Text 19268, 90 rader
Skriven 2014-11-09 02:27:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Asia 248
================
After breakfast we could have taken a bus or the MRT to
the airport, but we were leaving the Conrad for the Silver
Kris, so why not live a little? So we did. The taxi was
under $30 so not the greatest of indulgences.

Check-in and emigration were a snap, and in no time we were
in the lounge, where Courvoisier XO (stale-tasting and
exceedingly mediocre) for me and red plonk (pretty ditto)
for Lilli were welcome. Catering was not hugely interesting,
the Chinese offerings a bit goofy-looking and old-tasting,
the Western ones not that much better.

SQ 974 SIN BKK 1310 1435 772 12AB

Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve was nice and kept being
offered. After my first glass, I tried the Silver Kris Sling
just for the experience: it was a mixture of gin, Cointreau,
orange, pineapple, and a splash of Champagne. It was
something between a frou-frou drink and something that you'd
feed a young inexperienced person in an effort to get lucky.
Thereupon a return to the Heidsieck.

Fried salmon and mango salad was unidentifiable fried fish
with sweet chili sauce, rice, and vegetables. It was okay.
I think Lilli had lamb chops.

I passed on dessert, which was cheesecake.

Courvoisier XO was welcome and much better than the lounge
offering.

The flight was short and sweet, and we were let off into
one of the less attractive parts of this fairly attractive
airport, where we got some kind of stamp that let us bypass
the immigration line (and clear through Chiang Rai, a much
less crowded station, later).

The domestic Royal Orchid lounge offers various Coca-Cola
and Schweppes products, no alcohol, some mass-market dim sum
of no use except to convey sriracha sauce into one's tum,
and quite an assortment of not-quite-ripe fruit.

The main part of the facility is sort of low and grim and
crowded, but you can go to the back, where an atrium-like
room doubles the capacity and caters about the same. It's
echoey and noisy, though, despite few people using it. On
the whole, three hours really dragged along here.

TG 140 BKK CEI 1825 1945 300 14AC

Finally it was time to go. The gate area was nearby and at
least as attractive as the lounge. 

The aircraft that we were rather unceremoniously herded into
was old but nice enough. 

A meal was offered but not taken. I didn't even have a glass
of wine but rather snoozed through the hour flight.

We got through the perfunctory international arrivals, found
a place to get a bunch of baht, and went to the taxi
reservation stand. To the Meridien or any of the other fancy
hotels is a 200b flat rate.

The driver who got assigned to us, Sunthorn, was not too
forthcoming, fine with us, but we did get his card.

Le Meridien, right on the riverbank and looking like a city
unto itself, is gorgeous; must have been designed by the
same architect who did the Sheraton in Yogyakarta. We
were greeted by slews of slim, well coiffed and dressed
persons, who gave us in deference to our age and Lilli's
status an impressive suite that could have accommodated 4
comfortably, in what was labeled the Grand Deluxe Wing.

Snacks upstairs in the bar were free for Starwood elites:
peanuts, cashews, and salty fried pork rind in shreds that
ranged from melting rich to hard and almost unchewable. We
also got a platinum amenity, a bento-type box that had 4
eye-opener smoothies such as you get in Meridien lobbies
elsewhere, a vegetable maki roll, a couple skewers of rather
tough but tasty satay, a burrito, tod mun, and a couple
chocolate petits fours. She had red wine; I started with a
pina colada (listed on a rather long list of specialties of
the house), and then, my curiosity satisfied, changed to
Singha beer. Dinner was unnecessary this night.

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