The SSSS tour of celebrations.

[drron]

Waiting for our bags the woman I noted that was in 12A arrived at the carousel accompanied by a woman dressed in gold with a Special Vip folder in hand + a fellow with trolley.The pax pointed her bags out to the woman in gold who motioned to the old fellow to get it.I suppose then a Thai VIP-many thousands are related to the Royal Family.
So we emerged at Gate 5 where the hotel reps are.Straight at the rep for the SGS.She got on her phone and our car was already outside.So being checked into our room exactly 1 hour after the plane arrived at the gate.No suite upgrade again-basically you have to use SNAs if you want one now.But that is not why we come here.It is the service and staff.That just keeps getting better.Many of the staff now know us by name-TRKWIA.

We now have 4 weeks in Bangkok.There wont be anything on tourist attractions as we have had ~ 40 visits to Bangkok now.We come for the food,people and mrsdrron's jeweller!So ther will be a few pics of food,funny signs,sunsets and anything that takes my eye.
First as you would expect is the sunset on our first night-

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[drron]

Now a selection of food photos from the SGS.First our evening dishes at the Living room-not complimentary though.

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This is one of the nights we ate Italian.Potato gnocchi with mushrooms and truffle.Very Moorish.And carpaccio with shaved white truffle.The same dishes were consumed again later in the stay.

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More favourites.Hokkaido scallops with green apple sauce and foie gros with pumpkin foam.
On our last night they realised who was ordering and our carpaccio was a noticeably larger serving-

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Another good thing with the SGS is that they don't rest on their laurels.As a plat you have always been entitled to the full buffet breakfast in the Orchid Café.This year they introduced a new breakfast option for plats-breakfast in Rossinis.This is a great benefit as complimentary only to plats so no huge crowds.All the favourite dishes and you can even ask for some things to be sent up from the Orchid café.The main difference is ordering your main dish from a menu.Here is a sample-

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Eggs benedict,duck egg with Chiang Mai sausage,waffle with mango and Paris ham.All were very good.

Then as I have mentioned before is the recognition.I was checked out by a trainee being supervised by the duty manager.After giving the room number the trainee asked my name.The supervisor sai-drron.he is one of our nicest guests.I think I went red.
But that wasn't all.They knew we were transferring to the Marriott Mayfair executive apartments.When we arrived there in a taxi an Asst.Manager met us at the door,checked us in and took us to our room.The only way they could have known we were arriving was for the SGS to notify them.Loyalty is not dead.

 

[drron]

I'm sure I like food pictures even more than sunsets so here are some of the meals we have had so far.Very impressed with the new mall over the road from the Emporium at the Phrom Phong BTS station.The food offerings are very good with many of our favourite restaurants having branches here.
The Bangkok EmQuartier Food Guide - 40 Mouth-Watering Restaurants & Cafes To Go For - DanielFoodDiary.com

We had lunch at a Japanese shabu shabu restaurant.They had lunchtime suikiyaki specials were nice.I had pork,mrsdron beef.this is the pork-

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On our first night at the Marriott apartments mrsdrron had come down with a cold so didn't feel like going out.So we went to their roof top bar-half price drinks 6-8pm though limited variety.Also MR plats get 20% off food.Mrsdrron had pad thai with river prawns and I had the massaman curry-I love my massaman and this one was good though had pumpkin pieces as well as potato.

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Then a lunch at the Eat thai food court at the bottom of Central Embassy.Meant to be upmarket but only means it is dearer.Reasonable Northern Thai meal where I had pork and northern sausage with a spicy tomato sauce and mrsdrron had the non spicy grilled pork-

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We still prefer the Terminal 21 foodcourt where the 50 baht oyster omelette and the 30 baht pad thai are great value.
Lastly a different sweet option in the basement food court of the Em Quartier.A mango mocha-thick rice flour covering over mango icecream.We decided though not to be aholics for the day-

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[drron]

To some of the shopping malls.First was the Central Rama 9 mall.This was selected because I looked for 2 of mrsdrron's current favourite stores-Muji and Uniglo-found they were both in this mall and it was only 2 metro stops from Asoke and the SGS.In fact one of the exits from the station goes straight into the mall.Mrsdrron was happy as a very large Uniglo store with a lot more of what she was looking for.As well a very large,modern Robinson's dept. Store which had an item mrsdrron had been looking for and on sale!
A great selection of restaurants.This food court looked really good but really crowded with long lines to enter-

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Now we both love foie gras but foie gras sushi or with eel and salmon roe on rice.No thanks-

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Now I have known for a long time that Thais loved their king but until this visit not the full extent even though before we have been here on the King's birthday.People are still dressing in black,condolence books everywhere with shrines to the King.Also exhibitions.Here with cakes made to honor the King.One is huge-notice the rather large cakes in the background.

