Monthly Archives: March 2013

Asia, Destinations, Singapore, Travel Feature

KrisFlyer Gold Lounge – Singapore Changi Airport T2

Welcome to my review of the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge at terminal 2 of Changi Airport. It is a Star Alliance Gold lounge at the dedicated lounge area of terminal 2.

Singapore Changi T2 - KrisFlyer Gold Lounge
Singapore Changi T2 – KrisFlyer Gold Lounge

After presenting your boarding pass and Star Alliance Gold member card to the lounge agent. You find yourself at a not so well lit room with with lounge chairs and a buffet selection. You can find here an intensive selection of hot and cold food.

The hot food are typical Asian dishes. A selection of different cereals and yogurt or milk is available. Fresh fruits like bananas and apples can also be found.

A selection of non alcohol drinks like bottled orange juice and soft drinks are available in the fridge.

There’s also a coffee machine which makes espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiatto and other.

If you go further you will find a more silent area of the lounge with a selection of news papers and a huge TV screen.

Overall this lounge is a good place to spend some time before your next flight. The lighting setup should be improved, it’s a bit dark.

Asia, Destinations, Thailand, Travel Advice, Travel Feature

How to use MRT in Bangkok

The MRT subway is a convenient way to get around. The fares start at 16 baht for a single journey.

Take the stairs from street level to the station. Upon entering you have to go through a metal detector like at airports.
Go to a ticketing machine. You will find there a touch screen with map that displays, how much the fare is when you select your journey. After you payed your fare you will receive a small plastic coin. This is your ticket.

Bangkok traffic
Bangkok traffic

Most ticket vending machines accept coins and also bank notes. Day passes are also available. You can purchase them only at the ticket counters located at some stations. Go through the fare gate by placing your coin/token on the scanner.

The system works similar to public transport in Europe, look for a sign that tells the name of last station of the line. This will show you in which direction which train will take you. Board the train. On the train they will make announcements about the next stop both in Thai and English. Get off at your designated stop and exit the station through the fare gate.

There’s currently 1 line running through the city. The government of Bangkok is still working on extending the existing network.

Here’s a video by DiscoveryThailand, which explains the system pretty detailed.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHW8TyuoLuE

Asia, Destinations, Thailand, Travel Advice, Travel Feature

How to use BTS Sky train in Bangkok

The BTS sky train is a convenient way to get around. The fares start at 10 baht for a single journey.
It runs on tracks above the streets of this vibrant city. Take the stairs from street level to the station.

Bangkok - Nana BTS station
Bangkok – Nana BTS station

Go to a ticketing machine. You will find there a map that displays, how much the fare is for your selected journey. Also look for the name of last stop of this train line, this is important as you will see later.Press the button with the right the fare for your route, pay and receive your paper ticket.

Most ticket vending machines accept only coins. There are some machines that accept also bills, but only at selected stations. Day passes are also available for 150 baht. You can purchase them only at the ticket counters located at some stations.Go through the fare gate.

Next, take the stairs or escalator up to the trains. The system works similar to public transport in Europe, look for a sign that tells the name of last station of the line. This will show you in which direction which train will take you. Board the train. On the train they will make announcements about the next stop both in Thai and English. Get off at your designated stop and exit the station through the fare gate.

Some train stations are also connected to nearby shopping malls by a overpass.

There are currently 2 lines running through the city, you can use your ticket on all lines.

The government of Bangkok is still working on extending the existing network. E.g the trains don’t run to the northern districts yet.

Here’s a video by DiscoveryThailand, which explains the system pretty detailed.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1tuJt5IyUw