Silom City Hotel

The front side as taken by my friend

      Bangkok has a lot of choices to offer for accommodations, from the most elegant luxurious five star hotels, budget hotels, guest houses, apartelle, apartments and town houses. One just have to find the right place that suits them, may their consideration be the location, cost, comfortability and amenities. One of them is Silom City Hotel, a three star hotel with an address at Silom 22, Silom Road.

   My two friends from Legazpi City, Philippines before coming here for a pleasure visit had searched for a hotel located near the center of Bangkok. I have not made it clear with them but I think someone promoted the hotel to them. When my friend arrived in Bangkok, I searched for the website of the hotel to get the location and learn the direction to the place. Hotel websites are very helpful and useful to guests because every information that a guest may want to know are usually indicated in the site. The Silom City Hotel website, same as other hotel websites, shows photos of nicely done, clean and comfortable bedrooms as well as the reception counter and dining tables. The location is described as a very strategic place as most of the famous common tourists shopping centers are very accessible from the hotel. Very attractive and encouraging.

       On my way to the hotel, I took the BTS (skyway train) from the first station at Mochit. As the train was running and stopping from one station to another, I was trying to analyze the possible exact location of the hotel based from the information I got on the hotel's website so as to get down on the BTS station nearest to it. The information that I was pondering on was "11 minutes walk to Surasak (S5) or 13 minutes to Chong Nansi station". My engineering orientation made me formulate the possibility that it might be in between the two BTS stations and if I do not go down at Chong Nansi, which comes first before Surasak, I would be probably be seeing Silom City Hotel while the skytrain proceeds to Surasak station. Anyway, I decided to alight at Surasak station as it is two minutes less of a walk that from Chong Nansi station. Only to discover that my point of theory was wrong in considering the three location as points that would be connected, it did not form a straight line but it instead a triangle. However, whatever kind of triangle it maybe, that I did not try to figure out anymore. The hotel was not along the side street of the same way traversed by the skytrain, but it was about 1 kilometer going farther away from both BTS station. Feeling uncertain of my direction I decided to take the service of a public motorbike.

      Business is business, mostly tells only the best things but not everything. The hotel has its address at Silom 22 at Silom Road. Silom according to Wikitravel is Thailand's major financial center whose importance has been acknowledged with the presence of both BTS and MRT. The hotel was on an inner part of a commercial block and going through the hotel, one needs to pass a small road and on the side of the road are small stores and a wet market for local residents. So I did. As the hotel was situated in the inner part of a narrow road, it was a quiet place as seldom cars would pass. The reception area is small with a small dining area on the left side and I noticed it when I enterered the main door which was opened by the concierge. There was one lady receptionist on duty when I arrived at about 7 in the evening and unhesistantly told me to go straight ahead to the room of my friends at the 7th floor. It gave me an impression that the hotel does not cater to many guests.

      The hotel room looked good with a queen size bed and with a bath tub in the bathroom. The three of us slept in the bed but yet there was much space. Nowadays, one amenity that a guests would greatly consider is the availability of the internet service. Some hotel provides internet service for a costly charge, some for free, some in the lobby only but Silom City Hotel had wireless internet available for free in each room. And such service is an added attraction which even my friends had admitted.

      Morning came, breakfast time. I had told myself the night before that I would be taking coffee only in the room as I am well aware that per hotel policy, only two guests per room are allowed and that only the registered guests are entitled for the free breakfast. But my friend told me the three of us can go to the dining table as they were not given a breakfast meal coupon. I was hesitant but anyway we went down to have breakfast. True indeed, nobody checked on me, as I enjoyed the free breakfast with my friends.

      Though the location is about quite a long walk to the nearest BTS station and is located on an inner part of the block with a narrow road, if a friend would ask me if I would recommend the hotel, my answer would be YES.

Missed Charger and Chances

           Two lady friends from my hometown in the Philippines , Tet and Lads arrived midnight of Saturday, 17 July 2010 here in Bangkok, Thailand through the Philippine owned flight carrier  Cebu Pacific Air. Like my other friends and relatives who had visited me here, they availed of the 50% promotional fare of the said airlines, approximately 4,500 pesos (Philippine currency) for a two-way Manila-Bangkok trip.

      The last minute arrangement we had was that they would call me when they are at the Suvarnabhumi airport  through the Thailand simcard which my nephew Lance had brought back home from his vacation here in Bangkok last May. From then on, I can give them directions on how to come to my place. Tet had only confirmed their desire to stay in my place temporarily when I think they were proceeding to the airport  for their Manila flight.  Otherwise I could have given instructions on how to go to my address in details. They were actually had booked themselves to a hotel but considering they would only use half of the time with a one whole day price, it was not a good idea for them, so I offered my place for them to spend the rest of the night.

      Oh well! Sometimes things planned and not so well-planned do not happen the way we want it to be. Sometimes it seems like there are outside forces working that hinder the fulfillment of the plan. The easy going trait of Fiilipinos would resort to a joke saying '"ah! looks like they have "balat sa puwet (birthmark on the ass)" which means bad luck. To make the story short, we were not able to contact each other though both of us had tried to,  so without much choice they checked-in to the hotel instead, at Silom City Hotel. 

