I did manage a day trip to nearby Johor Bahru in Malaysia but as far as plane ride is concerned, my last flight was in January 2020, to Bangkok. And this time round, it's yet again a trip to the Land of Smiles and City of Angels. Yes, Bangkok again!
3,374 pictures and videos; I think the pandemic has addressed my penchant for being trigger happy when it comes to photo taking. In the past, just one DSLR would have resulted in over 5,000 pictures for a short 5-day trip.
Whatever the case, appended below is the list of detailed postings for ease of reference. I finally did it after almost six months!
Departure / Arrival Hall - while there were ongoing renovations, things didn't appear to have changed very much from pre-pandemic times. The two things I would always do is to check out the duty free pricing of the perfume brand I like and whether there are new editions of Absolut Vodka.
Butterfly Garden - "the world's first butterfly garden in an airport", with over 1,000 of them across 40 species! It's free entry by the way and you should pay it a visit if you are not pressed for time.
Boarded the plane; SQ712 from Terminal 1 instead of Terminal 3. We were fortunate to have found this out earlier as Alex and I have the tendency to wait till 30 minutes before departure to arrive at the gate.
Nonetheless, it's good to be seated in the plane, watching movies while flying thousands of feet above land. p.s. food wasn't fantastic and it was quite stuffy. Thankfully it was just a 2.5 hour ride. p.s. I can only managed the above pathetic view as I didn't opt for seat selection (chargeable).
Breathing in Bangkok air! There's the airport rail link but I always prefer a taxi ride from Suvarnabhumi Airport. Pricing depends on where you are going and there's a manageable top up of 50 baht from the official airport taxi queue.
Some of my friends don't get it why I don't like to take an earlier flight; to me, I don't mind sleeping late but I dislike waking up insanely early and getting all stressed up over the things to prepare for my departure.
Dinner time at Bar.B.Q Plaza in Centralworld shopping centre! I knew this is a chain restaurant and has been around for a long time; I noticed packed premises whenever I walked past its numerous branches and it was on my to-eat list for a while! In a nutshell, no regret on what we had and I should have patronized it earlier!
Shopping at Big C Supercenter; this specific branch opposite Centralworld was usually flooded with Singaporeans and Malaysians given its size and proximity to Pratunam / Siam area. Usual closing hour was at 10.00 pm but it appeared to have been extended to 11.00 pm!
Day Two (07 July 2022)
I craved for authentic Thai food in the past two years during the pandemic and one of the restaurants I die-die want to return was Here Hai restaurant! No longer a hidden gem with its Michelin Bib Gourmand award, it has also moved to a bigger premises. p.s. all the above for just about S$40.
We must crazy as we opted for a 2-hour Thai body massage at Health Land Ekkamai right after our brunch at Here Hai! Offer was irresistible at just 600 baht per person although I felt my body aches worsening after that. Maybe I have been too stressed at work. :(
Our next destination can be seen from our hotel room; King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper. With its unique design that many said is Tetris / Lego / Pixelated, it played host to an attraction that's likely on the list for any first-time traveller to Bangkok.
Another highlight was the 310-meter high glass skywalk that would drive the fear into the hearts of those afraid of heights. To prevent damages to the transparent flooring, those who wish to challenge their heights are required to wear shoe covers.
The train market at Ratchada was indisputably the most popular night market in Bangkok before the pandemic. Thronged by tons of tourists then, business suffered terribly when COVID-19 hit and it closed down one year ago. Now, tourists are flocking to JODD Fairs; a mere one MRT station away from the old train market.
Went to the carpark of Central Rama 9 shopping center take the above shot; scale of JODD Fairs was smaller and there appeared to be more F&B outlets instead of retail stalls. Unfortunately, I am only blessed with one stomach and there's only so much I can stuff myself with!
As tummy could still do with more food, we decided to walk over to Thipsamai, my favorite pad thai place but it was closed till 5pm even though sign outside stated opening from 10.00 am! Grrrrrr... oh well, shall take the opportunity to try Lueng Pha Pad Thai, which was just next door!
Finally, I am here at Khao San road! Said to be the backpacker street of the world, I obviously visited at the wrong time as the country just reopened its borders and unlike nearby Southeast Asian countries, this area is more popular with the westerners. At least now I can claim I have been to Khao San!
Taking a cool respite at the Coin Museum.
Necessary as it was so hot that day!
On Chao Phraya Tourist Boat at 30 baht per person (one-way). All-day pass was priced at 150 baht and it's a darn worth it deal as both sides of the river were blessed with beautiful structures, some modern, some historical (like Wat Arun above). I would do that on my next visit!
The boat sent us to ICONSIAM where Sook Siam, the underground, indoor "floating" market beckoned! To me, the rest of the shopping center doesn't excite as it's no difference from the rest of the malls.
Aside from indulging in moo ping, we were captivated by the intricate royal Thai sweets from CHADA Pavilion and decided to order a few pieces to try out. If good, they shall be chosen as souvenirs for family.
When ICONSIAM just started operations, only way there was by ferry or car as the BTS was quite a distance. Now, you have the BTS Gold Line stopping right outside the mall! p.s. taking the free ferry to Saphan Taksin BTS station is actually quicker.
On my way back to Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri and chanced upon this eerie scene; it's an art installation @ Gaysorn and reminded me of brides hanging form the ceiling. You only need legs to complete the picture.
Beneficial to fill up the tummy first, and first stop would be Gigi Fried Chicken. I mistakenly thought it's a fried chicken eatery but it turned out to serve Turkish cuisine although fried chicken, using Korean marination, is their highlight. Strange concept.
