Suvarnabhumi Airport.Credit: iStock
TERMINAL FACILITIES
Passengers using Bangkok airport need to be aware there is no longer any central foodcourt or seating area. Each wing of the airport contains a few catering concessions, some with as few as six stools, some with no tables, with people wanting to eat different food unable to sit together.
Wi-Fi is theoretically available throughout the terminal, but in practice one has to make a purchase, then log onto a vendor's site, which then times the Wi-Fi. There are no showers, pay-in lounges for the comfort of long-haul transfer passengers, nor anywhere to put one's feet up.
Long walkways to departure gates have parallel rigid seats, but none in which people may sit facing each other and no tables for a laptop or reading material. At the gate lounges there is very limited seating for the elderly or disabled, but everyone else has to stand until boarding.
If an overnight break in Bangkok is supposed to leave one refreshed and relaxed for the onward flight, its airport seems designed to leave passengers tired and determined not to return.
Elizabeth Morris, Elsternwick, VIC
LETTER OF THE WEEK
I would agree entirely with Emma Felton regarding the issues surrounding single women travelling abroad (Traveller Letters, March 11). I would add that it gets worse when such women are elderly.
Some of us like our solitude and to experience other countries and cultures on our own without having to follow some guide in throngs of people and abide by choices made about what to see and for how long. Then there are the rip-offs in eating arrangements and touristy entertainment.
I found out long ago that there is another way of seeing the world. I am 84 years old and have travelled around the world and still do, literally on my own, on flights, in trains, on buses and driving a car to places I had never been to before.
I make use of no other information than my trusted iPhone, Wi-Fi connections and as much pre-travel information as I can get. I book places in advance, researching out-of-the way destinations to experience the world on many continents.
There are many tips that would be useful for solitary elderly women travelling overseas but it's usually assumed that everyone is male, a family or a couple of medium age.
Mia Campioni, Annandale, NSW
SANDAL SCANDAL
Well said, Geraldine Hare (Traveller Letters, March 11). I travelled at Christmas with Qantas from Sydney to Brisbane alone with an 18-month-old and a four-year-old. Qantas made me check my tiny pram through and I was carrying a hyperactive toddler under one arm and urging a dawdling four-year-old to keep up.
The buckle on my very open sandals set the alarm off and I was told in no uncertain terms to remove them. "You want to hold the baby?" I asked the sour face man who barked the order at me.
No, he did not. So I had to put her on the floor, tread on her dress so she couldn't escape, yell at the four-year-old to wait on the other side of the screening section for me and dodge businessmen and overloaded families pushing past.
Next time I will just say no.
Belinda Daley, Neutral Bay, NSW
LOCAL HEROES
I have very much appreciated lately the fact that travellers have made excellent recommendations on local travel organisers in countries such as India. I would love to hear of a similar local travel organiser in Myanmar. I would much rather give my money to a local with firsthand knowledge of their country.
Julie Stewart, Ainslie, ACT
VILLA THRILLER
Like Robbie Wensley (Traveller Letters, March 5-6), a friend and I also enjoyed the hospitality of Jon and Massimo at Villa Lenzi, Vicopisano, in Tuscany. Travelling in October 2015, at the end of peak season, we had the villa to ourselves, spending relaxing hours in the private courtyard, after extensive day tours with our hosts. It was a highlight in our month long trip to Italy.
Anne Richardson, Highett, VIC
AMERICAN HUSTLE
Travelling recently on the Mexico City Metro, I was approached by a well-dressed and well-spoken middle-aged American man who said he was a lawyer and that he'd left his passport and wallet in a taxi. He looked stressed and upset so I offered to help.
First, he asked to borrow a pen while he made a call to his airline from a public phone. But it soon escalated into him wanting me to collect money from a nearby bank that his "wife" in the US had just sent through (he said he needed someone with ID to collect the money).
Convinced this was a scam of some type, I told him I couldn't help and left. He walked with me back to the Metro station and even paid for my ticket to my next destination from the coins he had.
If it was a scam, at least he was polite.
Nick Brennan, Sydney, NSW
CASTLE KEEPS
On a recent trip to Britain and Ireland, two hotels I stayed at with my daughter really stood out – Peckforton Castle, near the historic city of Chester, and Ashford Castle on the shore of Lake Corrib, Cong, County Mayo.
Peckforton was like stepping into Camelot, a truly magical experience in a medieval-style castle. As for Ashford Castle, what an experience. It is luxury and hospitality on a grand scale.
Built in the early 13th century, the castle is surrounded by 140 hectares of woodland and gardens. Golf, falconry, and an indoor equestrian centre are just some of the activities. Beautiful rooms and great food, fantastic.
Greer Marinaro, Croydon North, VIC
WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES
The writer of the letter judged the best of the week will receive a Lonely Planet prize pack. See www.lonelyplanet.com.
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