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February 15, 2004
Traveling by train and bus in Thailand
When I went from Bangcock to Hua Hin, I took the bus. We went to Bangcock's Southern Bus Terminal, so a window with "Hua Hin" written in English and got our tickets for 128 baht each. The trip took around three hours. It was loud; the TV was on and the volume was cranked. There wasn't much leg room, a bit less than flying economy. There was almost no room overhead for luggage, so it either goes on your lap or in the storage compartment which is out of sight. They give you a water bottle but you have to bring your own food. There were no bathroom breaks.
From Hua Hin to Bangcock, we took the train. It was 300 baht each. It took over four hours (almost five). There was no TV, but it wasn't quiet because people talk and trains make their own noise. There was a lot more room overhead for luggage which was nice. The train stops to let food vendors on, but you have to bring your own drink. The bathrooms get quite dirty.
Overall, while the bus was less comfortable, it was much faster and cheaper. Also, there are many more buses than trains so the schedule is often more convenient.
February 6, 2004
Thai massage: Bangkok and Hua Hin
So I'll be writing about Thailand for a while, especially Bangkok and Hua Hin. In Bangkok we got Thai massage at Wat Pho, a famous temple with a huge reclining Buddha. We paid 400 for an hour herbal massage. A regular massage would have been 300/hour.
In Hua Hin, we went to Elephant Thai massage but we checked out a few places and most have the same price (prices vary on the beach and at the little place near our hotel - Patchara House - 1 hour was 250). Anyway, at most places in Hua Hin 1 hour was 300 just like in Bangkok. Two hours was 400 and 1 hour with herbs was 800 (twice what we paid in Bangkok).
So I would suggest doing the herbal in Wat Pho and the two hour traditional in Hua Hin. By the way, the foot/reflexology massage was 300/hour in Bangkok and Hua Hin.
If you like gentle massages, Thai massage may be quite a shock; they use at least as much elbow as they do hand. And most of them have big huge hands so it doesn't feel much different from the elbows anyway. They also mix in some bone cracking chiropractics. I don't know if I feel relaxed because I'm on vacation in Thailand or because of the massage...
February 2, 2004
Japan Airlines
I'm at Incheon International airport, on my way to Bangcock. I'm flying Japan Airlines; it's not direct, but it's cheaper and I know the in-flight service (I fly economy) will be great.
I always recommend JAL. If you have an overnight stopover, they give you a free hotel room, with a free breakfast buffet in the morning and free shuttle bus to and from the airport. Plus they are usually cheap.
When I was leaving New York during the power outage (summer 2003), I missed my connection to Seoul because of the blackout (my morning flight was cancelled). When I finally arrived, JAL had a free steak dinner waiting, a free hotel room, and free breakfast the next morning. My wife and I don't eat meat (I am completely vegetarian), so they made her fish, but couldn't do much for me (rice and side dishes). Anyway, JAL will take care of you.
I have had problems with customer service in America, reserving special meals and confirming hotel rooms for overnight stopovers, but I still love JAL.