Monday & Tuesday, March 16 & 17, 2020
Monday started quite grey, even with some light rain. Therefore, after a light breakfast
(at the SGS they prepare excellent Brioche French Toast with lime-egg-custard)
and 30 minutes of rest, I decided to go down to the gym. It’s amazing how our body regenerates within a short time when you exercise. Three weeks ago I had problems to grab a dumbbell of 2.5 kg firmly with my left hand, now I’m back to 10 kg with some bearable pain. I today can’t understand how I lived the first 45 years without any sports, without the endorphin and the satisfaction it gives. A day without being exhausted, completely sweaty now is quite difficult for me.
Valentyna went over to Robinson Shopping Mall, where she bought us a light lunch, the perfect mix after an extensive workout.
At 1500 I met a friend who 10 years ago worked as chef at a LHW hotel in Kiev, today is the executive chef at the Renaissance Hotel on Sukhumvit. We were sitting by the pool, talking about the good old party-times in Kiev and how his life changed in Asia.
Since I’ve been a bit hungry, I pushed Valentyna to join me for Titanium-Elite-Dinner-Snacks at the ‘Living Room’ of SGS, something we normally don’t do. To my surprise we were greeted by a young gentleman, obviously also a hotel guest, with our names. It showed that he was reading my German trip reports and just as we entered the ‘Living Room’ yesterday’s trip report in FT.
It turned out he works for the airline I originally wanted to return to Europe with, so we sat together and had a very nice and conversation.
Valentyna wanted ‘noodle-soup’ from the mobile street stand next to the entrance of Nana Plaza. So the three of us walked – just to find out it wasn’t there. 30 seconds of thinking – we were close to Soi 5 – and we made our way to Foodland, to have a very simple, but tasty dinner.
Back to the hotel, of course walking along quite empty Sukhumvit.
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Tuesday, we really wanted to tan – but at 8 it didn’t really look like. So while Valentyna took her shower I already went down for my first smoke, taking a seat at the breakfast restaurant for my second Espresso.
Also the sympatric young gentlemen arrived to take his breakfast, so we sat together, chatting about the latest development. In Bangkok now they really want to close ‘entertainment venues’ by Wednesday – interesting if they will change their mind or not.
Luckily by 1000 the sun came out, I went down to the Bali-style pool, laying in the sun. Phuuuu, that’s hot at the SGS, no wind at all, just like a sauna ! It’s much more easy to get tanned at the pool of the Marriott Sukhumvit.
After 2 hours (and losing 2 litres of water) I changed and went to the gym, where – surprise – Valentyna joined me after a short while for the next 1 ½ hours.
For lunch we tried something new, an open-air restaurant in Soi 14, called ‘Suda’. Well, yes, okay, nothing to write home about.
Over to Robinson Mall to stock some more Coke Zero. On the street we saw an exhibition, selling aircons. And they were running, outside !!!
Back to the room where I had to do some phone calls back home.
At 1830 I went down for the TE dinner snacks, which were very good, much better than a year ago. Now they do have a theme – today ‘Thai’ and really spicy.
By the way, the service nowadays at the SGS is impeccable, never seen it as this before ! Maybe even a bit too much. There’s even somebody pressing the buttom at the elevator for you. I come along with the staff quite well – except with the GM, and I really don’t understand why. I’ve got more than 120 stays at the SGS, so he knows me – and I rate him on of the best hotels GMs on this planet. And whenever he sees me, he sort of disappears. Really don’t know what I did or if it’s just the chemistry between us which doesn’t fit.
Well, okay – the snacks were good AND, even a Marriotti hotel, they do serve the real, the only: Coca Cola !!! I could give the GM already a hug for this one !
At around 2000 we left, crossing quite empty Asok,
for one of our favourite restaurants in Bangkok, a traditional Japanese restaurant located in Soi 23, ‘Mitsumori of Tokyo’.
The moment you pass the gate you left Bangkok and arrived at a very quite and civilized place in Japan.
Even this restaurant, normally packed with Japanese, was quite empty, we got our beloved seats at the counter near the barbeque.
While Valentyna loves the skewers, especially the chicken-liver-version, soft and juicy, I’m more into the homemade Soba-noodles, beautifully chewy when eaten cold.
While Valentyna ordered her skewers and a Soba-noodle-set with Tempura, I ordered ‘Chawamushi’, Japanese egg custard plus the same Soba-set.
I love Chawamushi, but the noodles were, as usual, extremely fresh, the Tempura not as fatty as it uses to be.
After you finished the noodles you’re getting a jug with hot water in which the noodles where boiled in. You mix it with the remain of your dipping sauce – and drink it.
Another highlight at Mitsumori is the dessert, Matcha-ice-cream with sweet red beans, matcha-jelly and Japanese rice-cakes, topped by a black sugary sauce.
We paid and walked back to Sukhumvit, passing Soi Cowboy which I never ever saw that empty before),
where between Asok and Soi 18 ‘Lek Massage’ is located,
recommended by the young gentlemen we met at the Living-Room.
This massage place is a bit more classy than the usual massage parlours, instead 250 Baht for an hour of foot-massage they charge 350, totally fine.
The massage was very relaxing, professionally done.
During my massage I received a message from AirAsia, that our flight from Phuket to Singapore would be cancelled and I could apply for full refund to my credit card. That was good news, since I unsuccessfully tried to cancel it the day before, but failed in the conversation with AVA, their automated customer service agent.
After an hour of massage, we walked back to the SGS, called it a day.