A Web Mandate in Bangkok

Accommodation: Adventure Hostel Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
Airline: Thai Lion Air
Airport Arrival: Don Mueang Airport
Flight: SL 201, depart Yangon 9:25am, arrive Bangkok 11:15am, $46.00 (includes 30kgs) via skyscanner.net
Money on Arrival: $85

Bangkok the 6th Time Around
After Yangon, skyscanner's cheapest airfare was $46 for Bangkok. Again? I was there for a month just 2 weeks ago! But the die was cast. Next thing to do was secure my lodging. With a web offer that was accepted, I was assured a 30-day stay in Bangkok. Let's see what mini-life awaits.

Thai Lion Air: Yangon to Bangkok
Usually, a border crossing is the most unnerving part of traveling. However, this trip from Yangon to Bangkok has been the most pleasant and painfree travel I've done in a long time. Air-conditioned tourist bus from Yangon central to airport was a mere $0.35 (MMK500). No snag whatsoever at the airport - from check-in, to immigration, to boarding. The Thai Lion Air flight was flawless - goes to show that unlike SpiceJet (which traumatized me), budget airlines can deliver great service at low price. Total, I only paid $46 including a 30kg check-in luggage! In an hour, I was already in Bangkok at Don Mueang Airport. Thai immigration gave me 30 days with no fuss...no lodging verification and no onward-flight scrutiny. I was to go by the same B5 local train to Bangkok proper but I saw the #510 bus that would drop me off Mo Chit BTS station for B17. Cool! I didn't have to do the long walk from Bang Sue station to Mo Chit with my 25kilos of luggage. From Mo Chit, I took a short bus ride for B9 and got off in front of my hostel. Whoa, how cheap was that? Altogether, door to door, from Yangon to Bangkok, including a 30kilo baggage allowance, it only cost me less than $50. You can't beat that!

Adventure Hostel Bangkok
It was good to be back at my old digs, Adventure Hostel Bangkok. I've spent a good many Bangkok visits staying here. With it's BTS Saphan Khwai train station location, it was so handy to get to any part of Bangkok. I love this place, I love the people who run it and I love being here.

The new deal I had with the owner was to develop a new website for them. The website will be compliant to the latest web standards, search-engine-optimized, responsive to phones and tablets, scalable to emergent technologies and will come in 3 languages - English, Thai and Chinese. In exchange, I get a roof over my head for the duration of my visa - no money changing hands. At least, I don't have to worry about where to sleep in the next 30 days. Whoa!

Cebu Yoga Crew in Bangkok
As good fortune would have it, my beloved yogi friends from Cebu were here in Bangkok attending Asia Fit Conference 2018 - AJ, Lita, Joy, Veronica, Lay and muscle guy. I met up with them for breakfast at Brighton Hotel in Bang Na where we had a fun time catching up, exchanging, reconnecting and bonding. It felt so good seeing them again.

breakfast with the yogis and yoginis of Cebu (pix by Joy)

Pavement Pounding
Experience taught me that writing marketing pitches have extremely low conversion rates. The best approach is to stop-by the establishment and see if I can talk to the owner. That way, they can see me and size me up. In the first 5 minutes of the talk, they can already form their opinion if I am someone they can be comfortable with. The way I present myself and my command of English give me a competitive edge from all the email solicitations they get. Of course, it is easier than done. The owner is usually not there, and to the extent he is there, he probably doesn't speak English. Still, the odds are better to close a deal by knocking on the door rather than sending an email.

Dalad Vietnamese Restaurant
First salvo was Dalad Vietnamese Restaurant within the neighborhood. It looked promising during my last visit, but didn't really get to eat there. I stopped-by again on this visit to try their Pho Soup. I did my Pho Soup immersion in Ho Chi Minh City just a few months ago and loved the gastronomic indulgence. Pho from Dalad Vietnamese is aromatic and notably, hygienic with a generous bunch of green leafy vegetables on a bowl. Unlike the Pho I've had in shabbily looking eateries in HCMC, Dalad comes close to a fine-dining experience. Everything looked dainty...almost like storybook feel to it given the resto theme. I talked to the owners and made them a wonderful offer they couldn't refuse. We shook hands on the barter-deal. Whoa! I'm coming back here and I'm bringing my friends. People do me favors all the time. With this deal, I can finally treat them.

Jessica
Jessica was one of the hostel guests sharing the mixed dorm room with me. She was both beautiful and bubbly unlike anyone else. She's from Beijing, but travels unlike most Chinese travelers. She traveled alone (instead of a pack), no word of English, but talks to everyone without understanding anyone! I was fond of her. When we talk, we would both use a language app to do the translation.

Ending Thoughts
Within just a few days, my benevolent universe has parted the Red Sea to assure me it's got my back covered. With lodging and food already looked after, I can breathe more easily. But, if I wish to really make it comfortable (for me and friends), I would like to close a cafe deal as well. Hopefull, sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, I have a few more prospects on the table - a video script for a beer's new logo launch and another hotel web development. Hopefully, something good comes out of it. I'm grateful at the abundance. For so many months, my mind has been racing for my survival. Now, I can cut a much needed slack.

Again, I am grateful...very grateful for all the wonderful things happening and looming on the horizon. Thank you Universe!

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Bangkok, Thailand

HOTEL

Adventure Hostel Bangkok - N7 BTS train stop, dorm rooms, great for solo travelers, laundry, roof deck, entertainment center, kitchen, all-day tea-coffee, fridge, clean
1541 Phahonyothin Rd. Payathai

RESTAURANT

Dalad Vietnamese Restaurant - N7 BTS train stop, authentic Vietnamese cuisine, clean & hygienic, fresh green leafy vegetables
195 Soi Pradipat 19, Pradipat Road, Phayathai

SPA / WELLNESS

Bangkok Float Center - experience a surreal sensory immersion as you effortlessly float on 10 inches of water, 5-stars from 524 Tripadvisor reviews
99/6-9 SHOW DC Retail and Entertainment Mega Complex (4th Floor)

 GYM| YOGA

Now's Fitness Bangkok - gym equipment, yoga, Muay Thai, boxing, fitness trainer, cafe, healthy food
726 Soi On Nut 14 Rd, Khwaeng Suan Luang, Khet Suan Luang, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10250

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