4 days 3 nights ... never enough when you are in Bangkok. But basically that was all the time I had , so here was how we (Vicky and I) zipped across the city, downtown - outskirts, upriver - downriver, covering all inch of the city ... on foot, on wheels, on tracks, underground, on water, in the short time we had. Here we go ...
1st Day
6:00am - "Rinnnnggggg" . Rise and Shine. Off to Changi to catch our 9:05am Valuair flight. Even had time to catch a McDonald's Breakfast before we set off. The flight left on time. Was served 'Chee Cheong Fan' for the in-flight meal - quite tasty, though feeling a little full with 3 pancakes inside me.
Touched down at Don Muang Airport. Was greeted with showers along the way to our hotel- Bangkok Palace Hotel located on Petchaburi Rd. After settling down, looked for lunch around the hotel vicinity and found an quaint old shop serving a delectable plate of fried rice, definitely one you can't find in S'pore.
In the evening, we decided to take a walk along Bangkok's busy streets to the shopping belt at Sukhumvit Rd. It was worth the walk, as we had a good glimpse of the giant shopping malls that hug the famous 'Orchard Rd' of Thailand. It was dark when we reached MBK (more like MBI it read), a welcoming sight indeed for the weary and also the shopaholics.
Floors and floors of shops selling all things from bags and shoes to fashion and accessories. A shoppers' paradise indeed , you don't need designer names to attract girls, Vicky was smitten, like bees to honey. Let's skip the shopping part okay ? Moving on, we found dinner in a restaurant selling mainly noodles. Had a fiery encounter with the papaya salad, the lil' chillis certainly fired up my entire mouth, removing all remaining appetite for that dish.
Before the night was over, managed to meet up with Dennis who brought us to a nice little Japanese joint for some snacks. Call it a night after that and made our way back to the hotel.
2nd Day
After leaving the venerated walls, we decided to explore the nearby Khao San Rd, famous for being a backpackers haven. A helpful stranger kindly pointed us the direction even without us asking, now that's truly a sight you don't see often in S'pore or M'sia. Khao San Rd greeted us with a outburst of colour, large bright signs everywhere, it was like a mini United Nations in Bangkok. While Vicky was naturally drawn to the roadside peddlers, I was trying to look out for a place to tuck in. Consulted my guide book (the Rough Guide to Thailand) and decided to heed it's advice, Prakorb's House it was. See what we had for lunch ...
Khao San Rd , Prokorb's House, Our delightful lunch
After a good meal, we were off to the river to try catch a express boat ride downriver. For only 16 Baht each, we had a nice slow ride down the scenic Chao Phraya. We got off at the last stop at Central Pier and took the Sky Train to Ploenchit Station, walking back to the hotel form there.
River boat along Chao Phraya
That night, it was off for dinner with familiar faces, friends from Muar - Yuin Hui, Hwee Kun, Dennis and Kia Liang, currently living in Bangkok. Yuin Hui's home was at Sapulai Park, about 15 minutes walk from Phahoyonthin station. Hwee Kun and cute Letitia, her lil' ma phrao, greeted us downstairs. Nice apartment they have there with a wonderful view of the area. For dinner we had a wonderful seafood meal at the Diary Queen restaurant. It was also Kia Liang's b'day, so that was another reason to celebrate. After dinner, it was b
Gathering of friends in Bangkok
3rd Day
Saturday, today was saved for a visit to the market, Chatuchak weekend market. Just a short walk from Mo Chit Station, Chatuchak looked like a clutter of stalls under zinc roofs, selling all things under the sun, even things you never imagined. After the compulsory browsing and testing of prices, the bargaining and buying soon started. We bought some tee-shirts, banana chips, bags, skirt and even door blinds with coral deco. The endless rows of shops never seem to end, so we decided to maximise the experience by walking all the way inside to have a look.
After the morning marketting, we took a train ride to Siam Square for lunch. Found this delightful restaurant, Hong Kong Noodle, serving one tasty bowl of noodles and yummy little 'siew mais'.
Hong Kong Noodle - restaurant and servings
In the evening, it was massage at Khao San Rd (only 180 Baht for one hour) before we move on to our main course, dinner at a Israeli restaurant with Dennis and Kia Liang. We had Schnitzels with Humus Chips, Eggplant Salad and patato chips. After dinner, we strolled down Khao San Rd one last time. Found a great book, '11 minutes' by Paulo Coelho, at a second-hand book shop. Bought it for only 250 Baht! The FA Cup final was the main draw tonight at all the pubs along the road, so decided to have a drink at one of the queiter pubs. It was back to the hotel after that.
4th Day
Sunday ... our last day in the city of angels. Woke up slightly later than usual today, a bit worn out after two days of sighseeing, but in time for the morning buffet. After a hearty breakfast, packed our stuff and checked out of the hotel (leaving our luggage under the hotel's care). Since it was our last day, I tried taking a Tuk Tuk to MBK , just for the experience. But the driver made it difficult by wanting to chrage us a exorbitant fare of 80 baht (only 40 Baht by Meter Taxi!). We tried to haggle down to 5 Baht and thought we got away with the bargain. However after getting into the Tuk Tuk, the driver told us that he will first bring us to another stop. Same trick. We declined straightaway and was shooed off immediately. Well at least we tried. So we took the tried and tested way, the ever available and reliable - metered taxi.
It was all out last minute shopping at MBK. Mainly buying gifts and souvenirs for friends and family back home. We were only limited by the amount of remaining Baht we had with us (had to leave 500 baht each for Airport tax!). After saying our last goodbye to MBK, we rode the train to Chit Lom to meet Dennis for lunch. For lunch, he brought us to a restaurant in a remote spot of Sukhumvit Rd. We had a good meal of fried rice, hainanese noodle and tom yam. After lunch we bade farewell to Dennis and hurried to the hotel.
Our Valuair Plane took off about 7pm (bangkok time). No reclining seats this time (we were seated just in front of the emergency exits) so less comfy trip this time. Last view of Bangkok, now only a cluster of tiny brightly coloured specks from my window, think I can even see a Bangkok Traffic jam from here (a long line of lights). Goodbye Bangkok , or in Thai, La Kawn ...
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