasure" seamlessly mixed. I emerged a better man for it. I think she was surprised by the size of the tip I gave her, but anyone who can drive the demons of air travel from your body the way she did deserved that tip. I faced my trip to Bangkok with renewed energy.

SQ 974 SIN-BKK in Y

Boarding was the usual orderly process in Changi. I chose the window seat this time because I wanted to catch a view of the city lights in Singapore and Bangkok, and because the flight was short enough for me not to have to bother my seatmates with a request to use the toilet. The problem with such a choice, of course, was that you would feel hemmed in during a full flight.

The flight was a lot fuller than I expected, probably because this was a flight ultimately headed to Japan. The man seated in the middle seat next to me was actually working on a presentation during the flight. My heart went out to him. There he was, having to work, while I sat comforted by the thought that my work lap top was peacefully (forcibly?) slumbering with the rest of the checked luggage. :p

Quite interesting to see how SQ tailored their on-board literature for the Japanese market. I think there was a bunch of pages about home delivery in Japan if you decided to order something from KrisShop during the flight. I was green with envy. Why couldn't SQ have this kind of special service for UK residents like me? :(

The Singapore Sling was actually one of the cocktail option for Y passengers on this flight, which isn't the case for, say, the MNL-SIN leg in Y. I really enjoyed the description in English and Japanese (even while utterly being unable to understand the latter), mainly because I could then cap my enjoyment by ordering the drink when the FA came by to take our drink orders. ^ I think this bit of enjoyment accounts for the fact that I don't really recall whether I ate something on this flight. ;)

Arrival in BKK

We shortly landed in Bangkok. The flight is short enough that it's not worth it to go for a movie on KrisWorld. The audio selections (in my case, the harp album in the classical section) were more than sufficient to pass the time pleasantly.

The last time I was in Bangkok, I was madly in love, and so couldn't care less about airport ambience. It was much more important that I was meeting him in a few hours in the city itself. This time, I could cast a more critical eye at the terminal. I was underwhelmed.

The colors that greeted me upon disembarkation were not at all attractive, and there seemed to be none of the immediate greenery that makes Changi welcoming. Granted, the colors were much better than the colors that 'welcome' you at Manila's Terminal 1, but that's a bit like saying Prague's buildings are more historical in feel than Frankfurt's. It just wasn't what I expected for such an important Southeast Asian hub as Bangkok. Jakarta's airport had a more special feel.

And then there was the LOOOONG walk to immigration. Not a walk aided by moving sidewalks, as at Changi or Schiphol, but just a loooong amble to immigration. Thank goodness Thailand has so much to offer to tourists, so that I'm sure arriving passengers are probably, in their minds, already looking forward to some special vacation. This would distract them from being aware of their bleak walk to the immmigration counters.

Finally, the unsmiling immigration officials. What happened to the famous Thai smiles? I suspect they reserve them for when you've been validated as a legitimate visitor. In terms of unsmiling "This is my job, and I'm here to do it not necessarily at your pleasure" attitude, only Manila's passport-stampers can rival the ones I exprienced at BKK. At least the unsmiling drones at Changi are awesomely efficient. And at least the officials in Jakarta can crack a smile.

But soon enough I found myself through immigration control, and my bags were out early courtesy of the Raffles Class tags that probably shouldn't have made it all the way from Manila. I was being met by a friend, who was just slightly delayed because a cortege of government officials happened to be out and about in Bangkok. Soon we were in the queue for taxis.

Now a word, from someone who, despite growing up in the tropics, melts in temperatures above 75 Fahrenheit. Manila evenings at this time of the year are already cool enough to put you in a Christmas festive mood. Bangkok is still tropically muggy (in the New York sense of the word "mug"). Those starved for heat (for example, many British) will revel in the weather, and those used to it will merely shrug it off. But the heat, even at past 10 pm, felt like an unwelcome embrace to me. I couldn't wait to get into the airconditioned cab and onto the airconditioned lobby of my hotel, the Plaza Athenee.

All right, I'm probably spoiled by the temperate (though soggy) climate of London. :D But I have to say, spending time in Bangkok makes it difficult for me to argue against The Economist's assertion that airconditioning was the invention that allowed the American South to leap economically.

