56 Surawong quarantine
My first two weeks in Bangkok were spent in a strict quarantine at the 56 Surawong Hotel. This is how I spent it
Lobby at the 56 Surawong Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.
I had barely glimpsed the landscape and people of Bangkok before I was put into quarantine. This wasn’t the suburban midwest you-can-still-live-your-life-just-don’t-be-around-people type quarantine, this was the real deal. When I arrived I was taken to a side entrance where I received a folder of outlining all the information I needed for my two week stay. My luggage was taken by an employee and sanitized twice (thrice?) as a woman at the desk talked me through all the rules and regulations for my quarantine. I was then led inside where an elevator was called for me, because I wasn’t allowed to touch anything, and I was escorted to my room.
I hadn’t put much thought into the hotel while booking it, picking it from a massive list of quarantine designated facilities provided by the Thai government. I pretty much clicked on the first link and booked the cheapest option that popped up, 56 Surawong Hotel. By some luck, it ended up being a perfect choice.
My quarantine room. Photos by author.
The room was spacious with a king size bed, a desk, TV, chair and footstool, and a massive window that let the sunlight in. With simple decor in shades of white and tan accented with blue, the room was pleasant and relaxing. The window looked over a small outdoor area on the second floor, enclosed by the sides of other hotels.
Information and supplies provided by hotel. Photo by author.
View from my room window. Photo by author.
The room also included a small fridge, kettle, and an assortment of teas and coffee. In the room I was greeted with another set of documents with more information about my quarantine stay, and everything I could possibly need for the next two weeks from toiletries to water bottles and trash bags.
As the door of my room closed it dawned on me that this was my first true quarantine since the start of the pandemic. All previous “lockdowns” hadn’t confined me all that much. I was always working one job or another, spending my days at the river or, like a real midwesterner, driving around aimlessly just so I could get out of the house. I’m not one to be happy sitting around at home all day. My restlessness almost always kicks me out into the world. This was my first time in true confinement and I was actually looking forward to some forced downtime.
Details from around my quarantine room. Photos by author.
Day 1-5
The first five days went by pretty quickly. Meals were delivered to me three times a day with a knock at the door. By the time I walked over, the knocker would be out of sight and the table outside my room would have a brown paper bag with my meal in it. Three times a day, everyday, always at the same time. Breakfast at 8am, lunch at noon, and dinner at 6pm. I hadn’t had such a regular eating schedule since I was 12, and three full meals a day overwhelmed me. There was commendable variety in the meals being served. My Asian heart was thrilled that most of the food, even breakfast, was rice based. And every meal came with dessert which could be slices of cake, fruit, or even puddings and jellos.
Vermicelli noodle soup with pork and wontons. Photo by author.
Jok, a traditional Thai rice porridge. Photo by author.
Besides food, I consumed copious amounts of television. Catching up on titles I missed, exploring what was available on Thai Netflix, and watching India’s cricket team beat England’s. I passed the first five days in a haze of jet lag and TV, logging my temperature twice daily on a special app.
Day 6-10
On day six, I got my first COVID test. A member of the staff came to my room, gave me shoe covers, and escorted me down to the testing area. A swab was shoved up to my brain and I was escorted back. My first time outside this room in five days and the whole affair lasted less than three minutes.
The next day, I was informed over Whatsapp that I had tested negative and would be allowed to spend 45 minutes outside in the designated “relaxation area.” In a truly prison-like fashion I was collected from my room, and brought down to the small patio that my room overlooked. For 45 minutes I made laps around the perimeter, pausing at the railing to look out into the street.
“Relaxation area” at 56 Surawong Hotel. Photo by author.
From then onwards, I got 45 minutes in the relaxation area every day. 45 minutes out in the sun to stretch my limbs, take my laps, and watch the small stretch of road over the railing. With only 85 steps around the prison yard, I started exercising to break the monotony. I changed the direction I walked in, doing a lap of lunges and then one of high knees, and whatever else I could think of. I spent the second part of quarantine looking forward to my time outside, reading the books I swore to myself I would finish in these two weeks, and trying to find the inspiration to build the website you’re looking at. But my mind was wandering and the website didn’t get built and the books didn’t get read.
On day 10 I stepped outside and found another person out in the prison yard. Thrilled to have some human interaction we skipped past the traditional pleasantries and got right to trading stories. He had come from London to train and compete in muay Thai, a style of boxing and the national sport of Thailand. He had spent a lot of time in Thailand and was thinking about moving here for a while. Aside from training and competing, he had also come to Bangkok to teach muay Thai at his friend’s gym.
View from the edge of the relaxation area. Photo by author.
We chatted about the hotel food and how quarantining has been for us. Discussed the state of the pandemic in our respective cities, the efficacy of vaccine rollouts, and the ways our lives had been thrown off-course by COVID. All the things that had replaced what used to constitute small talk.
Eventually he asked me the question I had been fielding for weeks. Why Thailand of all places?
I had answered this question a dozen different ways but this was the first time a stranger had asked me and all I could say was,
“I came for the food.”
I hadn’t realized that was my reason until then but saying it out loud, it seemed to ring true. Of course it wasn’t the whole truth, there were a myriad of other practicalities and considerations that were involved. But that didn’t sound as good. The whole truth is fuzzy and nebulous. I wasn’t there on a vacation, I wasn’t working or in school. I was sort of a tourist but not really a tourist at all. I had chosen to be untethered in a time where people are doing everything they can to remain tethered to something.
Noodle stir-fry and orange cake. Photo by author.
Fluffy cheesecake with blueberry sauce. Photo by author.
Day 11-14
I spent the last 4 days of my quarantine making lists of places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do in Bangkok. Even though I was trying not to be a tourist, there were a few boxes I wanted to check off and I was going to have plenty of time to do everything.
On day 13 I had my second COVID test and on day 14 I was declared fit to leave quarantine the following morning. I packed up my stuff, and shot a message to the Whatsapp group informing them I was ready to check out. I was collected from my room for the last time and taken down to the lobby via a separate elevator, presumably reserved only for the COVID free.
Pork fried rice, pastry, and dragonfruit breakfast. Photo by author.
Because I had come in through a side entrance, this was my first time in the lobby. Unlike the fairly simple rooms, the lobby was all bold motifs and contrasting patterns in shades of pink and green. Upon checking out, I received a letter confirming my fully completed quarantine and two negative COVID tests.
My AirBnB hosts had come to pick me up from quarantine and bring me to the apartment I would be staying at. On the drive over, I asked the two women all the questions I could think of. They gave me some advice about when and where to travel and told me about the amenities near the apartment building. I got the sense that they both understood English well but only one was fluent enough to carry a conversation with me. I asked them to teach me some everyday Thai phrases, and we drove through the city repeating “less spicy,” “right,” and “left” back and forth in Thai.
When we got there, I was formally registered with the building’s juristic office and shown around what would be my home for the next five months. After loading me up with tons of information and snacks, my hosts made their exit and with that I was well and truly, free.
