I flew from Hong Kong to Bangkok today.
Now that I am not working, I need to focus a bit more on money to make sure I don't thrash through my savings and end up destitute. I made a good start to this new approach while I was in Bangkok airport. I needed to make my way down to Pattaya, which is about 80 miles south from Bangkok. I checked the price for my normal mode of transport, the airport limo, which was 3,000 Baht. I then asked information where I could catch a bus and they pointed me in the general direction of a ramp that led downstairs. I wasn't sure if I had followed the directions correctly, but after a couple of minutes I was in an area with no air conditioning and more than a couple of backpackers...this must be it!
There was a desk with a list of four departure times to Pattaya. The last one was 5:15pm but when I checked my watch it was 5:20. To my surprise the lady confirmed that seats were still available and it was only later I realised that I had not adjusted my watch to Thailand time, which is and hour behind Hong Kong; I had a 50 minute wait! The bus cost me 119 Baht, a grand saving of 2,881...absolute bargain! A trouble free trip down the coast was followed by a short Song Taew (a pick-up truck that is fitted out to be a taxi) trip to the hotel, that cost more that the bus!!! I had booked a sea view room at the Siam Bayview Hotel and on arrival they explained that my room was not ready and they would give me a complimentary upgrade to a suite for that night. The suite must have been 120 square meters! It was the whole width of the hotel, with a massive bedroom and en suite at one end, a dining / kitchen area in the middle, and a lounge area at the other end. Off the lounge was a small balcony with the sea view. I was so taken with the opulence that I negotiated a good rate to stay in that room for the whole visit (which perhaps was their intention with the initial upgrade anyway as the hotel was not too busy) and needless to stay I spent more than the money I had saved on the taxi fare!
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