Weekend in Bangkok; of course we have to immerse ourselves in Chatuchak Weekend Market; said to be Thailand's biggest market with over 15,000 stalls before the pandemic!
Main street was crowded with people, although to me, it was lesser than before the pandemic. Venture deeper into the smaller streets and you would notice shuttered stalls and just a few customers. Sad scenario for the vendors for sure but for customers / tourists; I welcomed the reduced horde.
Situation at the air conditioned Mixt Chatuchak was slightly better on the first few floors; and I realized there were now a few pet shops; one of which has an utterly cute Alaskan Malamute!
Lunch at Mixt Chatuchak food court! Krapow is a classic Thai dish and even though I tried before in Singapore, it didn't appeal to me. However, this totally changed my opinion and I am now looking forward to checking out good krapow in Singapore!
Ending our lunch with dessert; crepe with chocolate and banana from the same food court. It's delightful with a crunchy texture! I have had crepes before and absolutely dislike soft crepes.
Aside from fur and feathered friends, you can also find creepy crawlies. One shop even had fennec foxes and raccoons for sale! Do note that this section would likely result in sorrow for animal lovers as many animals were kept in cramped and sometimes, insanitary conditions.
Ending the night with a temporary night market next to Siam BTS station. No thanks to the rain, turnout was bad and many stalls were in the midst of closing. To be fair, it was already about 9.30 pm.
Taking grab to Tofu Skin Care Semi Emporium; strongly recommended by a fellow colleague, it has now moved to a bigger shop nearer to the main Pratunam road. This is the place where you can secure many popular beauty products at almost unbeatable pricing!
Thai massage at just 200 baht? Why not?! Alex opted for foot massage whereas I was brought to level two of Green Home Massage for my body massage. Times must be bad as the lady asked if I would want special service. Although I declined, she continued to do a good job in massaging my body, and I tipped her 100 baht.
Another shop that had moved; the authentic, soi 19 wanton mee! Given the pandemic, there was a proliferation of Thai wanton mee stalls that were set up in Singapore and to be honest, this newly located establishment paled in taste comparison; a disappointment indeed as they were unforgettably tasty back in 2015.
Since we were near Pratunam Market, why not just stepped in for a while. People were aplenty and you get cheeky ones who put a smile on my face. Thanks for being such sport, bud!
Mango Sticky Rice Kakigori - I have been to After You Dessert Cafe on quite a few occasions, and every single time, I would for the delicious mango sticky rice kakigori! A perfect dessert for a hot day the After You branch at Platinum Mall.
Short walk within Platinum Mall; I wasn't in the mood to shop for clothes throughout the trip as I still have half a pack of unopened clothes back in Singapore! Main objective for this trip; relax.
Grabbed back to the hotel and when we stepped out again to take the BTS from Ratchadamri station, we noticed a huge crowd outside St Regis Hotel. Guess they are fans of some famous celebrities and I got to know who shortly after. Hint: the red shirts.
Only issue when you are in Bangkok Chinatown (also known as Yaowarat) at night; you can't stop eating! Next stop shall be Satay Jae Aeng; pork satay that was meatier than our local version and cost only 80 baht (less than S$4) for 10 sticks!
Strongly recommended to walk along the main Yaowarat road at night as it was a hive of activity with one lane closed and shouts of stall owners persuading you to check them out!
Another visit to Chinatown and walking past the Chinese Foods Market! Frankly, I should just find a hotel in Chinatown in the future as I returned so often in the past few days, especially with the new MRT stations that made travelling to elsewhere so much more convenient.
Tea time at Live Local Cafe; a quaint little place that also doubled up as a small hotel. Click here if you like to know more about its accommodation.
Yi Kor Hong Shrine, also known as Er Ge Feng / God of Gamblers; this temple was weirdly located on top of a police station and honored a man who passed away in 1935. I heard about the temple from the Great Kon, and it was said that those who pray to him always win in lottery.
Thought of patronizing another Michelin eatery for kuay teow but it would only open a few hours later. Hence, I went for an outlet that also had good reviews for its kuay teow. No idea what its English name is; on google, it's listed as ก๋วยเตี๋ยวคั่วไก่สวนมะลิ เจ๊ทิพย์.
First animal cafe on this trip; Dog In Town @ Ari. Many friendly canines of different species, like Samoyed, Siberian Huskies, Shiba Inus, Corgis, Standard Poodles etc, and they would, sometimes, sit quietly, for memorable photos like the above!
Cover charge was 350 baht per person, for one hour, with one complimentary drink. We topped up with dessert; the dog shit brownie with ice cream! In spite of the disgusting outlook, the 'shit' was not bad.
Massage at Lek Massage at Siam Square; best I had in Bangkok this time! In fact, I have blogged about this massage house before; what I didn't realize is that it has 10 branches now and appeared to have taken over another space just two shops away.
Last minute purchases for souvenirs at where else but Big C Supercenter! As far as shopping is concerned, I think I am not as crazy. Some shoppers had like a few trolleys worth of souvenirs to bring back home!
Getting ready our luggage; out of the three pieces of luggage, my stuff took up two of the larger ones! Alex only bought like three coasters yet our luggage was almost maxed out at almost 50 kilograms.
Called for a taxi through our hotel concierge and with the smooth traffic on the road, we arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport after about 30 minutes! Isn't it cute to find the Ramayana Giants all masked up!?
Custom clearance was pretty quick too and before long, we came in sight to the airport's most iconic sculpture known as "Churning the Ocean of Milk", which depicted the cooperation between the demigods and demons.
After a short delay; we finally departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport. This time round, we were lucky to have one of us guaranteed a window seat! I so miss the view high up in the sky.
Home sweet home.
No comments:
Post a Comment