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[drron]

A mall that we virtually always visit is the River City Mall next to the Royal Orchid Sheraton and across the river from the Millenium Hilton.We do so because mrsdrron's jeweller operates from here.It was full of jewellers and antique dealers initially but fell on hard times.Our jeweller is the only one that survives from the initial lot.It is because she has a lot of repeat customers apart from mrsdrron.
It has now undergone a much needed refurb.Mrsdrron found another jewel I should buy-

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I turned her down as I didn't think it would fit into my carryon.
The main hall now-

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And a huge exhibition of upmarket art of the late king-

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And a different sunset that night-

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[Katie]

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So this store also had tins of teriyaki spam.But as well had this-

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Yes a slice of spam on rice.And no I felt no desire to try it.

You've found a local specialty - Spam Musubi. Mr Katie loves them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_musubi

At our stays at the Embassy Suites, every breakfast buffet featured spam somewhere - in fried rice and I can't remember where else.

 

[drron]

I'll still pass on spam.Used to have it as a child.No need for it again.
But now to the Em Quartier.Probably worth a visit even if you don't like shopping.Impressive.

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The helix where most of the restaurants are-

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Some good city views-

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That is dinosaur world.

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[drron]

Over the road is the older Emporium mall and a nice park-

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Virtually next to the Emporium are a Hilton and Doubletree-

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So looking down Sukhumvit towards On Nut.The next shows the SGS in the middle at Asoke-

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There is a lot of building going on in Bangkok.This is next to the Em quartier.

 

[drron]

There is also an outside garden around a couple of floors of the helix with greenery,waterfalls and unusual animals.

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Also an adventure playground for children-

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[drron]

Now to some of the signs and restaurants in the EM Quartier-

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And a place I frequented with the grandkids when it was inMoncur st.Paddington-

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But $5 a lamington.Not that homesick.

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And the last doesn't sell chicken.It is a dessert place.

 

[drron]

This time we are doing a little supermarket shopping for 1 meal a day.You now can get everything you could want now in Thailand.Some things though do cost a little more-

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Those prices are per oyster.$4,5 or 6.Note the sign-swam from....
Fruit from Japan obviously not in our price range but a good range of fruit-

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Just up the road is a vegetarian café and supermarket-their curry pastes look good.Unfortunately mrsdrron isn't in to curries.

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[drron]

For 3 weeks we will be staying in an apartment in Bangkok.We had planned on getting a serviced apartment for a month but trying to get one convenient to transport and shopping wasn't that easy.Then Marriott came to our aid.With the proposed merger with SPG it became sensible to think of one of Marriotts executive apartment hotels in Bangkok.The Mayfair was the cheapest and gave me a discount for being old.We checked it out on a previous visit and felt it was OK for us.
One problem was the 1 bedroom apartments have either a dishwasher or washer/dryer.We wanted the washer/dryer but there are only 10 of them in the complex.But then came the status match so overnight I went from a newly minted nobody to a MR Plat.The recognition here has been very good from our checkin and everything since.We get complimentary breakfast and internet.The rooms are serviced daily.We are now recognised and called by name by several staff.We are enjoying it.
So here is the room-

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You look straight into an office block but you do get views of a massive building site and the US Embassy one way and the Racetrack/golf course the other-

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Note the rugby posts.It is of course winter here with days on the mild side with temps 31-35C.
At night from the bar the view improves,for now.

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The largest of those buildings is new and currently is being fitted out.It blocks a view of the Conrad.
It is convenient to 2 BTS stations-Ploen Chit on the Sukhumvit line and Ratchadamri on the National Stadium line-a direct entrance to that station from the St.Regis.A waldorf Astoria is being completed near there-next to the Grand Hyatt Erawan.So we are enjoying our stay.