My next installment will be on hotels, gyms and other aspects of Bangkok urban living ...

9 - 14 November
Highlights of Bangkok

Bangkok. Came here at the insistent invitation of a good friend, and I thought it would be an excellent way to experience the city's rhythm as lived by an expat.

The cab ride from Don Muang was a painless affair, in contrast to what I expected. Partly it must have been the hour (way past 10 pm), partly it must have been the route through the tollway, but a lot of it, I'm sure, was the entertainment of my friend (a Yorkshireman who swears he is linguistically handicapped) giving directions to and chatting with the cab driver in Thai. I couldn't help having an amazed smile plastered on my face the entire ride.

Before proceeding, a detour into my overall impressions of Bangkok (as someone not meeting someone special for a rendezvous). Bangkok certainly isn't going to be a Singapore in the foreseeable future. It may have the death penalty, but it cannot dream of being a Disneyland (to paraphrase one writer's sardonic description of Singapore). Bangkok is striving towards the promise of its future, and therefore throbbing energetically, but grit and grime are part of the deal. In my previous visit, an English friend of mine (a besotted Bangkok fan, as a number of my British friends seem to be) exclaimed, as we emerged from one of the bars / clubs off Silom, "All this energy! How can I leave a place like this?" (My unspoken thought was that it was clear he had never lived in New York, where you get a charge of urban electricity as you ride in a cab even in the more sedate parts of town, like the northern reaches of the Upper East Side).

I actually think Manila has the same pulsating energy. The difference is, rather than breaking down, things seem to work generally in Bangkok. The public transportation works quite well, the people seem to be quite a bit more civic-minded (I don't read Thai, but I doubt there are handwritten signs there saying "Peeing here is forbidden", as painted in Tagalog on way-too-many walls in Manila), and you get a sense that this is a city that generally has its act together. Something realistic for Manila to strive for. But they have their similarities. Generally charming, smiling, accommodating people, and also cab drivers that are out to make as much as they can from your ignorance of their city. :eek: All that said, this is maybe why I left Bangkok with an admiration for its character.

Okay, end of philosophizing. Sorry for that. On to more concrete details about my stay ...

The Plaza Athenee
Wireless Road

Very nice hotel, in a very nice location (quite expected, given all the embassies in the neighborhood). No security checks as at the Gran Melia in Jakarta or the Shangri-la in Makati: your cab just drives up a short curving driveway (bounded on both sides by lush tropical greenery: I love that about Southeast Asia!) and then you're steps away from entering the lobby.

The lobby is, in the tradition of good Asian hotels, grand. I just love walking into a hotel lobby and then having to crane my neck to take in the feel of the place. A very rare thing to do in European hotels. The checkin desk is off to the left, a short walk away from the elevators, which take you up to hallways whose lighting is just on the right side of being muted. Lovely.

My room was right off the elevators, but I could never hear any bustle when I was inside. A very good sign. The room decor seemed to me to be a nice combination of modern lines and traditional Asian woodwork. Didn't have the scale of the Gran Melia rooms, or the posh designer feel of rooms at the Sukhothai, but very soothing and very welcoming nonetheless. I say it's a good hotel when, even when you aren't exhausted, your first impulse is to sink into your bed, luxuriate in your surroundings, and not even try to turn the TV on.

Downstairs, the bars and the restaurant / cafe are across the spacious lobby from the reception desk. The bar had a band playing the night I came, but their sounds were merely a subtle part of the lobby experience. Quite opposite that in the Gran Melia, where I felt I was already in the bar as I was checking in a distance away. Athenee's bar was a good place to have a quiet nightcap with a friend (although he did say that they didn't get his order of Pimms right -- as my knowledge of English cocktail genius is limited to the G&T, I can't confirm).

