The Entourage

No, I’m not going to talk about the HBO’s Entourage.

It’s my first time in the new Bangkok international airport, the Survanabhumi or whatever airport. Just don’t understand why can’t they have a simpler name to it like KLIA or LAX. I guess it is the Thai culture, like the way Thai people have these long names.

Anyway, from my house, it took me about 40 minutes to reach this new airport (compa(red) to the old airport which normally takes about 20 minutes). The taxi fare is slightly more expensive. Including the toll charges, it cost me about 320 baht while the old airport cost me about 250 baht.

The main check in hall is not as grand as it sounds. Just like the KLIA. Though I do like the roof design, not entirely shelte(red). I’m traveling on Friday the 13th, bad luck would have had to happen to someone, if it wasn’t me then it’s them…the entourage.

This group of people (the entourage) was kinda making a scene at the check-in counter. Not being a racist and not saying which race, but normally, ‘they’ do travel in an entourage with tons of luggage. They would be speaking loudly (as if their companions are hearing challenged) with their hand movements.

Just an advice to all who are traveling in a group of say 4-5 persons. You actually do not need everyone to be at the counter. Having everyone at the counter would create unnecessary crowding as well as long queue. Well, for this group, it seems important for them to be presence at the counter. Actually, they kinda hold up both the counters for more than 15 minutes and seem to have no success in checking in. I’m not sure what their problem is but they ended up opening their luggage and frantically searching for something at the crowded check-in area, shouting speaking loudly to one another. Then one or two of their members would rudely walk in and out of the queue line, without even mustering an “Excuse Me” as if it’s his right to do so. By the time I got in front of the counter, they had yet to solve their problem, talking, searching and walking.

Okay, enough about the entourage since I still had to face them inside the plane…creepy.

Let’s go back to this Survanabhumi airport. Once I get inside the Departure hall, it’s a totally different environment. Instead of feeling inside an airport, the layout and the ambience did give you a grand shopping center feeling (i.e those shopping centers mainly frequent by the ‘tai-tai’ and the ‘Datins’). While both sides are filled with branded shops, the middle of the walkway stationed a few classy and nice restaurants (classy Shushi bar, coffee houses where a piece of fruit cake cost 65 baht, as if the fruits are all imported from Antartica).
Compa(red) to the Don Muang airport, this departure hall is definitely much much better and comfortable. Perhaps the only weakness is the less spacious walkway and also the non-spacious toilet, which kinda smelly, no area for you to put the luggage and that not so sensitive auto-basin.