The Audacity of McDonald's In Food Haven Thailand...

Grrowl!!!

So my time in Bangkok is soon coming to an end (tomorrow) and last night was probably one of the best night i had in days.

After work, i rested on the lovely couch for about 10 minutes before changing into my "teletubby" swimsuit for a good, 45 minutes swim in the hotel pool. I was mislead into thinking that it is one of those wonderful wonderful "infinity edge" pool, but it was just a regular rectangular one that is super quiet. This is of course, a strictly business hotel (Sukhothai Hotel) and only business users patronise it - but even business dudes and dudettes need to unwind, like yours truly!

So off to swim i went... and after working out the arms and the legs and the paws, jumping in the water to entertain myself (yes, i literally did...), it felt good... but i also got hungry. And during the entire swim, my mind was going back and forth on what i should have for dinner. I am definitely not going into the city and one of those bustling shopping arcades like i did the day i arrived, and the next closest civilisation is 20 mins walk from the hotel (Suan Lum Night Bazaar).

I was wet, hungry and slowly turning grouchy... Walk? Its the last thing i wanna do...

So i got creative and decided to order in. I am sick, SUPER DUPER SICK with hotel food, so i asked Concierge if i can call in McDonald's to the hotel to deliver food to me. Being a 5-star class hotel, they said in their sing-song thai accent, "Sure Madame... You call this number (which was 1711 by the way) and you pay charge for the telephone at the hotel and you pay for your food directly to McDonalds.."

Perfect. Just what i needed.

So i dialed 1711 and the greeting was in thai - i thought to myself, "Darn, i don't speak thai... How do i.." and the voice on the other end was saying, "For English, press 1..."

The operator took my order, which was: 1 SUPER-SIZED Double Fillet O' Fish Meal (comes with this SUPER HUGE fries), 4 piece spicy chicken drumlets and 6 piece chicken nuggets. I was hungry and surely, i got greedy.

Then the voice on the other line said, "May i ask how many party is eating?..." So i said just one.

There was complete silence, and then she said, "Moment please..."

I thought she was gonna sell me life insurance in case i collapse and die of heart attack but all she said was: "Your order will arrive at seven, four, five PM. Thank you for calling McDonalds and have a nice day."

It was surprisingly fast and accurate. The meal came knocking at my door at 7:45PM and the entire thing cost me 266 Baht - it was dirt cheap. Back at home, the meal would've cost S$18++ and not even the SUPER SIZE meal. And yet, you see people here a lot slimmer and leaner than those back home.

My meal was satisfying and i was a happy happy camper by the end of my dinner.

I must say though, no fries taste as delicious as the ones i tried in Hong Kong. The ones i had last night was a little on the soggy side, lots of salt though but had that bitter aftertaste, much like what you'll get back home (i think its the oil they fry in). The one in Hong Kong however, man that's like Fries Heaven. It crispy, yellow, just the right consistency and dose of salt, a little oily but its just... Ooooooh.. TO DIE FOR.

As for my maiden experience with McDonald's in Bangkok, pretty exciting. The super large coke is still in my mini-bar though.

Pillow Talk...?

Grrrowl!!!!

And so we have come to the end of the week - the day every working person looks forward to. I was on my "school bus" this morning, feeling just a little groggy because of a viral fever i had the night before and i seriously wondered why everyone else on the bus was in Jeans and Khakis and T-Shirts today... Oh hey, its that day... its casual Friday. So hooray hooray! Its Frrriday!

Anyway, this week has been awfully busy week for me because of several "bear" conventions that i had to attend to, handover of old projects and "welcoming" new ones - I guess the strenuous days this week has finally taken a toll on my beary body. Bleargh... (Didn't even finish my breakfast sandwich this morning! Bah!!).

My groggyness and night fever aside, i will once again have the pleasure of being outstationed in the next couple of weeks, shuffling between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. There are a lot of things that i need to do before my departure and one of them, is "choosing the pillow".

Ahh yes... The pleasure of being put up at a World-Class Hotel. I like it (and am not complaining...) but i just marvelled at the audacity of having you choose the type of pillow you will need during your stay. I always thought the hotels purchased them in bulk, and no choosing - what we give, you take. In fact, we are so used to that concept that having to choose one makes me uncomfortable.

And so i thought i'd give it a shot, so i went this morning looking for the perfect companion, googling the perfect pillow...

There are of course, all kinds... But distinctively, there are only 3 types of sleepers - The Back, The Front and The Side. Cubbies happened to be a side sleeper (and a naughty one too, since i "travel" even in my sleep!). According to a website, "a firm pillow is good for thos who sleeps on their side" and of course went on recommending their whole range of speciality pillows.

"Duck Down" pillows are one of those that was recommended - which i really liked, because feathered pillows are fluffy and ultra-comfortable in an air-conditioned room. It sinks and cradle your head in for the super comfy sleep. Me likes a good night's rest! :)

So that is what i chose, ahh... and it comes with a "sleep inducing" herbal sachets - chamomile or lavender - both of which are perfect for relaxation. While i usually do not have a problem with sleeping, i do have a hard time relaxing (how to when your mind travels at 300km per second!), so chamomile would do this just nicely ;)

Well, i can't wait for my trip then. This is living in the true nature of the Goldilocks...

Except this time, Goldilocks is meee! A Cubbie Bear ;)