Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Friday, December 30, 2016
Traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Today is a travel day, and while there are a few interesting sights a long the way, I am generally too busy with managing my luggage to have my camera out and ready to take pictures.

The day started in the Intercontinental with a breakfast similar to that I had yesterday at the large breakfast buffet. After a slightly lingering breakfast, it was up to the room to shower and pack everything for the trip to Chiang Mai. At 75 minutes flight time, this is not a long trip, but the journey to the airport and negotiating the check-in and security processes is the same as if a much longer flight were ahead. My flight to Chiang Mai leaves at 1:15 PM. I left the Intercontinental at 9:30 AM a little unsure how long the trip to the airport would take, estimating just less than an hour. And that was about right, maybe closer to 45 minutes total between the sky train from Chi Lom to Phaya Thai and then the Airport Rail Link from Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi airport (the main and relatively new airport serving Bangkok).

Suvarnabhumi Airport

After getting checked in and checking 2 out of my 3 pieces of luggage, I was a little freer to wander around part of the airport. Almost all of the check in areas are guarded by these "yaks" or Thai mythological giant guardians. The yaks are about 5-6 meters tall (16-20 feet), and are depictions of well-known yaks in the Thai mythology.

These in the airport look similar in many respects, probably because the airport designers wanted some consistency in the airport between the check in areas. In fact, they may have been made from the same molds with slightly different colors...I'd have to study them a bit more to know for sure. Seeing them at temples, they are vastly different. 

Sahassadeja, a chief of giants with a white body, was the ruler of Pangtan City. His younger brother, Phya Moonphlam, was a viceroy and friend of Tosakanth. Sahassadeja was a giant with 1000 faces and 2000 hands. His most important weapon was a Tan club. He was killed by Hanuman.

Askan Mara, also a chief of giants possessed a purple body (looks blue to me) and was the ruler of Duram City and friend of Tosakanth. He was also known as Askan-Ingrasoan. Askan-Mara was given a special blessing by Phra Isuan whereby any part of his body that was severed would become another body. The more parts severed, the more bodies would be formed. Finally, Askan-Mara was struck by a Phrommat arrow from Phra Rain's bow and the power of the arrow was such that it blew all his body parts into a river thus preventing them from forming new bodies and he was killed.

Tosakanth or Ravana, a giant with a green body, was the ruler of Lanka City. He had 10 faces and 20 hands and each hand was armed with a weapon. His chief consort was Naang Montho while the next in rank was Naang Kal-akoo. Tosakanth was the reincarnation of Nonthok (the giant who washed his feet at angels on Mount Krailat). He was the father of Naang Sida, whose mother was Naang Montho, but because he was unaware of this fact he went to war with Phra Ram to win Naang Sida in the story of Ramakian.

Maiyarab, a chief of giants with a light purple body, was the ruler of the subterranean world and a friend of Tosakanth. He was the stepfather of Machanu, a son of Hanuman and Suphanmacha. It was he who cast a spell on Phra Ram's army and then kidnapped and held him in an iron cage in the subterranean world. Hanuman succeeded in rescuing Phra Ram and killed Maiyarab.

 There are 14 of these yaks in the airport guarding 7 of the 9 check-in areas.

Suvarnabhumi is a very large airport, having been opened for business in 2006. The airport has the world's tallest free-standing control tower at 132 meters tall (434 feet), and the world's fourth largest single-building airport terminal (over 6 million square feet). It is the twentieth busiest airport in the world having handled 53 million passengers in 2012.

I finally made my way to through security and over a long walkway to the gate area, stopping to get a coffee and a snack along the way. By now there was only about half an hour to boarding.

The boarding process went quickly onto the Airbus A330-300 (a large airplane, sized between a Boeing 767 and a 747, with two aisles, 10 seats per row in coach, 3-4-3). Once we took off, it seemed we were landing at Chiang Mai. A bit of a wait for luggage, but it all came. 

Then it was off to an airport taxi and a $5 ride to the 3-Sis Guest House where I will be for the first two weeks of my stay here in Chiang Mai. Feels good to be in Chiang Mai again, much here is familiar to me. It is also good to know that I do not have to manipulate and negotiate luggage for some time.





Next: A Walk Around Chiang Mai