       Come Sunday morning, while getting ready to attend mass, a thought  to open  my Facebook account came to my mind while wondering why they have not contacted me. There it was a message from Lads. Hurray! communication was established and so mobile phones were in contact.  Thanks to the presence of social networking which made some people addicted but on the other side of the coin serves as an alternative avenue of fast communication. They had the plan to go to the nearest Catholic church to attend the mass. But after our talk we agreed to meet at St. John Parish Church at Lad Phrao where I usually attend the English mass. I just gave them the instruction the way to get to the MRT (a subway train service). Then everything went on fine as we had a sumptuous healthy lunch at Sizzler. 
      It was their first day to explore Bangkok and they headed to Chatuchak Weekend Market as I suggested to do so and I went back home to bring the pasalubong (presents) they brought for me with an agreement  I will go to Chatuchak Market to meet them so we can go back to their hotel together late afternoon. Then I spend the night at their hotel.
      I was relaxed imagining that I would meet them with mixed of happy and excited facial expression as they had their first part of Bangkok exploration. As I was in the bus  on the way to meet them, I ring Lads to tell them I am coming. The mobile phone rung but call was not accepted. I reached the place and tried many times calling her mobile but a taped voice says same thing... the number is not in service. "Oh my goodness!" I thought, "again! same problem as last night?!" . The mobile service I have been using here in Thailand has always been reliable and there could be no problem on the simcard. But I was panicking already, I called the customer service of DTAC, my service provider to check on the number. But everything was alright I have been told. I had walked about 1 kilometer from the Mochit BTS station, Chatuchak MRT station passing through the Chatuchak Market to Khampeng Phet MRT station with the hope that I would by chance see them.  But sorry for me, they were nowhere to be found. Resigned, I walked back to Mochit BTS station traversing the same path. A thought of calling the hotel came to my mind. Thanks God! I had brought with me the address and telephone number of the hotel which I had written in a small paper when I searched for the direction in going there. I always felt I am guided by an angel that  whispers to me good dispositions! I never used the public coin phone and so it was another  first of an experience  for  me again. Hurray! I was able to contact them as they went back to the hotel... the mobile phone's battery got drained
      Yes right, both of them have unserviceable mobile phone because batteries had been drained and both of them forgot to include in their baggage the charger!
      Mobile phones has been a very effective tool for communication. And communication plays a very important role to many things. When going on a travel, one of the most important part of the baggage that should not be forgotten is the mobile phone charger. Efficient line of communication minimizes the time and energy consumed, and ensures the fulfillment of the plan.

 


 

The Threshold: Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk in Bangkok

The Photowalk participants at the King Rama I Monument,
taken by the Jose Tan, the organizer and leader.

      

       Saturday, 24th of July year 2010, about fifty people of varied nationalities with a common interest on photography gathered at King Rama I Monument located at the end of Memorial Bridge for the Scott Kelby Annual Photowalk Wang Burapha Phirom, Bangkok. The photowalk was organized by Jose Tan, a Filipino portrait photographer residing at Minburi, Bangkok. According to the organizer, a big portion of the participants were Thai and Filipino, others were of Malaysian, American, Norwegian, Swedish and African nationalities. The coverage of the Channel 3 Television made it more a big deal. Two young ladies and a camera man from the television company walked with the other participants as they went around the area taking photos.

      The assembly time was at 3:30 in the afternoon. Most had brought SLR (Single Lens Reflect)and DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflect) cameras while I only have with me my three months old point-and-shoot Panasonic touchscreen camera. Gee! I felt inferior at first, but the words of the organizer during our informal basic photography session done four days before the walk made me look on the eye level. What were those words? The beauty of a photo does not depend on the type of camera.

       Why did I join the walk? Photography is not my best hobby but I love taking photos, clicking the shutter as fast as I can involving common sense and perception on how would a photo be nicely taken. The emergence of the technology of digital cameras, popularity of social networking and influence of a long time photo enthusiast British friend lured me into it. I joined the walk for few reasons but joining the contest was the least. First, it  was an opportunity to be with friends and to meet new friends.  It is always a great pleasure to be with friends, isn't it? That is networking. Secondly, I foresee the walk as the threshold to develop myself in the field of photography; and third but not the least, I had been in the Pak Khlong Talat (flower market) before but did not have the chance to scrutinized the place. So this activity was my chance to do so.

        The walk started at the flower market. My friend. whom I had successfully enticed  to join me, and I went through the line of flower shops. Wow! This was the exclamation words we had uttered while our  eyes open  so widely feasting on the beauty of the bunches of different and colorful flowers.  So excited I forgot that I was supposed to take photos in an artistic way. I never had seen before variety of bountiful flowers and most cost cheap. In my hometown in the Philippines, flowers were of few varieties and most came from Baguio City, the summer capital. One point added to my stand of conclusion that I had formulated before that Thailand is blessed with many resources. When we finally get over with the excitement, we decided to figure out our way, with the use of  a map (now I learned to use maps) and asking fellow participants we had encountered along the way, to the Giant Swing and then to the Democracy Monument where the Cafe Democ is, the designated meeting place after the walk.

         My camera settings had a bit of a problem which I was not able to solve and the battery was low. Nevertheless, the minor problems did not hinder me from enjoying the walk and from attaining my objectives. The day was ended with a good dinner at a small nice restaurant infront the Bangkok City Hall. It was worth a good experience indeed!

In everything, there is always something new to be learned.