Bangkok, a World-class City

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After two months in Southern Africa, our next destination was Southeast Asia.  The first stop was Thailand with a brief stop in Qatar.  The next leg of the trek would expose us to a unique blend cultures, languages and foods, and give us a new perspective on the world.

Qatar is a very small country in the Middle East, south of Iran and east of Saudi Arabia.  The entire country is less than the size of Connecticut, and is best known for its oil and natural gas production.  We arrived at 7:00 a.m. local time and could see from the air what else it's known for . . . sand, sand and more sand.  Qatar is a very modern country with all the amenities found in the West.  It also recently overcame formidable competition to host World Cup Soccer in 2022.

By the time we cleared immigrations and customs in Bangkok it was 8:30 p.m., which was five hours ahead of South Africa and 11 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.  Fortunately, we already had a reservation at a small guesthouse, which was only a 20-minute ride by taxi.  The Wendy House was down a side ally near one of the major shopping districts in Bangkok.  It was no-frills, but offered everything we needed including an excellent Internet connection.  As any modern-day traveler will attest, having reliable Internet is preferred over almost any other convenience.

Bangkok is truly a world-class city.  It has a modern infrastructure including a Sky Train or monorail that connects major districts within the city.  Culturally it is among the richest cities in the world, and offers a long list of things to see and do for tourists and travelers alike.  Bangkok is also a shopping Mecca, and has become a hub for medical tourism.

The number of shopping options was nearly endless.  In addition to the colossal shopping malls, there were numerous local markets scattered around the city.  The question I could never answer was, who actually buys all of the stuff?  No doubt tourists purchase a lot of what is sold; however, the locals must buy the vast majority, which strongly suggests they have a lot of disposable income.

The malls near our hotel were like nothing we had ever seen.  There were up to eight levels of shops and stores in not one, but four huge buildings.  The first two malls had many large stores, but the majority were small individual shops selling everything from cell phones to neckties.  The third mall was more upscale and had many of the standard stores like those in U.S. malls.  And then there was the mother-of-all-malls, which was over-the-top upscale and featured all the designer stores, and included a huge aquarium attraction inside complete with glass bottom boat.  In addition, there were Jaguar, Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini car dealerships on different floors in the mall.

Another shopping attraction was the Weekend Market.  It consisted of acres of small stalls selling everything from fresh fish to wigs.  As with the malls, the nagging question was, who buys all of this stuff?  Of course, with a population over eight million people in Bangkok; perhaps it's not too difficult to figure out.  We were there for two hours and only saw a fraction of what was for sale.  The complex was a labyrinth of alleys, which connected one group of stalls to another.

Thailand has become a major destination for a variety of medical procedures, which has resulted in a relatively new phenomenon called medical tourism.  The quality of healthcare is equal to or better than nearly anywhere else in the world, but at a fraction of the cost.  As a result, people are able to pay for the procedure, their flights and stay in a high-end hotel to convalesce, and it will cost far less than in the U.S., especially if they do not have medical insurance.  It's become so popular, some insurance companies will pay for everything if a patient is willing to travel to another country to have the surgery.

Bangkok is a city where most of the major hospitals are located.  Although we did not have any medical procedures performed, we did visit Bumrungrad International Hospital and discovered firsthand that healthcare in Thailand is both high quality and low cost.  Before leaving the U.S. we went to a clinic catering to international travelers to get prescriptions for the malaria drugs we needed to take in Southeast Asia.  The cost for the drugs was going to be over $1,300 for all five of us.  As a result, we decided to wait until we arrived in Bangkok to get the drugs, hoping they might be slightly cheaper.

We made an appointment to see a doctor at Bumrungrad and were told to return the next day.  It was the most modern, upscale hospital we had ever seen.  It looked more like a five-star hotel than a medical center.  We checked in and were asked to sit in the very fashionable lobby, and offered refreshments.  Precisely at the appointment time, we were taken to the doctor's office.  He spoke perfect English and we told him why we were there.  The night before our visit, one of the boys developed an ear infection, so we asked the doctor to look at him as well.  The doctor prescribed the malaria drugs and an antibiotic for the ear infection, all electronically - no trees were harmed in the process.

The visit lasted approximately 30 minutes and we were shown to the cashier and told the prescriptions would be ready soon.   I was dreading the bill and praying that it would be less than the $1,300.  I got out my credit card and braced myself for the tally.  The total cost including the doctor's visit and all prescriptions was $186 USD - no insurance, no subsidy, no kidding!  Before leaving Oz, I walked less than 10 steps from the cashier to pick up the prescriptions, which were in a designer gift bag no less.

In the past, we were always eager to leave the big cities as soon as possible.  However, Bangkok was an exception and among only two or three big cities that we actually enjoyed and look forward to returning to again one day.  Even with all of the recent unrest, it is still a safe place to visit.

There are many wonderful places to see in Thailand.  However, because of time constraints we could only choose one.  Our destination was Koh Chang, an island southeast of Bangkok near the Cambodian border.   

And remember, "Travel is the ultimate education."

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