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I have been traveling to Thailand off and on for the previous 35 years. I was stationed in Bangkok in the early 70s and I nonetheless go on holiday there 2 or three times each year. With all of those trips, I knew the Bangkok International Airport like the back of my hand. In September 2006, the new airport, Suvarnabhumi (su-war-na-poom) opened and the finish of the Don Muang era came to a bittersweet close. Suvarnabhumi is now the official International Airport for Bangkok and Don Muang has been relegated to domestic flights. I now had to discover to navigate this new metal monster. Suvarnabhumi, which means Golden Land is about 30 km east of Bangkok in an region recognized as Nong Ngu Hao, or Cobra Swamp. The complicated covers 32 square kilometers, and has the worlds tallest manage tower (132 meters). The passenger terminal has 360 check-in desks, 120 gates, and accommodations for handling 45 million passengers a year. Visit  [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2TX0Cgl-v4 small blue arrow]  to read where to deal with this activity. Surrounding the airport are flooded rice paddies. The new airport is an architectural masterpiece of metal and glass and is aesthetically gorgeous. My only complaint is that it is a long hike from the arrival gate till you in fact reach the Immigration lines. It appears like miles. On the plus side, as soon as you clear Immigration, there is giant electronic display board which tells you exactly where your luggage is. There are a lot of luggage carousels and understanding specifically which a single is yours tends to make life a tiny simpler. After you get your bags, clearing customs is a snap. I have never ever been checked when in more than 35 years of flying in to Bangkok. The subsequent factor you will face is the taxi mafia gauntlet. Bags in hand, you will stroll into a mass of humanity some waiting for loved ones most waiting to harass you. For further information, we understand you check out:  [http://www.500cars.com/ compare taxis in reading] . They are the infamous clipboard toting taxi mafia. They will pester you, block your way, ask exactly where you go, and never give up no matter how numerous occasions you refuse and no matter how many languages you swear at them in. Getting utilised all of your best football moves, you function your way previous the clipboard thugs and head for the down escalator. This will take you to legal and significantly a lot more reasonable taxis. I discovered  [http://www.500cars.com/ purchase taxis reading]  by searching Bing. You will have to spend a tiny fee but you will get some piece of mind in return. The taxis are registered, the girls in the booth speak English, and you wont have to do any bargaining as these taxis use their meters. If your cabbie offers to take you and not use the meter, agree upon a value and who will be paying for the tolls. This will be your first opportunity to knowledge haggling in Asia. Have exciting. I cant vouch for all the taxi drivers but I did locate a single very sincere 1 using this service last year. Dig up more about  [http://www.500cars.com/ reading taxis]  by visiting our dynamite article directory. I left my credit card wallet in the cab and the driver contacted my hotel and arranged to return my plastic intact. He was rewarded handsomely and saved me a lot of hassle and possibly a lot of income. Now you will knowledge the controlled chaos of driving in Bangkok. It is indescribable and has to be knowledgeable. Say a prayer and hope for the finest. If you plan to go anywhere in Thailand, you may possibly be lucky enough to fly out of the old International Airport Don Muang. It resembles far more of a ghost town than an airport but still brings back to me memories of hundreds of trips to Thailand. Being the first thing you see in a foreign country, you develop a fondness for airports. I guess I will get more than it and learn to accept Suvarnabhumi and treat this new International Airport as a new buddy. I have been there twice and will return in March, 2008 for one more holiday. And, luckily, I will get to visit my old friend, Don Muang, the next day as I head up to Khon Kaen. It will be excellent to see old and new friends.