Yesterday was our last full day in Bangkok and we made the most of it.
Above Mr. Arthit of Centre Point Hotels describes the Centre Point brand, their properties in Thailand, and the challenges of running a hospitality based business in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak. Thailand appears to have done an excellent job containing the outbreak and we have seen the populace visibly relax just over the course of the week we have been here.
Not much to report yet today. The group went out on a scavenger hunt today, an exercise designed as a fun way to get them out to see the city. I’m sure there will be pictures, but I don’t have them yet.
Tonight we went to dinner at Din Tai Fung, a Michelin Starred dumpling restaurant. The scavenger hunt wore them all out but they managed to pack away a great deal of food.
That’s all for now. Tomorrow is our last full day in Bangkok. See you tomorrow.
The students are required to do several blog posts describing their experiences throughout the trip. Here are some excerpts:
My initial impressions of Thailand is the work ethic of the people. From what I have seen as well as heard from people I’ve had conversations with, people in Bangkok are either working or sleeping, with little else in between (besides eating of course). People living in Bangkok start working early in the morning and continue throughout the day and well into the night time. Another thing I noticed was how respectful the people are. I have yet to encounter someone here who did not thank me with the wai after an encounter. Brandon R.
There is a stark difference between learning about a culture and experiencing the culture firsthand. The people are kind, except when it comes to traffic (where its everyone for themselves), and asking questions are met with thoughtful, yet non-specific answers. The city is active from very early hours to very late, and is full of many smells. Most are strong, but not all are pleasant. The food is quite tasty and there is definitely a strong cultural emphasis on food for the people here. We got the chance today to cook our own Thai food, which proved to be rather simple (when all the ingredients were placed in proper quantities in front of you) but also incredibly fun. The person teaching us how to cook was full of energy and was quite funny too! The Thai experience is not complete until you’ve had meat on a stick. Brandon B.
Ultimately the first few days of this trip have been outstanding and the memories I made and pictures I have taken I will always cherish. Watching how another culture lives has definitely impacted my perceptions on the world and made me grateful for everything I have back home. Also, it is intriguing to compare their ways of life to that of Americans and I look forward to noticing more comparisons throughout this trip. Cheyenne
So far, I love the Thai people. They are all so friendly and inviting. I love the community atmosphere that is apparent in their culture. Vendors and restaurants freely leave their wares, tables, and chairs out on the streets. Also, I wish that I knew their language, so I could understand their culture better and be able to converse with them. Christian
I suppose the most striking thing I’ve noticed is the Thai pride. These people by and large do not have much; however what they do have, they love. Case in point: almost every vehicle I’ve seen since I’ve been here, bikes, scooters, Tuk-Tuks, vans, cars, you name it, the Thai have customized it. Almost every vehicle has been modified to make it a better reflection of the owner’s personality. Also, when you compliment their vehicle, they seem to be overcome with a special sort of joy, as if all they have been working towards has been validated. Cooper
Today we went to visit Harry Singh and his brother Bobby at Harry’s tailoring business, Boss Collections. It was an informal visit and our host, Harry, was a charming and interesting man. He told us about his experiences, and emphasized to us the importance of giving your customers quality products they will be happy with. He says that 60-70% of his business comes from repeat customers, and building customer relations is paramount to success. I was pleasantly surprised by the way he was kind but blunt and honest. He was honest to the point that a US person would be offended, but there was no malice in his words. The combination of honesty and kindness was refreshing. Lauren
Overall, Bangkok is hot and busy. However, the thing that I’ve been most surprised by is the genuine and sincere friendliness of the Thai people. While I know that it is technically the job of the hotel waitstaff to be courteous to us as customers, the level of sincere kindness and warmth has been astounding. You are greeted with a smile and the Wai gesture by everyone. Even strangers on the street are friendly. Being welcomed with open arms and sincere hospitality while being a tourist in a foreign country is a pretty amazing feeling. Kelly
Elephants! That was the order of the day. Today we went out to Elephant’s World, an elephant sanctuary south of Bangkok, to hang out with these huge and beautiful animals.
These big girls were there to greet us when we arrived. Elephant’s World has about 20 elephants rescued from logging camps, street elephant owners, and tourist riding attractions. Many of them are very old (70+) and have various health issues from their captivity.
Wow, what a busy day. We had our usual 3 mile jet lag jaunt before breakfast this morning, left at 7:30 for two business visits, and got home just in time to change to go to our cooking class. It’s 9pm and I can barely keep my eyes open.
This odd boat shaped structure is actually a Buddhist temple called Wat Yannawa, not far from our hotel.
There are thousands of markets in Bangkok. Fruit markets, wet markets, night markets, etc. But when people talk about “The” market, they are talking about Chatuchak. The Chatuchak market has been open for almost 80 years, and is the largest and most diverse weekend market in the world, with over 15000 stalls. It averages over 200 thousand visitors every weekend. If you need it, chances are you can buy it at the market. Go to the second page to see some photos.
*( hello in Thai )
We made it! We left the Clarkson parking lot at 3am on Friday morning, and a mere 36 hrs later, we walked into our hotel in Bangkok. Piece of cake. It’s 3:30am as I write this and I’m not the least bit tired, which I will no doubt pay for later today. We had a snowy ride to the airport but otherwise the trip was fairly uneventful.
Hanging out at the Hong Kong airport, waiting for the last leg of our journey. They still look pretty good, and they don’t smell that bad either.
Dark Sketchy Alley Food!! This is one of our favorite things to do when first arriving in Bangkok at night. In Southeast Asia street food is the best food, and nothing says street food like your hosts throwing together a bunch of cheap tables and plastic stools in the alley and taking our orders from mismatched menus that you can barely read in the dark. But as always, the food was great and we are off to a good start. Even at 3 in the morning, it’s hot. Really hot.
That’s it for now! We will visit the Chatuchak market later today after we have, hopefully, had some sleep. Check back later.
Welcome to the internet home of the Clarkson 2020 trip to Bangkok, Thailand and Sydney, Australia. We leave on Friday morning and you can follow our adventures right here. We will explore the culture and business climate of two very different Asia Pacific cities while we eat weird food, meet new people, and bask in the equatorial heat. Stay tuned.
East Meets West 2020 