 

[drron]

Having time on our hands means time to explore so one day after a beautiful sunrise-

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it was time for a walk.Not too far down our street is Lumpini Park so that was the day's destination.A lovely oasis.Although the temperature got to 35C this day at this time of year the humidity was relatively low and in the park there was a lovely breeze.

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One of the features are the large water monitors walking around.

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No he's not angry just yawning.They are not dangerous to humans but the population had grown to about 400 and there were several accidents when hit by cyclists so many were removed 3 months ago-
Giant Monitor Lizards Run Amok at Bangkok's Lumphini Park : News : Nature World News

There are other animals to spot-

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Spirit houses here and there-

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An ancient gym-

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and lots of activities such as jogging and cycling for those elderly expats wanting to risk a heart attack.You can also take your loved one on a swan pedal boat.We resisted that temptation this time.

 

[drron]

For some reason a Mexican sculpture near the main entrance-

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Near more characteristic Thai pavilion-

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This was part of the Royal properties but in the 1920s King Rama 6 made it a public park.His statue is at the entrance-

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Then it was at the outskirts of Bangkok.The commercial centre has now moved past it.At the main entrance is the start of Silom Road.So we ventured into the revamped Central Silom complex.The Marks and Sparks outlet was overrun with gift baskets even filling their fitting rooms.

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Even though Christmas is not a Thai tradition.We then walked to Surawong road to Jim Thompson's main store and had a light lunch as well as getting a couple of purchases.Then walked towards the river where there used to be a second Jim Thompson outlet only to find it is now a Jim Thompson bar and restaurant.So back to the Sala Daeng BTS station to get back to the hotel.Good views of the racecourse from Ratchadamri station.

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Walked back to the apartment stopping at the market next door.Were going to pick up a bottle of Sav.Blanc but a bottle of Amarula was the same price as Oyster Bay SB.No brainer-the Amarula it was.

 

[drron]

A few more of our meals.First a decent sushi place,though not a classic Japanese style,in the Mercuryville building at the end of our street.I just had to go in as I wanted to try the cough roe-

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In the end we didn't have the cough roe or the dodble sushi but these dishes-

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Sashimi,mushrooms in butter and ckicken Kaarage meal set.It was good and not too expensive.
After our Lumpini park walk we didn't feel like going out so up to the bar on the roof ans shared a parma ham and rocket pizza.Surprisingly good.

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Then back to the Isetan Japanese food court which we enjoyed on our last visit.

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I had a spicy ramen dish and mrsdrron her favourite suikiyaki.Both very good.

 

[drron]

So to end Christmas day a selection of Christmas trees in Bangkok.First mrsdrron's favourite-

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Certainly different but now the more conventional-

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[RB]

Have caught up a lot of this today. As usual a good read and plenty of photos. You certainly sell Bangkok well & your various reports give plenty of tips for things for us to see/do-we have never spent much time in Bangkok.

 

[drron]

Time for some updating.I was always aware that the Thais loved their King.We have been in Bangkok on the King's Birthday and joined the locals celebrations.But it is amazing to see things as they are now more than 2 months after his death.Many,especially women,are still in black.Others wear black ribbon or badges.Then there are the public memorials-

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Most have condolence books you can sign.
Also many exhibitions.This one of children's paintings of the King-

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The message is always the same-

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[RooFlyer]

Sorry, I've been hanging out in the shoes thread. Super TR, as always; I'd love to go back to Bangkok.

 

[drron]

So some more of the food.On one of our visits to the Paragon mall we went to the Harrods café.Surprisingly good and relatively cheap.We went there because Mrsdrron has these days when she just wants a pasta carbonara and they had it on the menu.She enjoyed it.I had a mushroom and truffle cappuccino then a Parma ham,pear and mango salad which was very nice-

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Afterwards we shared some mocha for desserts-

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There is also a Royce's chocolates there.Now like Cove I do enjoy their chocolate but have never wanted to try their chocolate dipped potato chips-

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Sometimes we don't feel like going out so then it is up to the Marriott bar.on this occasion mrsdrron had their tasty honey glazed pork chop and I a really flavoursome Khao Soi-

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On our day going to MBK it was to the China Japanese restaurant.OK food but cheap.We could have gone instead to the Suikiyaki Chinese restaurant.Oh well.We had tuna and salmon sashimi,2 seves of ikura sushi,tonkatsu and tempura prawns + a soft drink and an Asahi for less than $30-

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