Staff memoirs from the road…
"A full moon evening in Bangkok, temperature a warm 28 C° and a soft breeze ...
Yes, the streets are crowded, the noise and bustle as hundreds of pedestrians making their way to Patpong for the night market...
...this did not bother them at all, as they sipped on their Kirr royal, feeling as if they are flying above the world. The amazement on peoples faces, as they watch the lights of the city below ... seems to blur their minds.
It all started as they were going to yet ‘another’ restaurant ... by bus, before catching the flight back home. As they made their way to the conference center, they caught glimpses of what they thought was an official delegation, embassy or heads of states, who knows... they were all there ... all 19 of them!
Flashing, silver, sparkling metal...19 brand new Mercedes sedans ... each one with a ECI VIP sign. The amazement and the excitement grew ... and just as they thought it was over...back to reality and to the comfort of their homes!!
So there they were ... each one of them exited and sashaying into the cars, assisted by their personal butlers ... departed quickly with a troop of police escorts ... flashing red lights and sirens whirred ... as they cruised through the Bangkok traffic like a snake through a dense jungle. As the lights of the city passed them by, traffic was stopped and the snake gently made its way to the tree ... the Banyan !
Upon arrival in the lobby of the hotel, they were zoomed by express elevator to the 59th floor in seconds... wondering what the next surprise would be. The next flight of stairs was never ending, as they seemed to reach for the sky ... and they did just that ... perched on top of the world...
As people sat and wondered, their minds could not stop marveling ... what a week ... how many intense sights, sounds and smells had reached their senses ... how many smiling faces had they seen ...
The splendor of the old Khmer empire, the smiling stone faces of the Bayon, the Kravan Temple lit up in the darkened Cambodian sky, where only the chanting of the monks in their red robes could disturb the quietness of the place ... as the Apsara dancers came to life from the dark stone ...