Accidental Visit to Baan Suan Bonus - Part of Boat Trip at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market in Bangkok [Thailand]

Part of the boat trip we signed up for at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market involved a short stopover at an orchid farm and we stepped in, expecting to see rows and pots of orchid plants. 

I was scratching my head as it was more farmland with banana trees, plots of vegetables, but I didn't question much. Maybe Orchid Farm was just a name.

Okay, I found some flowers. 

Not on an elaborate scale. 

Further down was a gated area known as Baan Suan Bonus. I studied a few weeks of Thai, which proved to be helpful as I remember Baan means house! And Baan Suan Bonus was supposed to be a farm stay and cafe. Again, nothing to do with orchids.

Rustic cafe that would have been the norm back before the 1990s. It kind of reminded me of my childhood days in the kampong, where there was a market near Nee Soon Camp, although this was much cleaner.

Menu in case you are hungry. We can't stomach anything as our tummies were already filled with food back at Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market! There were just so many mouthwatering snacks! Furthermore, it would be too much of a rush given that it was just a 15-20 minutes stopover.

Bet the younger generation in Singapore wouldn't know the purpose for some of the things on display! To be fair, some of them were foreign to me too. p.s. I had used a typewriter before! 

I regretted not buying the fan! The folding fan I used to buy tend to get spoilt quite easily, and the kind sold here was hardier, although under my hands; things tend to be destroyed quicker. 

Just wondering if the guns are "working". Unlike Singapore, private gun ownership is possible, and in fact common, in Thailand. In my recent trip to Bangkok, I recalled there was a street in Chinatown where there were quite a number of gun shops.

Narrow passage.

The passage bordered a body of water, which was the centerpiece for Baan Suan Bonus. While the water wasn't crystal clear, it embodied the living-by-the-water lifestyle traditionally practiced by Thais.

Daredevils can walk up to this bridge for further photo-taking! Since it wasn't dizzyingly high, I quickly bounced up! Alex was more worried I would accidentally drop my camera into the water! 

Okay, I am more scared of crocodiles. 

And I am unsure if this was connected to the waterway. 

You can have a swing out to the water too! 

I am wondering how many visitors had stepped in and used this sampan as a prop! Water had seeped in and I guessed the the hook was necessary to prop it above the water! 

Fish feed at 10 baht a bottle; only about 40 cents! The fishes were a fortunate lot as they were well fed! My "contribution" hardly stirred their interest.

It started drizzling! 

Of course I spotted the level two, and it was open to the public! Climbing up the pretty unnerving staircase for a helicopter view of Baan Suan Bonus. 

Other passage bordering the "pond".

Again, some nostalgic items on display, including a rusting Suzuki motorbike! I was attracted to the clock which had a compartment with those fiber optic lights, which were pretty popular back then! 

More boats; the first one appeared to be sturdier. Pity Alex wasn't in much of a model mode for me to get him to sit in for a shoot. 

Would this be a bridge or a bench? 

Given my bad experience with plants in soil, maybe I should consider air plants for a change. I do like having plants at home but my plant murderer label makes me hesitate! 

A cozy pavilion with a fan; definitely relaxing if your aim was just to do nothing, which isn't something I can do when I am overseas, unless I am on a small island with no shopping centres!

Last view from the pavilion!

It was only when we left Baan Suan Bonus that a fellow traveler told my That friend, in Thai, that the orchid farm was right beside Baan Suan Bonus! We had entered the wrong premises! 

The Wonderfall @ Changi International Airport Terminal 2 Public Area [Singapore]

I recalled there was a piece of news previously on a newly opened digital waterfall at Changi International Airport Terminal 2, where I was scheduled to take my flight to Danang on 4 March 2024! Of course I had to reach earlier to check it out! 

Spectacular would be the right adjective to use for the first impression I had. Called The Wonderfall, this was a 14-meter tall digital display that was a result of a combined 892 screens. Coupled with music, and the sound of rushing water, it was an immersive experience, especially when you stand closer. 

Close your eyes, listen and slowly open them. Frankly, pictures and videos don't do The Wonderfall any justice. As it's located in the public area of Terminal 2, I would strongly recommend that you pay it a visit. Damn, Changi Airport is becoming to be an even more fantastic attraction! 

p.s. View from the sides wasn't good. Enter from the front and slowly walk towards it! If you have time to spare, do note that there is a four-minute musical show every 30 minutes.

I did take a video for your viewing pleasure too.

Turn on the volume and wait till the 4th second! 

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Address

Changi International Airport,

Terminal 2, Public Area. 

Xiang Xiang Fishball Noodle 香香 @ Chong Pang Hawker Centre in Yishun [Singapore] #chongpanghawkercentre

Would you remember what were the things you ate very often when you are a child? There were a few for me but one that particularly stands out was the fishball noodle from a stall at Chong Pang Hawker Centre! 