The cafe is where they serve the breakfast (which, as you know, is one of my criteria for a hotel when I'm on holiday). It was a pleasure to eat there. The selection was a couple of notches below that of the Gran Melia, the Shangi-las in the Philippines (Makati and Mactan Island), and the Manila Peninsula, but very extensive nonetheless. I got fresh guava juice for the first time in my Asia travels. Refreshing! And of course, I had my usual fun of looking at a variety of people (as much variety as you can get in a hotel that is probably high-priced by local standards). Almost no need to bury my nose into the newspapers on offer. Business people looking pensive, Western tourists dressed really casually, Asian tourists dressed casually but not as sloppily. (Sorry, but this generalization seems to hold: Western tourists tend to dress down a lot more in Asia than in Europe, even in swankier hotels. I just wonder where along the spectrum I lie, given my fellow Filipinos often mistake me as someone who was born and raised in California :D ).

The cafe is also very good for lunch, if you're too lazy to find alternatives outside the hotel (I know: shame, shame on me for wasting such opportunities in Bangkok). Very few people go there but the food is really good. I always got to sit next to the pond with the little fountain (very calming, with the water gurgling away), and got to observe the parade of people walking outside the hotel, some seemingly unfazed by Bangkok heat, others looking like they were in my league when it came to tolerating high humidity.

There was also one day when a gaggle of Thai ladies-who-lunch were seated at the table next to mine. One of the most entertaining spectacles I saw. Thai is such a gentle language to my ears, but these women were raucous. I had to smile, because that's how I imagine Filipinas-who-lunch would be: loud, confident, and utterly unconcerned about how demure Asian women are supposed to be. Also so unlike my stereotypes of New Yorkers-who-lunch, i.e., the ones I've seen in Madison avenue cafes and at Freddy's at Barneys.

Despite all these good points (and one more: the hotel offers a shuttle service to the Central Department Store for shoppers like me), there are two things that would make me think twice before staying at the Athenee again.

First, the service wasn't really top-notch. It took at least three phone calls over two days before they fixed a closet light that didn't work. Secondly, the Business Centre people weren't as helpful as I expected when I tried to mail some things (bought, of course unplanned, while I was in the Philippines) to London so I could have lighter luggage to lug. They just couldn't provide alternatives to the exorbitant rates DHL wanted to charge. In the end, the concierge had to come to the rescue and suggesed using the postal system. Finally, the checkout took forever. Okay, really a bit over fifteen minutes, but this was when no one else was in line. Maybe it was due to the trainee who was making some kind of mistake (at another computer), but this (low) level of service isn't what you'd expect from a hotel like the Athenee.

More importantly, the gym was PATHETIC. This was the surest sign for me that this hotel was a run by a European company. I needed to have a good workout after a week of indulgence (granted, not the hotel's fault). In about an hour, I was through all their machines with muscle groups getting one general type of workout each. So disappointing from my standpoint.

I think I'm running into my limit for the length of a post, so I'll stop here for now. Will be back soon!

Bangkok Highlights (Part 2)

Gym at the Patthumwan Princess Hotel
Just off the National Stadium BTS Stop

Thoroughly frustrated by my Athenee (non-)workout, I asked my friend to take me to his gym. The Patthumwan Princess Hotel isn't in as swanky a location as the Athenee. You take the Silom line to its very end at the National Stadium, and then you have to cross the MBK shopping plaza to get to the hotel. (I don't think I can get there without one more round of guiding with my friend).

I don't even know what the rooms are like, but on the basis of the gym, I'd stay at this hotel. The gym is HUGE. Not multi-storied, like Crunch (59th Street) in NYC, Equinox (Flatiron district) in NYC, or Third Space in London, but imagine the same variety of equipment on one floor. Fantastic. And then there is a big outdoor saltwater pool with nearby jacuzzis and a juice bar in case you feel the need for a healthy picker-upper. Very helpful fitness trainers on duty who, without being asked, discretely took their position to spot you, and then only helped you when they saw you struggling with the last rep of your sets. I was very impressed. Thumbs way up, and a whole-hearted recommendation, if you're in Bangkok long enough to need a good, hard workout to relax. (Well, there's also the pressures from the nightlife: see brief comment below.)

