I've always wanted to write about my travelling experience, sharing good tips and beautiful places to you guys, but i was too lazy to edit, organize and come out with something memorable. However, this time, i've decided that i wanna share my trips with you guys because i want to immortalize these memories and also hopefully, that these travelling related posts can help you guys in planning your future trips. I hope you will enjoy this as much as i do in preparing it. Without further ado, follow me into my spring time adventure in Thailand.
This was my graduation trip with my classmates 2 months ago, where we visited a few places in our friendly neighbour--Thailand. This post is all about our first stop--Bangkok. I'll elaborate more on the details of the trips, highlights, recommendations for food and places to go, and of course, the cost for everything.
Once landed, we took a cab from the airport straight to our hotel for two nights at Pratunam district, Bangkok City Center. We have a total of 7 people, so we split up into 2 taxi. Just a little information about Thailand's cabs, they are known to be cheap but please be careful when calling a cab. If you are in the airport, you can opt for the taxi service at the end of the airport and queue for 15 minutes or so to hire a metered taxi. Beware of those taxi drivers around the airport that are promoting illegally, promising 'cheap fare' but they usually do not use meter, so it could be more expensive.
However, in Thailand, the taxi companies enforced a law to all taxi drivers that they cannot carry out their work after 10pm. Hence, during late night, some of the taxi drivers would still drive around illegally, getting customers without using the taxi meter, only by a single offer they give. This is the time to be careful and cautious, be wise and NEGOTIATE!
We got ourselves 2 triple (Deluxe) rooms with breakfast included, at RM 200 per night, each person around RM 50 per night for a 3-stars-hotel! How worth-it right? The rooms are spacious, quiet, clean and internet speed was incredible! Staffs were friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this boutique hotel to all my readers who are planning to visit Bangkok in the future!
We reached the market at 9am, which was a little bit too early as most of the shops was still asleep. To my amazement, this market is seriously HUGE. It was messily sectioned into 27 'Soi' or streets. Each Soi stores different style and type of merchandises. You can refer to the photo below, courtesy of www.chatuchak.org
Some of the tips to conquer the market in the most limited time and energy you have, is to:
1. BARGAIN-reduce the price to 50% and slowly go up.
2. BE DECISIVE-if you really like it, chances are you won't be able to see the similar item elsewhere at similar price and it is difficult to go back to the exact same stall to purchase it after you left. So, the rule is, IF YOU LOVE IT, BUY IT!
3. KEEP HYDRATED-the market can be very hot and stuffy as the day goes by and crowd grows bigger. Be sure to drink lots of water or juices to prevent heat stroke! There are plenty of drink stalls you can purchase from.
One of our greatest finds was this coconut ice-cream. Trust me, almost every coconut ice-cream here is better than Malaysia ones. They were authentic, fragrant, refreshing, creamy, sweet and memorable. The range of price is within 30 to 60 baht, you can alter the number of scoops of ice-cream and different toppings. Until now, i am still missing the flavours i got from this wonderful summer dessert.
What to do when you get all tired from all the shopping? When you're in Thailand, the answer is definitely FOOT MASSAGE! Some of us visited the nearby massage parlour to get some really affordable massage service. In Thailand, the most famous massage service would be Thai Massage, which you will receive a full body massage, along with some interesting stretching, something similar to Chiropractic. For foot massage, expect to pay like 99 baht only to enjoy 30 minutes of wonderful, soothing and relaxing experience.
This was my graduation trip with my classmates 2 months ago, where we visited a few places in our friendly neighbour--Thailand. This post is all about our first stop--Bangkok. I'll elaborate more on the details of the trips, highlights, recommendations for food and places to go, and of course, the cost for everything.
Day 1: 27th February, 2016
1.30pm KLIA 2--Bangkok Don Muang Airport
We booked our flight as early as 4 months ago, when Air Asia was doing a promotion. Therefore, we got some affordable tickets from KLIA 2 to Bangkok and flying back from Krabi. The total cost was RM 340 (tax included) for both trips. |
| Hello to the land of colourful cultures! |
However, in Thailand, the taxi companies enforced a law to all taxi drivers that they cannot carry out their work after 10pm. Hence, during late night, some of the taxi drivers would still drive around illegally, getting customers without using the taxi meter, only by a single offer they give. This is the time to be careful and cautious, be wise and NEGOTIATE!