Located right next to Xu Zhong Xing satay, I loved the fishball noodle so much that I can eat it a few times a week! Strangely, I don't enjoy fishballs but the noodle was what attracted me! The stall owner  /chef then had since passed on and the baton was passed over to his brother / brother in law.

The noodle still exuded moments filled with good, old nostalgia although texture appeared to be "harder". Nonetheless, the wait on weekends can be very long and ours came only after 45 minutes!

What I love most about the fishball noodle from Xiang Xiang, was the concoction of sauce that coated the strands of noodle, making them slurpy yet addictively delicious! The only thing that needed improvement, aside from the texture, would be the pathetic serving of crispy pork lard! The more the merrier! 

When I was a kid, one bowl of fishball noodle cost S$2.00 and with the inflation we are seeing nowadays, you would be surprised that we only paid S$3.50 that included a bowl of soup comprising of fish balls, meat balls, dumpling and slices of fish cake! 

Even though I am not a fan of fish balls, the ones from Xiang Xiang were popular enough to warrant purchases of uncooked fish balls during the lunar new year period so that you can indulge them for steamboat for reunion dinner! Three words to describe them; bouncy, smooth, tasty! p.s. personally, I still prefer meat balls...

Almost licked clean! 

The last time I had it could have been a decade ago! 

Problem: I don't think I can endure such a long wait! 

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Address

104 Yishun Ring Rd, #01-177, 

Chong Pang Hawker Centre,

Singapore 760104

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Fishball Noodle - S$3.50

Dreamscape @ Changi International Airport Terminal 2 Transit Area [Singapore]

A garden is no longer a garden. Hereby presenting to you "dreamscape"; said to be "an immersive indoor garden where nature and technology merge in a magical symphony"! 

I think our beloved Changi Airport had managed to score another win in the international arena. With plants from over 100 species and numbering about 20,000, 19 hidden speakers broadcasted audio recordings from the nature that was just so soothing! 

Just looking at the mist was already so mesmerizing to the eyes. When I was young, I used to imagine I can shrink to the size of an ant, where such structures would be my never-ending playground. 

A section of dreamscape had this see-through glass platform allowing visitors to step on and it felt as if I was walking on water, with fishes swimming carefreely underneath me. 

Personally, I thought it would be layer to have a few millimeters of water to enhance the experience but I guess it would be messy with a high risk of wetting the carpets.

What amazed us the most was the expansive LED ceiling with its everchanging skyscape! The surreal feeling I got was that I am a fish in a pond, looking at the sky, where the weather changes, flowers above the water sway with the wind, raindrops on the water surface, an occasional otter swimming above me etc.

According to the writeup, "the ever-changing digital sky above mimics real-time weather conditions, creating an atmospheric light and sound show that evolves throughout the day at 30-minute intervals."

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Address

Changi International Airport Terminal 2,

Transit Level 2. 

Tai Wah Pork Noodle at Straits Food Village in Changi Airport Terminal 2 Transit Area [Singapore]

I might have enjoyed my trips to Vietnam so far but as far as food is concerned, there's always an insatiable craving for local Singapore food when I was in Vietnam! 

Knowing that my trip to Danang spanned eight long days, I pulled Alex up to level three of the transit area of Changi International Airport Terminal 2. To be honest, I don't understand why travelers don't usually make it a point to explore every nook and cranny of our marvelous airport! 

So what's on level three? There's this food court where you can get some local grub! Prices are expectedly much more expensive than the public food courts outside the transit / departure lounge area but I always prefer to check in earlier, and relax before boarding the plane.

My choice of local dish? The signature Tai Wah Pork Noodle that cost me S$10! I was honestly contemplating between kaya butter toasts and noodles and it's my recent yearning for noodles that won the battle! 

Opting for mee pok, the noodles were cooked al-dente and mixed in with a rich, vinegarish, spicy sauce that not only awakened the morning palate, but also appetizing to the taste buds. Slurpy and shiok! 

For S$10, I would say there were a lot of "liao" (ingredients); large wantons, four deliciously soft pork balls, many large pieces of crispy pork lard, thick cuts of crispy fried sole fish etc. Soup was nicely flavored although I am more into noodles, than soup. 

Would I be back again for Tai Wah Pork Noodle? I would but maybe I would go for its neighborhood stalls next time. S$10 is indeed pricey for a bowl of local noodles! 

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Address

Changi International Airport Terminal 2,

Transit Level 3, Departure Lounge (Central),

Within Straits Food Village Food Court

Pricing

Signature Tai Wah Pork Noodle - S$10.00