My Bangkok Stopover Nightmare!…Part 2
When I last left you hanging in ‘My Bangkok Stopover Nightmare Part 1′ I was staring in horror and disbelief at the China Eastern Rep and Bangkok airport. A summary of the events that led up to this point is as follows: I arrived in Bangkok but my bags didn’t, now that wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t checked in my international luggage in Melbourne with my Visa card in it. That bag was now still in Australia while I was in Bangkok. So there I was in Bangkok, no bags, very little cash, no visa card and a ticket change fee to pay that I probably didn’t have enough money to cover. But it turned out I didn’t have to pay that change fee, though what I discovered was much worse, I had missed my flight!
I had no choice, the only thing I could do was rebook my flight and hope I wouldn’t get hit with a huge charge. Unfortunately I had problems with my international sim and had to battle with a temperamental pay phone to make the dreaded call. But who uses pay phones these day’s? I sure didn’t! The last time I had used one was two years before at a bus station when my phone died. I had desperately needed to call my dad to get him to pick me up but I couldn’t get the damn thing to work, that was when a guy walked up to me and handed me 50c, “20c won’t do it” he said. Apparently I hadn’t got any better at figuring out pay phones since; and after reading and following the instructions on the payphone at Bangkok Airport a million times, the phone just didn’t seem to want to let me discover my fate!
Eventually I got through to the China Eastern reservations hotline and explained my situation. I heard at sigh at the end of the phone line “Sorry, all the flights to Shanghai today are fully booked and the same flight tomorrow night is also fully booked” I didn’t think my blood pressure could rise anymore or my panic increase but at that moment it did! I couldn’t afford to stay in Bangkok…before the thought could really sink in she said “but there is availability on a Shanghai Airlines flight at midday tomorrow.” “YES, I’ll take that!” I quickly jumped in. Ok, so it wasn’t ideal I’d have to stay another night in Bangkok but what was the worst that could happen, surely I couldn’t be struck with any more bad luck and if sleeping in the airport was to be my fate, well at this stage that didn’t feel so bad! And with the re-booking of my flight my luck was about to change.
The next minute the most comforting words I had heard all day came from the other end of the phoneline “You don’t have to pay” MUSIC TO MY EARS! Miraculously as I had booked my Shanghai-Bangkok flights so close to spring festival, only the higher more flexible fares were available. As a result even though I had missed my flight I was credited the cost of the ticket and so didn’t have to pay a cent on my new flights! YES no change fee, no rebooking fee, now all I needed to do was find the cheapest and most conveniently located hostel in Bangkok to spend the night and figure out the cheapest way to entertain myself over the next day.
I spent 100 precious baht to use the internet for 30 minutes, it seemed like the shortest and most expensive 30 minutes of my life! In that time I had to research and book my hostel, send an email to my Mum so she wouldn’t panic when she didn’t hear from me and research what to do in Bangkok. So with that I booked a night at the Penpark Place in Pat Pong close to the sky train, got on the airport train and headed into the city with no plan whats so ever. But to be honest by this stage I didn’t care what I did as long as I wasn’t in an airport!
On the train I looked through the various brochures I’d picked up from the airport tourist information. This was my third time in Bangkok, I’d already done the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaew, two years before and Wat Arun just two weeks previous so that was the major touristy stuff already ticked off my Bangkok Bucket List, what would I do this time? Then a listing caught my eye, ZOO! The zoo had always brought a smile to my face as a child, maybe today it would be a perfect remedy for the last 24hrs trauma, maybe the zoo could cheer me up!
I was on a mission, a mission to go to Dusit Zoo and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure the rest of the day went right. Having no clue how to get there I made sure I got very detailed information from the information desk at Phaya Thai Station. With a map in hand, and a list of bus numbers I was going to turn this days experience on it’s head!
I followed the instructions I had been given to the very last detail, take the sky train to Victory Monument, head in the direction of the hospital and jump on the 28 bus. Mission success, I managed to find the number 28 bus right where I was told it would be, the next challenge, figure out when to get off! Luckily the bus driver knew where I was going and told me when to get off. Phew, another drama avoided!
For just 100 baht I spent the afternoon strolling around the tropical gardens of Dusit Zoo, the same gardens that had once been a private royal garden. Birds were singing, excited school children were chatting as a soft cool breeze whispered through the trees. Finally I was feeling relaxed, finally I felt at ease, finally I was happy.
Enclosure after enclosure I would stop, smile and take a photo of yet another cute animal. I gazed at the tigers laying lazily under the trees, at the hippos having a siesta in the algae green water, at deers frolicking around their enclosure while one very adorable sun bear captured my heart. This small, black, Malaysian Sun Bear waddled around the enclosure stopping seemingly just to pose for my pictures and to say hi. “Awwww he’s just so cute,” I couldn’t help but gush under my breath. I appreciated him posing for me, this adorable sun bear made my day!
The afternoon had been more then fantastic, but after the morning I had anything would have been better! I spent the evening strolling around Pat Pong, eating my last delicious Bangkok meal before getting a stress free nights rest. The next day everything went according to plan, I didn’t miss my flight, it arrived in Shanghai on time and I finally got home, though still without my bags! Unfortunately my bags were still in Australia. They arrived in Shanghai two days after me and boy was I relieved depite the trauma of spending 5 hours getting to Pudong Airport, trying to actually find where they had my bags and then getting back home!
Normally I dread unpacking my bags, it signifies the sad end of a trip, but this time I relished in it!!!
To say thanks for sticking with me and reading right through to the end of my dreadful Bangkok Stopover Nightmare, I have a treat for you!!! Below are the photos from Dusit Zoo and the adorable animals that brought a smile to my face and made my nightmare somewhat less of a nightmare. I hope they bring a smile to your face too!!!
Category: South East Asia
Twitter: andiperullo
says:
So glad it all worked out in the end. Love the animals!!!