4.30pm: Checked in to Hotel De Bangkok
Before this, we had booked all our accommodation via online companies such as Agoda, Booking.com etc. We found this hotel through Agoda.com, plus recommendation by friends. The hotel that we would be staying for the next 3 days is Hotel De Bangkok. This boutique hotel is situated strategically at the city center, only 5 minutes walk to the nearest BTS (train station)--Ratchaprarop, 10 minutes walk from the ever busy Pratunam District. This hotel being hidden within Soi 12 is away from noises and comes in a extremely valuable price per night. Breakfast is included as well.
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| A queen size bed+super single bed |
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| My lovely girls |
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| Squeaky clean bathroom |
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| The balcony |
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| Balcony view |
5.30pm: Early dinner at Som Tam Nua Thai Restaurant, Siam Center
After we settled down, we decided to go for early dinner at Som Tam Nua in Siam Center, Pratunam. We took 2 cabs to there, since we have more people and were starving for food. Som Tam Nua is famous for its papaya salad (Som Tam) as its name suggests. Little do people know, that it is also well known for its Isaan-cuisine (northern Thailand). We ordered the must-have--Papaya Salad, along with some local bites like fried chicken wings, spicy pork soup and others. Unfortunately, we were disappointed by the portion, taste and the pricey bill as well. I would not recommend this place for proper dinner, but if you are looking forward to taste some milder version of papaya salad (less spicy, less sour), this could be a suitable choice for you. Each person costs around 250 baht. |
| Spicy pork soup |
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| Signature Pad Thai |
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| Signature Papaya Salad (Som Tam) |
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| Fried Chicken Wings |
6.30pm: Snacks and desserts in Siam Paragon (Food Court, Kyo Roll En, After You Cafe)
Anyway, we felt much better after our discoveries in Siam Paragon, which is a few blocks away from Siam Center. At the basement floor, we found some really delicious BBQ pork satay. Not to mention, the wonderful matcha desserts at Kyo Roll En and Bangkok's signature cafe--After You Cafe for its honey toast and more! You can read more about these at my previous entry: KyoRollEn & AfterYou
9pm: Night walk at Asiatique
After all the sweet but guilty pleasures, we hopped on to Asiatique, a riverbank commercial harbour, that is so happening, packed with food, fashion, local snacks and more. You can read more here, at my previous entry few years back: Asiatique
Day 2: 28th February, 2016
8am: Headed over to Chatuchak Weekend Market
Early in the morning, after we had some wholesome breakfast in Hotel De Bangkok, we headed over to Chatuchak weekend market. The reason of going so early is to avoid the huge crowd at noon time and to avoid sweating our s*** out due to the noon sun. Everybody knows Thailand is a tropical country, hot and humid just like Malaysia. Plus, the popular Chatuchak weekend market is not exactly a place with good ventilation, so guys, plan your trip here earlier, but not too early because most of the shops fully opens only at 10 am. Anyway, we took the Skytrain from the nearest station--Ratchaprarop to Phaya Thai, followed by cab, that carried us directly to the frontdoor of the market. The total cost was around 70 baht per person.
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| The beautiful view at BTS station |
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| With my beautiful girls |
Some of the tips to conquer the market in the most limited time and energy you have, is to:
1. BARGAIN-reduce the price to 50% and slowly go up.
2. BE DECISIVE-if you really like it, chances are you won't be able to see the similar item elsewhere at similar price and it is difficult to go back to the exact same stall to purchase it after you left. So, the rule is, IF YOU LOVE IT, BUY IT!
3. KEEP HYDRATED-the market can be very hot and stuffy as the day goes by and crowd grows bigger. Be sure to drink lots of water or juices to prevent heat stroke! There are plenty of drink stalls you can purchase from.
One of our greatest finds was this coconut ice-cream. Trust me, almost every coconut ice-cream here is better than Malaysia ones. They were authentic, fragrant, refreshing, creamy, sweet and memorable. The range of price is within 30 to 60 baht, you can alter the number of scoops of ice-cream and different toppings. Until now, i am still missing the flavours i got from this wonderful summer dessert.
