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Welcome
Pack
Timetable of events
Day
Saturday May 9th
Time
7.00am
Location
Aloft Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 11
and
Event
Transfer to pitches at Harrow
International School
Amari Boulevard, Sukhumvit
Soi 7
Sun May 10th
8.00am-5.00pm
Harrow International School
South Asian Gaelic Games
4.30pm (approx.)
Harrow International School
SAGG Awards presentation
5.00pm
Harrow International School –
bus pick-up
Transfer back to Aloft Hotel and
Amari Boulevard
8.00pm-10.00pm
Aloft Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 11
South Asian Gaelic Games
Social
10.00pm
Soi 11 and other Sukhumvit
sois
…and the world’s your oyster….
12.00pm onwards
Aloft Hotel, Sukhumvit Soi 11
Check out and head to airport
Useful Information
1. Arrivals at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) east of Bangkok and Don Mueang (DMK) north of Bangkok.
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Most nationalities may enter Thailand for tourism purposes without a visa, although holders of Taiwanese
passports need to apply for a 15-day Visa on Arrival at the airport.
Both airports are about 45 minutes from Bangkok city centre, depending on traffic, with Friday evening/night
adding about 20-30 mins extra.
Thai baht can be bought at exchange bureau at the airport or withdrawn from the many ATMs at arrivals. Ask
for 100B notes as taxis often won’t have change of 1000B notes. At ATMs, it’s advisable to withdraw cash in
figures that end in 900, ie 3,900B or 4,900B, so you are given notes other than 1,000B.
Public taxis are plentiful and can be found on the first floor of Suvarnabhumi (through arrivals and down the
escalator) and the ground floor of Don Mueang. There is a queueing system in place for both and you will be
assigned a taxi. For trips into Bangkok taxis are metered and on top of the 35 baht starting fee, there is also a
50 baht surcharge (so add 50 baht to the meter at the end). The passenger is liable for tollways – from
Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang this is about 70 baht. Ask the taxi driver to take the tollway (“Bpai tang duang”
is what you need to say to him). Make sure the taxi looks in reasonable shape – many of these public taxis still
do not have seat belts fitted in the back seat and may have difficulty handling large bags.
There are two train lines running between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Phaya Thai/Makkasan station. One is the
Airport Express, the other is the City Line. Both run on the same track from 6am to midnight, but one stops at
each station and the Express will go all the way to either Phaya Thai or Makkasan station. The fare for Airport
Express is 150 baht (return valid within 2 weeks) and 90 baht (single); the fare for City Line is 45 baht between
the Airport and Phaya Thai. The journey time is 15 mins and 30 mins respectively. Your best bet is to go to
Phaya Thai you can take the BTS to Nana, which is close to where the hotels for the SAGG are situated. If you
get off at Makkasan you will have to take a short taxi ride to the hotel, which may take a while if traffic is heavy.
Alternatively you can connect to take the MRT from Makkasan to Sukhumvit MRT station, follow the signs to
Asok BTS and take the BTS to the next stop Nana.
Bangkok
Since its founding in 1782 by King Rama I, the first king of the present Chakri dynasty, Bangkok has swelled to a
cosmopolitan, 21st century city of more than ten million inhabitants. And it certainly feels that crowded when you’re
trying to find a taxi on a Friday night or are stuck in traffic on your way to Gaelic training. Hopefully traffic won’t affect
GAA visitors to the City of Angels: the hotels that are supporting the 2015 South Asian Games are very conveniently
located right in the heart of the action on Sukhumvit Road.
Sukhumvit, as the locals know it, is a fairly long stretch of macadam, leading from the centre of town out to the
beachfront city of Pattaya some 150km away and then all the way to the Cambodian border 500km away, and is in
many ways the heart of modern Bangkok. From the parts of town your mammy warned you about (Nana and Cowboy)
to high-end malls and shopping centres (Emporium, Terminal 21), Sukhumvit has it all and then a little bit more. And
after dark, Sukhumvit comes alive with Soi 11 being the epicentre of entertainment in the centre of town.
Soi, by the boi, is the Thai word for street and Bangkok’s streets are fairly safe to travel as long as you keep your wits
about you. Don’t be surprised to find a motorcycle coming against you on the footpath or a food cart blocking your way,
or indeed the footpath being a tiny sliver of concrete that a stick insect would have difficulty ambling along. Generally
speaking though, crime is not a huge problem but do be aware that bag snatching can happen on these sois, especially
if it’s dark and your bag is streetside.
Getting around town is easy. You can take the Skytrain (above ground) or the MRT (underground) rail systems to get
across town or you can take a taxi. Taxis are cheap but do insist on the cabbie turning on the meter, otherwise a 60
baht jaunt could turn into a 300 baht run around the houses.
Facts and figures
Currency: Thai baht (sometimes amusing spelled bath). At the time of writing 100B = £2.00;
$3.07; €2.82; MYR10.97; SGD18.27; and CNY19.02.
Electricity: 220v with two-prong plugs. You may have to get a simple plug adaptor if you want
to charge devices.