Other Highlights: Mainstream

The Patthumwan is also close to the Jim Thompson House so we went on a tour before working out. Very interesting, and quite entertaining to hear tours in different languages (Japanese and French while I was there) while your own tour was being conducted. You can just about imagine how this house must have felt like in those days, and it was revealing to see how someone who clearly grew to love Thailand blended Thai architectural and artistic elements with design features from other parts of Asia and from the West.

As he promised, my friend also showed me aspects of Bangkok living from the point of view of someone who is actually living there. (Granted, there were limits to this, since my favorite routine while there was to wake up early-ish, have a hearty breakfast at the hotel, take a nap, and then catch up on reading I'd been unable to do because of the rhythms of ordinary living in London.)

We went out eating at the side stalls in Convent Road (off Silom). Of course, I can't tell which of those we ultimately ducked into, but they were all good. I particularly loved the Thai salads (spicy, healthy, filling). And I enjoyed walking down Convent Road as evening settled and the workday ended. Thais picking their favorite food stalls, the aroma of food wafting in the air, and the buzz of a city relieved to be finished dealing with the need to earn a living. Fantastic. (That said, those trek towels they sell in travel specialist shops sure came in handy for a heat-averse person like me. A change of shirts never felt so good!)

My friend also took me to a place where I had my first experience with traditional Thai massage (no hanky-panky, ahem). He was sorely disappointed when I chose the one-hour option, and after the session, I understood why. I could've used another hour of that. Sorry, but again I'm unable to give directions to the place. It's on a road that runs south from South Sathorn Road, just past the Australian embassy, and the massage place is on the west side after a few minutes' walk. Everything was conducted in Thai. I got one of the many "But you look like Thai people" comments I get in Thailand, but a smile and a reassurance that indeed, I was Filipino (though that meant I was still from Southeast Asia) soon had the women giggling apologetically for their error. Charming. :)

Other Highlights: Non-Mainstream

Okay, nothing really lascivious here, just that the audience may be a bit more specific. My friend had just finished his course in Thai (and as I had said, made impressive progress), so he was in the mood to celebrate. So, despite my waistline's unflattering gains from a week of indulgence in Singaporean and Filipino food, I had to agree to go out clubbing with him.

This meant DJ Station (gay club, for those unfamiliar with it). And it also meant that for part of the night, it's expected that you take your shirt off. DJ is THE gay club for dancing in Asia, apparently. I had been there before, in my aforementioned trip to Bangkok, but this time I was going as a single man, so I was more attuned to what went on around me. Good music, friendly crowd, but the place is badly in need of renovations / refurbishments. London clubs can get away with the seedy feel because it actually adds to the allure. DJ just felt run down and grungy. I have no idea how the ill-lit stairs haven't caused more accidents among the punters. It's good they don't seem to have ambulance-chasing tort lawyers in Thailand.

The weird (ineresting?) aspect of the clubbing experience was the impact of Thaksin's (or in my friend's preferred usage, "Toxin's") 2 am curfew. At 2 am, the music stops playing, and punters spill out onto the streets, blinking in a bit of a daze. Then the ritual of hunting down the after-parties begins. All quite funny, when you're just a visitor. I hear this same ritual occurs in Provincetown when the dance club closes at 1 am. (Yes, we did score invitations to after-parties, but details are better left off the Trip Reports board).

All in all, Bangkok was quite fun. I see why it's considered the gay capital of Southeast Asia. But I also see why people are looking for alternatives. I hear KL is becoming the new weekend destination. Something for me to explore in future trips...

The Westin Banyan Tree

My last night in Bangkok was at the Banyan Tree, booked through www.expedia.com, because I had heard so many good things about it. An unexpected bonus: it is right across Sathorn from my friend's apartment. Anything longer than a five-minute walk on a muggy tropical day is stuff for human rights groups to prosecute.

I suspect I missed the best part of the Banyan Tree experience, which are the spa treatments. The lobby wasn't to my liking at all. In fact, it was claustrophobia-inducing, given my liking for wide open spaces. (Though even that's probably not quite accurate: I liked lobby of Raffles the Plaza in Singapore, and I wouldn't call that lobby experience "grand".)

