It is very unusual for me to be getting out of bed before 6 o’clock in the morning.  Last night, in preparation for a long trip to Bangkok, I went to bed at 10.15, rather than the early hours of the following morning. 

Laem Chabang may be Thailand’s largest port. Cruise ships do call here; I believe smaller vessels  can dock much closer to Bangkok. However, there is little of obvious interest here, other than a thriving shipping industry.  There is a nearby township of the same name in Chonburi Province,  which, according to the Daily Programme, has been developed to relieve overcrowding in Bangkok itself.  As of 2005, Laem Chabang is the 20th busiest port in the world.

07.45 hrs was the designated meeting time for our minivan journey to Bangkok.  We had a guide for just eight of us. From what I gather, she had to be on her way at 3am from Bangkok to Laem Chabang to pick us up, along with a further 19 minivans at 07.45, take us and show us a few of the main sights, and to a “recognised” jewelry and souvenir shop, travel back with us to Laem Chabang (3 hours), and eventually return home possibly between 9 and 10 o’clock tonight.  Even in my younger days, such hours would have left me “drained.”  

I enjoyed the roughly two hour journey to Bangkok, even if I had done it once before in 2018.  All too soon, we were pulling in at the first of our destinations, The Palace of the Golden Buddha.  I had forgotten about the 5.5 tons of pure gold from which this massive depiction had been cast.  I was reminded of the dodgy goings on chronicalled in the Old Testament.  Belshazzar’s Feast comes to mind!  

In reality, I never thought that I would actually come this way a second time.   As you may imagine, I took numerous photographs, some, if not all, of which will need identifying later on.

At each “temple,” shoes were required to be removed before entry.  Elsewhere, photography was prohibited inside, although I saw one tourist disregard this regulation.  Sadly, I was stopped from photographing a small military parade in the Grand Palace. 

A splendid Thai buffet lunch was included in the ticket price, with a fabulous choice of several different meat, fish, and vegetarian options.  The venue, the Sheraton Royal Orchid Hotel, overlooked the river along which pleasure craft glided sedately.  Cunard did us proud, as did the Sheraton Royal Orchid!  Despite my increasing food intolerances, I enjoyed more than enough, including fabulous fresh fruit for dessert.

It was inevitable that shopping was on the agenda for today. We stopped at a two storey jewellery and souvenir shop. Jo succumbed to temptation!  By now, I had become too tired to care less!  No shirts or t-shirts were a good fit.

I did enjoy the two – to three hour journey in the minivan between Laem Chabang and Bangkok in both directions. Annoyingly, there was no escape from the high-pitched piercing ramblings of a smartly dressed woman, proving that empty vessels, however well turned out, make the most noise!  Thankfully, this did not persist for the entire journey home, and there was a long period where I enjoyed doing what I like most, i.e., travelling, glancing out of the window, and imagining the world outside.

One thing has intrigued me since my first visit to the Far East in 2018, and that is the electric system.  Wires everywhere, just like behind my TV and sound equipment at home! 

I have been awake since 05 45 hrs this morning. We are staying overnight at Laem Chabang.  I anticipate wriggling out of being dragged around the shops in Pattaya in search of designer luggage. A nice relaxing lunch should be the order of the day.  That would be nice!  I shall finish this blog tomorrow morning.

It was a wonderful day, and I can see that Bangkok, although being hot, hurried, and in some parts, scruffy, would be a place to stay some days at and explore in much more detail.

Many thanks for reading, David, 08.32hrs, in bed, Saturday 18th February 2023.