This is my usual place to stay in Bangkok. I've stayed here about ten times now. It's cheap at just over 4,000 yen per night, and best of all, you can get here directly from the airport on the ARL (Airport Rail Link). Plus, even if you're rolling luggage, it's within a five-minute walk from the station, which is really convenient. My flight on the 7th was late at night, so I arrived at 6 AM. I asked at the front desk, and they said I could check into my room from 9 AM. And there was no extra charge. I left my luggage and headed first to the Starbucks just a few minutes' walk in front of the station. By the way, the temperature dips below 20 degrees Celsius in the morning, so it's quite cool. It's the first time I've felt this cool in Bangkok.
Jumping back a bit, this is Kansai Airport on the evening of the 6th. Most lounges close at 10 PM, but the only one accessible with my P Pass, called NODOKA, was still open. Since it's outside the restricted area, after checking in my luggage, I had to walk to a building opposite the airport terminal. Departing before dawn, I was allowed to check my luggage at the JAL counter over three hours early, which was great. I entered a private-style room for the time being.
I had a can of beer and, believe it or not, Botejyu's takoyaki and okonomiyaki heated up in the microwave. Botejyu is a place you can use with a P Pass, but surprisingly, it's located in the domestic flight restricted area. I'd never used it before, so it was a nice treat. The surroundings were quiet too, which was nice. I'd definitely use it again under similar circumstances.
Even though it was the last flight, the boarding gate was quite crowded. Since it was a JAL flight, there were naturally a lot of Japanese passengers.
Naturally, I had Ebisu beer. Flying direct with JAL just feels reassuring. Even though it was a late-night flight, it was nearly full.
I was sound asleep when they woke me for the meal. It looked like curry topped with cheese. As always, JAL delivered a solid meal and service. This trip was subsidized, hence JAL, but if I come back here next time, I'll probably switch back to a budget flight via China.
Now, let's rewind to the Starbucks in front of the station early on the 7th. I was trying to update my web diary, but suddenly, tiny ants started oozing out of my PC. What's more, they're incredibly nimble and I can't seem to get rid of them. After playing cat and mouse with them, it was time for the hotel to open, so I shut down my PC and headed back to my lodgings. In the meantime, I asked ChatGPT for advice on dealing with the ants. It said putting them in a sealed garbage bag and placing it in the refrigerator for a few hours should work. I ended up doing this twice later. (As mentioned later, this might actually be related to my December trip to Thailand. I accidentally packed some very sweet fruit in my suitcase, and ants probably hatched from that. Somehow, they ended up nesting in my PC and even appeared in my study. However, after this extermination, they're no longer in my room. It seems the cold in Japan knocked them out. For now, that's a relief. I'll have to be more careful next time.)
At this Starbucks, I happened to capture a rare sight—a Thai National Railway train passing beneath the high-speed rail line. It was rush hour, so I was surprised to see quite a few people boarding and disembarking at this State Railway station located under the high-speed tracks. Although the number of trains is limited, a wide road crosses the tracks, so the station staff are busy operating the barriers to stop the flow of people and vehicles. The train also sounds its horn to prevent people from crossing at the last moment. Last spring, I took this train to Ayutthaya. It's a very affordable and comfortable train. I'll upload the video soon.
Yesterday, I bought pizza at a mall called Rama 9 Road, but I ordered kai jao (omelet rice with minced pork) at the street food village near the station for the first time in ages. It was my first night's dinner. Only 50 baht—a steal.
So I'll save the leftover pizza for a late-night snack and eat this dinner first. Sliced papaya and crispy jackfruit are my sides. Chang Espresso is a beer with a slightly darker color, just the way I like it.
The only downside to this inn is that the rooms don't have kettles. While you can get hot water from a pot downstairs in the lobby, I wanted to brew coffee in my room, so I brought along the kettle pictured this time. The standard breakfast at this inn is 7-Eleven's 16-baht bread.
Well, I was tired from editing PowerPoint all morning, so this afternoon I got off at Ratchaprarop Station on the ARL, a place I'd never been before. It's the station just before the terminus, and the tracks visible below are the ones I first introduced from the State Railway of Thailand. They're narrow gauge like Japan's, but exactly 1 meter wide—just 8 cm narrower than JR's. It feels closer to the city center than the station near my hotel.
About a 7-minute walk south from the station, you'll find Central Department Store (right), one of Thailand's leading department stores, and the equally massive BigC supermarket (left). I'd never been inside either mall before, and I was simply amazed by their sheer size. A long skywalk stretches along the left building. In Thailand's car-centric transportation network, such safety measures are implemented in high-traffic areas. The scene felt familiar, and with low-rise shops interspersed between the high-rises, I couldn't help but think it resembled the landscape around Abeno.
I absolutely love Thai malls, especially their incredibly tall atriums. Just inside Central alone, there were three or four of these. It's truly a massive department store. While Thailand's commercial facilities are constantly seeing new constructions or renovations, despite talk of a somewhat sluggish economy, looking at this place alone, you wouldn't sense any of that at all.
Today's shopping. Paper plates for microwaving pizza, an 8-baht notebook for jotting things down. A 30-baht mango from the street fruit vendor. When I asked, “Tao Lai?” they replied, “Shan Ship.” And since I forgot my usual brandy for nightcaps this time, I picked up a Thai-made VSOP from BigC's liquor section. The glass bottle is heavy, but oh well. 266 baht is on the cheaper side for premium liquor here. I'll try the taste later. Oh, by the way, those pesky ants have drastically decreased after two rounds of fridge training and one night of complete isolation—only one appeared just now. Finally settled down to focus on making the PowerPoint.
There's a PIER on the canal about five minutes from the guesthouse. Boats dock at the same spot for both upstream and downstream. I'll take this boat coming from upstream.
As soon as I boarded, a conductor in a blue uniform came to sell tickets. I told him the pier where I wanted to get off and bought a ticket, but since it was my first time, I couldn't quite remember the pier's name. It was a bargain at 18 baht.
Along the canal, the boat stopped at various piers as it steadily made its way down the canal. It seemed there were walking paths along the canal. In some spots, bougainvillea bloomed beautifully. Actually, I got off at the wrong pier and ended up having to walk a bit to BigC. Well, solo travel is always full of little mishaps like this. On the way back, there was a proper announcement, so I got off near my accommodation.
After shopping at BigC, I boarded the return boat from the pier right next to BigC. I ended up getting off one stop earlier than intended, but the 18 baht fare remained the same. My accommodation was nearly the same distance from this pier too. One discovery.
Now, I'm heading to my first destination, Phayao. Since Phayao doesn't have an airport, I'll conveniently go to Chiang Mai first. There, I plan to meet Professor S, an honorary professor from Shinshu University, who's joining us from Cambodia, at the lounge. More on that later. But actually, something terrible was discovered after this. My P Pass had been digitized, and it didn't work at any lounge. Just dealing with this situation by contacting the card company was exhausting enough. The rest is on the next page.