The room was small, even as a suite with a living room separate from the bedroom. New York real-estate agents would euphemistically describe it as "charming" if they were to try to rent it as an apartment. The toiletries were cutely packaged in this little ceramic jars, adding to the spa-ambience. (The packaging reminded me of Qunci Villas hotel in Lombok, Indonesia, which I higly recommend.) But the overall feel was that of an overpriced hotel room that was trying to make you forget you were smack in the middle of the city.

That said, the lunch at the restaurant at the top floor was quite nice. Good food, good views (despite the pollution), and good service. It was a good way to end my holiday in Southeast Asia.

Transtion to London

Getting a cab to the airport took no effort, thanks to the hotel's concierge desk. I had a chatty cab driver who became doubly happy that I didn't have the energy to haggle and consented to have the meter remain off. Checking in at BKK as an economy class pax took very little time, to my surprise, and soon I was paying the airport tax (side comment: I think BKK and MNL should just include the damn fee in the ticket price and not hassle passengers with the extra steps) and then getting the exit stamp to my passport. The entire process took a bit more time than at Changi (no big surprise), but a lot less time than at MNL.

BKK seemed a better place than I remembered it from two years ago, but it really isn't Changi :p . But you already know of my biases. Soon the crowds and the (lack of a decent) dutyfree selection had me searching for lounges I could get access to. (In contrast, I could, as an inveterate window-shopper, wander around Changi for some time, and then even sit down in that kitschy little park in the departure area with the benches.) I found, to my consternation, that BA doesn't run its own lounge at Bangkok despite claims on their Gold Card membership booklet. :td: The attendant at the Qantas lounge very politely turned me away. How unexpected to have "Lounge Access Anytime" become meaningless as a privilege, and at such a major airport!

I could only gaze longingly at the vaunted new Thai lounges, much discussed on FT boards. They will have to wait until the next time, when I come back with my *G card. Can't wait. The anticipation is already building.

In the end, I had to settle for what Priority Pass could give me, which was the Louis Tavern lounge. Ugh. The main thing going for it was that that at least, I was spared the general departures area. Despite views of the tarmac, it was a dark, soul-shrinking place. The drinks they fixed at the bar (oh yeah, at least there were bartenders) came in handy.

There were a number of nooks, each with its own TV, but this arrangement turned out to be a liability if the people who first got there either had hearing problems or were trying to get the sensurround experience from wholly inappropriate equipment. When I was there, three TVs were blaring their content at the same time. Fortunately, it didn't take long before I had to board my flight. :p I was spared the splitting headache.

Nice ride on SQ from BKK to SIN. The boarding process wasn't as disciplined, but it also meant I could scrum with the rest of the pax and get to my seat earlier than SQ would've liked. After Silom Road and its environs, I could scrum with the best of them. :)

Then, a mini-disaster-in-the-making: I realized, during the flight, that my carryon bag was beginning to show signs of serious wear-and-tear (the leather trim was becoming too noticeably frayed). With just an hour to kill before boarding time for my SIN-LHR flight, this would mean a rush through Changi's stores in search of a replacement. And forgoing a massage at the Plaza Premium lounge. Damn!

Mind focussed on my urgent task, I narrowed down my options as we landed, only for the options to shrink further when the woman at the information desk informed me that Bally had moved to Terminal 1. Oh no! She helpfully suggested the SkyTrain, but it wasn't an option, really, as there was too little time. Happy ending: I did find a suitable replacement at the store of an Italian manufacturer whose name rhymes with "rada". :D "Shopper drops from frustration-induced cardiac arrest" never made it to next morning's headlines, to the relief of Changi Airport authorities. :p

One final shock to cope with. While in BKK, when I did OLCI at SQ's website, I managed to secure the exit row window seat again. Joy, oh joy. My luck was holding, and my affection for SQ kept expanding. But then, the rude deflation at the gate: the gate attendant told me that they had to shuffle people around, and I had been moved to another row. Yadda yadda yadda. I had to insist on an aisle seat if the row didn't have the extra leg space. Out came a call to another passenger so she could tell him he had lost his seat. Afterwards, I lingered (and made her useless for checking in other pax) to ask her whether this kind of thing, which made on-line checkins somewhat irrelevant, often happened to "airlines like Singapore Airlines". She gave me some song-and-dance about a change in aircraft -- yadda yadda yadda -- but as I saw that the exit row I signed up for was still an exit row on the plane I boarded, I suspect they gave my seat to some real (i.e., possessing real privileges) SQ elite. Damn my useless SQ Silver Elite status! :mad: :rolleyes:

But really, SQ is probably the least painless way to fly in economy so my flight home wasn't at that bad. Service was good, food was quite palatable, IFE allowed more catching up with movies I'd missed. SQ may treat PPS members like gods (though I've been told of cutbacks in PPS perks), but for the most part, SQ treats the Y passengers like low-level nobility by way of a high-quality economy class product. Much better than the treatment I'd receive as a Y passenger at the vast majority of airlines.

After a short, sweet nap and the usual disembarkation queues, I was trudging along the darkly-carpeted, unwelcoming halls of LHR; then queueing at the "UK Residents" line (way shorter than the the "Other Passports" line, and even shorter than the "EU line" at barely 6 am); and then watching my luggage emerge. A quick rummage to locate the BAA voucher for the Heathrow Express, and a bit of re-arranging my stuff to hide my last-minute purchase at Changi from the customs officers, and I was headed to Central London.

Home sweet home. What an odyssey it has been.

Arrived home to find my KF Elite Silver pack already waiting in my mailbox. Mighty efficient of KrisFlyer, eh? The booklet is essentially a big push to go for the Gold. :D At least I already got the 25% tier bonus for half of my journey.

I have to say, I do love the re-designed card (and the luggage tags that came with it). Pretty shallow concern, I know, but hey, if you're really not going to get much in terms of real privileges, you might as well have a snazzy little card to show when you get to the end of the economy pax checking in! :p I began looking forward to my March trip, when I would visit HK for the first time and take my dad with me. My SQ segments (LHR-SIN-MNL and back) would earn me *G status and I could (in later trips) experience what that felt like.

Turned out I didn't even have to wait that long. A week after getting back, I got the BD gold card. Before leaving for vacation, I had written to BD to ask to get comped because of my BA Gold, as advised on one of the FT boards. It worked!

So now I'm *G! :D Can't wait for my trips back to SE Asia. (Side comment: though it packs the bunch of *G privileges, the BD gold card is a case study of bad design IMO. The top part with its minimalist look almost works, but what is up with the clear section at the bottom? Not attractive to my eyes. BD needs to poach BA's card designer. BA did a good job with the redesign of their cards; now if they would only stop re-designing (oops, "enhancing" their flight services...)

I realize, of course, that I am being an ungrateful twit. BD was kind enough to let me into *G ranks. Makes me feel like a bona fide FTer (despite my shortcut), having two premier cards. :p ^ (A friend tells me I need a life; he may have a point.)

Don't worry, I'm not going for SkyTeam elite status. :o I have limits (standards?) to my card-collecting. ;)

If you've gotten this far, thanks for your patience and attention. I hope the reading's been as good for you as the writing has been for me.

Cheers.

Excellent report! Always interesting to read about flights and trips that you're very familiar with. Two comments:

1) SQ 974/973 (SIN-BKK-KIX and v.v.) are my favorite flights for traveling my heavily frequented SIN-BKK sector, because they bring you Japanese green tea even in Y if you ask nicely, and because (unlike some planes plying this short hop) you usually get the Wiseman 3000 with its full complement of audio and video options. I actually had to double-check the date to make sure the middle seat guy hacking on his laptop wasn't me, but no, I matched that description a week earlier.

2) Hotel gyms in Bangkok are either excellent and open to paying non-guests, or terrible and for guests only. I think you can guess which categories Plaza Athenee and Pathumwan Princess fall in. Facilitywise, I'd recommend the Clark Hatch gyms in the Amari Watergate and Atrium, and while my gaydar is a little hampered by the fact that I'm hetero, the first of these in particularly appears to downright swarm with gay guys. (Either that, or it's normal for immaculately coiffed and buff Thai guys to apply mascara after their workouts.)