Language: Thai is a tonal language that isn’t the easiest to pick up. Levels of English spoken in Bangkok ranges from
very good to non-existent, with the latter bracket being the most common. Be aware that even if someone doesn’t
understand what you have said they will still smile and say “Yes”, for fear of losing face. Men should say “khrap” at the
end of sentences to be polite and women should say “khaa”.
Useful phrases:
Hello – Sawatdee Khrap/Khaa
How are you? – Saabaai dee mai?
Fine – Sabaai dee
How much? – Tao rai khrap/khaa?
Thank you – Korp khun khrap/khaa
1 – neung; 2 – sorng; 3 – saahm; 4 – see; 5 – haah; 6 – huk; 7 – jet; 8 – bayrt; 9 – gao; 10 – sip. 20 = yee-sip; 30 =
saahm-sip; 60 = huk-sip, etc. 100 – neung roy; 1000 – neung paan.
OK/Fine/No problem/Whatever – mai bpen rai.
Sorry – kohr toht.
Where’s the toilet? – Horng nahm yoo tee nai?
Two Singha beers please – Ow beea Sing sorng koo-ut khrap/khaa.
Take me to Suvarnabhumi airport – Bpai sanaam bin Soowannapoom.
Take me to Don Mueang airport – Bpai sanaam bin Don Mueang.
Map of the BTS/MRT systems for the city centre
Hotels
Our designated hotel for the 2015 South Asian Games is the Aloft Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 11. The Aloft is centrally
placed about 300 metres up Soi 11 on the left hand side. The other hotel that is being used for the tournament is the
Amari Boulevard, which is located nearby on Sukhumvit Soi 7. Both hotels are within walking distance of each other and
of the popular night spots about town. Nana BTS is just around the corner on Sukhumvit Road.
The 2015 SAGG Social will take place at the Aloft on Soi 11 at 8pm on the Saturday night, and this is also where buses
to the pitches will depart on Saturday morning at 7am.
Aloft Soi 11
Amari
Boulevard
Nana BTS
Pubs
There’s a good selection of bars to go to near your chosen hotel and our recommendation is Flann O’Brien’s on
Thonglor Soi 8 (nearest BTS is Thonglor and then a short hop in a cab or on a bike). Flann’s is a good friend of the Thai
GAA and does a smashing all-day breakfast (with black pudding, very important that) and a good range of Western
beers, including Guinness, Kilkenny and Magner’s. Another pub worth checking out is The Dubliner on Sukhumvit Soi
33 (closest BTS is Phrom Pong), which is always good for the craic and serves mighty fine food and drink.
Pitches
We have got three grass pitches to play on and they are located at Harrow International School on the outskirts of
Bangkok, right beside Don Mueang airport. If you are not on the buses, taxies will be able to take you to the school.
Journey time from town early on a Saturday morning should be no more than 30 minutes.
First throw in is at 8.00am. Prizes and medals will be presented pitchside at the end of the day before competitors take
to the buses to head back to town.
Food and drink will be available throughout the day – with on-site caterers whipping up a variety of dishes including
grilled chicken and sticky rice, wraps, noodles, burgers, fries, sandwiches and fresh fruit. Soft drinks will also be on sale,
in addition to Gatorade and smoothies. Cold water will also be provided for teams so it is advisable to bring your own
bottles for water refills.
There are shower facilities at the pitches, if you want to scrub up before getting on the bus back to town.
Harrow International School Bangkok
45 Soi Kosumruamchai 14, Kosumruamchai Rd.,
Sikun, Don Muang, Bangkok, 10210 Thailand
ทีอ่ ยู่ :
โรงเรียนนานาชาติฮาร์โรว์
45 ซอยโกสุมรวมใจ 14 ถนนโกสุมรวมใจ
แขวงสีกนั เขตดอนเมือง, กรุงเทพฯ 10210
Hospitals and medical
Bangkok has a large international community and quite a number of large hospitals, such as Bumrumgrad and
Samitivej.
Medical cover for the games will be provided by Harrow’s nurses and will additionally consist of a defibrillator and
ambulance supplied by Samitivej Srinakarin. The closest hospital to the hotels is Bumrumgrad on Sukhumvit Soi 3.
Samitivej Srinakarin
Bumrumgrad Hospital
488 Srinakarin Road,
33 Sukhumvit Soi 3,
Suanluang, Bangkok 10250
Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel: 02-022-2222
Tel: 02-667-1000
Heat and health
April, historically the hottest month, saw temperatures in Thailand reach 40ºC and over. Now that we’re in May, there
have been a few showers and things a little cooler… though not by much. Over the past few weeks, temperatures have
been regularly topping 37 with plenty of sun, so all participants in the games should ensure they are suitably prepared
and protected – suncream, water, electrolytes etc.
Cost of medical care is up to the individual. All participants should ensure they have adequate medical insurance in
place before participating in the South Asia Gaelic Games.
Contact Numbers
Thailand GAA Chair John Campbell +66851416497
Thailand GAA Secretary Ger Duignan +66982567465
Thailand GAA Treasurer Stephen Sweeney +66822761110
Thailand GAA PRO Michael Byrne +66870790105
Irish Consulate, Bangkok : +6626326720
General Medical Emergency Number 1169
Tourist Police 1155