Entree Kibbles: Day Four of My Week-Long Holiday to Bangkok [Thailand]

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Day Four of My Week-Long Holiday to Bangkok [Thailand]

<<< Day Three

Detailed Postings for the Day

My morning routine in Bangkok would be a jog to Lumpini Park from Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri and I am always curious about this long white wall, spanning about 200 meters.

In the middle would be a guardhouse and a highly secured automatic gate. Known as Rajdamri Compound, it's owned by the US Embassy. From Google map, its compounds seemed to have some warehouses, residences and a large pond.

A slightly more modern bus stop near our hotel. As the area is more affluent, I don't really see a lot of passengers waiting for buses here, in the morning. Maybe more for alighting for those working in the commercial buildings nearby.

Arrival timing for buses. As the information was in Thai, it means foreigners like me would not find it easy to navigate around. The BTS / MRT systems would be preferred.

Time for a gym session to strengthen my core and burn additional calories. I tend to eat a lot when I am in Thailand; so I should be mindful of my exercises lest I gain weight uncontrollably.

A shower and I am ready to go!

Took the BTS to Sala Daeng station; without any plan for breakfast, I scrolled through the reviews of surrounding eateries and decided on Gigi Fried Chicken! Yes, fried chicken for breakfast and you click here for the review.

Decathlon store a few doors away!

Alex insisted on going in and he managed to grab some shorts! I don't get it as I believe you can get the same products in Singapore Decathlon and unless the price / quality differential is wide; I am all for contributing to our local economy.

I saw this stall (selling fried shrimp, fried crab and fried squid) on Facebook a few times and it was even on my to-eat list! As I just had fried chicken, I decided to give it a miss. Shall check it out next round.

Taking the train from Silom MRT station.

At Kamphaeng Phet station; most people wouldn't associate this station with the key tourist attraction that's literally a few steps away from exit 2.

It's the world famous Chatuchak Weekend Market! There's actually a Chatuchak Park MRT station but Kamphaeng Phet would be much nearer.

Time to hit Mixt Chatuchak for lunch! Shopping at Chatuchak Weekend Market can be so warm and it's always nice to cool oneself in the air-conditioned mall. The food court at Mixt Chatuchak would be a good choice as it has a good view of the weekend market.

I had Kra Pow (stir fried basil) and shared a Banana Chocolate Crepe with Alex. Satisfying they sure were and as mentioned a few times before, I have never known kra pow can be so insanely delicious!

After so long, I finally got to know where the Pet Section was! There were so many to see and friends with pets, like my friend Jenny, would likely go crazy over the products she can buy for her senior canine; Candy!

Many animals on sale; ranging from your usual dogs, cats, rabbits, to exotic ones like snakes, endangered tortoises, tarantulas and interesting ones like luminous fishes, raccoons, meerkats, goats! Only thing was that conditions weren't that favorable.

Bang Sue Junction Shopping Center; another shopping mall near Chatuchak Weekend Market and appeared less crowded compared to Mixt Chatuchak.

10 baht moo ping!

You guess if I bought any?

This signage can be confusing for those who take things literally. I knew this refer to a pathway for the pedestrians but some might take it as a designate crossing without keeping a lookout for vehicles.

Urban Retreat at Asoke! My last massage in Bangkok was two days ago and we thought to see if there's any available slot for us to relax our muscles! Well, it's the weekend so I kind of expected it would be full.

Alex and I decided to check out the shopping centre that we would always visit last time; Terminal 21. We actually stopped visiting after our favorite Thai omelette rice stall at pier 21 food court changed ownership.

Event on that day; a coffee camp! I do love coffee but I am much more accustomed to our Southeast Asian coffee which is also much cheaper. Hence, the variety of coffee didn't result in my patronage.

I spent much more time on sampling some of the dried fruits at "Gourmet Market" supermarket. Samples motivate me to buy and it was dreadful during the height of the pandemic, when sampling wasn't allowed!

Ramen Ippudo; one of my favorite ramen restaurant in Singapore! Prices in Bangkok would likely be cheaper than Singapore. A Japanese colleague once mentioned to me that a super good ramen in Japan would cost less than S$10 and he thought it was incredulous our ramen in Singapore was priced so high.

Random pictures at Terminal 21.

I am always captivated by the exotic Turkish lamps! My sister was talking about taking a trip to Turkey; problem is, my dad isn't very keen. Let's hope she can persuade him.

Going down the long escalator; this would be the setting most similar to an airport, I feel. In case you are unaware, Terminal 21 malls were unique in their "concept that each retail floor represents different touristic cities".

Oh, a new hotel connected to Asoke BTS station!

Solaria Hotel; you are most welcome.

Back to Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri and taking some time to clear my never ending work mailbox. It was a stressful period and I hope not to replicate it in my upcoming trip to Saigon!

We went out again; this time for dinner with friends from Alex's former company. I know them pretty well as we went overseas a few times; in fact, Alex's former boss was my dental officer when I was serving my national service.

Some concert in between Siam Centre and Siam Paragon.

Dinner at BBCO - Bangkok Baking Company at JW Marriot Hotel; click here for the review, and my deepest appreciation to Mr Wan for the meal. Key highlight of the meal; Mr Wan and I share the same birthdate!

Last stop - "The Carnival Funfair" near Siam BTS station.

Some random photographs; frankly not much people and it's true that crowd plays an important role of hyping up the atmosphere. Maybe due to the timing, many stalls were also in the midst of closing for the day.