11.45am: Welcome to Bangkok's most popular shopping haven--Platinum Mall
Around noon time, we hopped over to Platinum Mall for lunch and second round of shopping. Come on girls, shopping never stop in Bangkok right? We grabbed some simple lunch from Platinum's top floor food court. This food court comprises of hundreds different types of cuisines and snacks. I'm sure everyone would be able to find their favourite here. I ordered a bowl of Thai traditional spicy pork noodle soup, which is also known as Thai boat noodle in Malaysia. It was pretty decent, broth was thick, flavourful and slightly spicy.
5pm: Dessert time at Mango Tango
They say time flew by when girls are shopping. Oh man, so true! Few hours past by and we left Platinum Mall with a heavy heart but when stomach is calling, you gotta feed it right? We visited Mango Tango at Siam Square for some quick bite to quench our thirst in this summer evening. I wrote more about this in my previous post, do have a read over there: MangoTango
7.30pm: Local Thai dinner at Baan Ajam
After that, we went back to our crib for short break because our poor feet needed some rest after all that shopping. During dinner time, our friendly hotel receptionist introduced us to this local Thai restaurant that she personally adores, just around the corner. It is called the Baan Ajam, just a 10 minute walk way from our hotel. This humble hut combines the concept of Western pub with local cuisine, attracting many foreign tourists as well as locals to dine in this comfortable place. We enjoyed our time here, but personally i would prefer more spiciness in those dishes. The pricing here was a little bit more than average, about 250 baht per person.
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| Thai Appetizer |
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| Tom Yam |
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| Green Curry Chicken |
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| Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables |
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| Pad Thai |
10pm: Supper at random roadside stall
After that, my crew decided to have supper around the same neighbourhood as well. We stopped by a roadside stall and have some simple snacks like papaya salad, BBQ salted fish, clear tomyam soup over iced beers to end this beautiful day. |
| Chilled beer |
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| Papaya Salad |
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| BBQ Fish |
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| Tom Yam |
Day 3: 29th February, 2016
7am: Visited Pratunam Morning Market
Well, i woke up insanely early for this morning market that was rumored to have the best bargain. Pratunam Morning Market is located opposite from Platinum Mall, behind the wholesale mall. There are plenty of stand-up stalls selling mostly female fashion items, all at a wholesale price, meaning you have to buy 3 and above to get a discount, or else, the price would be something similar to Platinum Mall's ones. It starts as early as 4 am and fully close at 9am. However, after visiting this place, i would say, save your morning sleep and skip this destination because with these items and price they offer, you can easily get from any wholesale malls, like the one next to it. I didn't get a single thing from this market but surprisingly, more inside the wholesale mall which opens almost 24/7. Girls, if you plan to visit these wholesale malls, be sure to find some companions and dont travel alone. Chances are you won't be able to buy 3 items of the same designs and you would need some friends to help you to accumulate 3 items to get a wholesale price. Another factor is safety. Pick pockets are quite common around this squishy neighbourhood. Stay safe!11am: Checked out and headed to lunch at Cabbages & Condoms at Sukhumvit 12
We quickly packed and checked out from our lovely accommodation. Lunch destination today is a rather interesting place that is quite famous for its decor and even its name. Inspired by its founder's passion for safe sex and prevention of sexual diseases, this restaurant gained its stardom from the concept, food and free condoms which the restaurant gives out freely to urge the public to practice safe sex. I'll blog more about it if you guys are interested. Let me know in the comment box below!
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| Onion flavoured dumplings |
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| Pandan Chicken |
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| Tom Yam |
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| With my travel crew |
I was pretty impressed with the place, concept and service but sadly not the food. Although some dishes were unique but my taste buds wasn't thrilled with bland and boring flavours. My purse is certainly not happy with the sky-high pricing. For our simple lunch, each person costs roughly 300baht. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for a proper lunch or dinner, but it still deserving for visitation just for the ideology and concept of this place.
After lunch, we headed to our next destination. If you would love to learn more about our where-to, how-to and what-to-do in our next destination, be sure to let me know in the comment box below. Please feel free to ask me any question regarding my trip to Bangkok, Thailand. I'll try my best to answer them and help you in planning your next trip to Thailand. I hope you enjoyed my first travelogue! If you guys love it, i'll prepare more of this in the future, including my trip to the Europe! Have a great week ahead! xoxo
