We got into Bangkok at around 12:05am this morn. Sean slept pretty well on the plane. As for me...I just couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. Our longest leg was a 15 hour and 40 minute flight from Atlanta to Seoul, Korea. But even though I couldn't sleep well, the flight wasn't that bad. Huge plane and TONS of good food. Korean Air rocks!!! It's amazing how much better the service gets when you go international with a foreign carrier.
Customs and immigration at the new Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Soo-vah-nah-bhoom) airport was not too bad either. It seemed like most people queued at a few stalls, yet there were many with about only 3 people at them.
My dad and girl cousin met us at the airport and took us to the Atlanta Hotel. We got to the Atlanta Hotel around 2:00 am. A lady opened the door and looked pretty mean. It was Sean and 3 Thai people, so maybe we looked a little suspicious -- like my dad was a pimp and Sean had 2 Thai girlies...
Sean's parents made the reservations and were supposed to get a faxed form back for confirmation. They never got a confirmation fax, so his parents ended up calling and the hotel said they got the reservation. Plus, they also told the hotel that we were a couple -- white guy and Thai(American) girl.
Let me tell you a little bit about the Atlanta Hotel...It prides itself on its uniqueness...let me rephrase that as quirkiness. This German? guy opened it over 50 years ago. When you walk in, you feel like you are set back in time with all the retro furniture. The atmosphere is somewhat dark. Also, it prides itself on having no sex tourists allowed, since Sukhumvit Road is notorious for it's sex tourism.
So we arrived there and told them that we have reservations. The lady refused to speak English and demanded our faxed confirmation. After quite a bit of bickering back and forth, we told them that we never got a fax confirmation, nor could we because Sean's parents booked the room, but they do not arrive for 2 more days. All this done in Thai, thanks to my cousin and dad. Needless to say, if we showed up in a taxi, I think we would have had to sleep on the street that night...
I can only guess that my own heritage is to blame for the trouble. Surely, Sean looks like a sex tourist with his Thai girlfriend of the night (ie me) showing up at 2 am, even though I only speak a little bit of Thai, and the Thai I speak is with a heavy farang (foreigner) accent, and I speak English like an American...Such a great experience after over a full days of flying and transit!
From the very beginning, I am in no way impressed by the Atlanta Hotel. But Sean's parents wanted to stay here in the family suite, and said they would pay for it. We were all up on that even with the quirkiness of the place. But with that said, I personally would not stay here ever again due to the treatment we got (I still feel like I have unfriendly eyes on us), nor would I recommend this place to another traveller. Isn't Thailand supposed to be the land of smiles???
The room is what I would expect -- a small common area, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. I concur with the Lonely Planet guide, which says that the rooms could use some updating. They seem a bit sterile and lack the quirkiness of the lobby. And for 1550 Baht a night...it's a bit pricey for Bangkok, in my opinion.
2 comments:
man...i really wish i could have gone. i feel like such a terrible brother...
lol..it's okay, i know you're po'
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