Aahhhh, I’m back in Bangkok and it feels so good. I had told my classmates that I thought they’d like Bangkok even better than Ho Chi Minh, and we agreed. This city is much more developed, more cosmopolitan, and you just can’t beat Thai food.
On the first night, we arrived late and stopped for street food. I professed my love for mango sticky rice and we all gave it a shot. LIFE CHANGING, I tell you. You just can’t get good mangos, coconut, or dessert sticky rice outside of Asia. We also grabbed some stir-fried mixed veggies with tofu from a street vendor and it was AMAZING. I mean, these street carts definitely wouldn’t pass any city ordinances for cleanliness but they pump out some top-notch grub.
I was stunned by the view of river from my hotel room. Apparently I had stayed in the nightlife area of Bangkok the last time I visited, and certainly not the five-star hotel neighborhood. It feels like almost a different city. Bangkok is a destination for plastic surgery among the rich and famous, dental care for Aussies, and healthcare for Middle Easterners. And they all stay in the area near our hotel, so it’s quite a melting pot with lots of high-end shopping and restaurants.
Our first business visit in Thailand was Pfizer, where I had so many questions. Coming from a US-centric view of healthcare, the Thai business environment was fascinating to me. The people of Pfizer Thailand are very entrepreneurial and proactive, not at all satisfied with the status quo – and they actually make progress on their incredibly innovative projects. I somewhat wonder if the regulatory environment slows us down in the US or if it’s just a difference in culture. It felt like nobody has ever said “no” to these people – they just keep charging ahead. It was really impressive. I’ve also always been on the US side where drugs and medical devices are designed and manufactured (including a year spent at Pfizer itself). It was interesting to hear how Thailand wants to be involved in clinical trials and the upfront development work, since it really affects the outcome of their business. It was really great to hear their perspective, as it will help me be a better global business partner.
We’ve been lucky to get time on the weekends in Bangkok, which means more sightseeing (since businesses are closed). Our tour guide Anne has been incredibly hospitable. She took us not only on our regularly scheduled programming, but also set us up with massages and a clothes tailor during her free time. The tailor was quite an experience – we came away with silk robes, patterned pants, custom designed blouses, and pieced-together suits.
As an intro to the city, we did an “immersion activity” where we all split up into groups and explored in a scavenger-hunt style. My group wound up in the biggest, fanciest mall I have ever seen. Take all of the very, very high end stores you can think of in New York, London, Hong Kong, multiply them by three and put them in a mall – that’s what this was. It was unbelievable. Lunch was in the “food court” of this mall, which was a series of indoor restaurants and counter-service food. It was entirely overwhelming but really fun to experience with the others in my group.
We also cleared our pores (aka sweated like crazy) while exploring the Grand Palace. I had visited the Palace when I was in Bangkok a few years ago while it was 110 degrees outside. My main memory was sprinting from one puddle shade to the next. Yet again, even though it was only 92 degrees, we ran from one puddle shade to the next. Our tour guide says it’s winter, it’s cold…we’ll agree to disagree. And the palace was beautiful, of course. The gold and gems and downright glamour of this place is outstanding.
