Bangkok Day 04 - Esplanade Mall >Home Sweet Home

Today is the last day for us in Bangkok, and it's our Free and easy day too. So we decided to go to the outskirts of BKK to take a look at a new shopping mall. Yes, it's a 职业病 thing. Even on holidays we will still make it a point to take alook at what other people are building. Hahha...i bet im not the only one here and i know im so not a hardcore aki person!


Ritey, the newly opened shopping mall which we went to was Esplanade mall (Thai Cultural Stn). The interior is lit like a pineapple bun with indoor water feature on the basement level. Basically the basement level is the eating floor while the upper floors are shops. The floor plans are planning in a 'wavy' manner. Not many people were there. I guess it's pretty far away from the city centre. There is an indoor skate park too! amazing rite cos we were designing some skate park for our Singapore Sports Stadium too!!!

And here is the place where we went for lunch! sushi cum shabu-shabu so it's called ....Shabu-shi! hahah, the owner must be lacking of brain juices man. Oh wells, there was a buffet so we went for it. And during lunch time it was CROWDED!!! dunno where all the office people and Students came from man, but it was packed!!!

And after lunch, we took the MRT to Siam Square, one of my fave shopping haunts in BKK! Yippee! i bought 3 sets of bras and panties here! *shy* hahah very cheap $150B per set and it's really very nice and girly!! with ribbons and lacey and one of them was polka dots!!! ~drool~ and oh! i bought a 'I love BKK' tee for 100B, it's so IN now, these "i love XXX" tees....might as well get one!

After Siam Square, we walked further down to Paragon Mall where we took a taxi back to our hotel cos it was nearing 4pm and we had an evening flight to catch .

That's my dinner at the airport. cos we are taking jetstar so we decided to have some food before boarding the plane. Wj had his pad thai as usual. He always has this whenever we come to thailand. And i think thailand is one of the countries we visited the most ever since i started working! So far we have been to Phuket, Krabi and now Bangkok! Ain't we thai fans or what!

But airport food is so expensive, even the Burger King is more expensive than the ones we have in Singapore!

sheesh...robbing all tourists' money.

While waiting for our dinners to arrive, wj is watching Mr Bean and trying to hard not to laugh out loud...looks quite constipated. hahaha... while reaching to our cafe, there were island bars along the way, very nice setting which was selling wine, beers and antipastos...those sort of things, very very cold and so angmoh like. Bleah, i wouldn't eat those for my dinner. And of cos most of its patronage were blondes. See that's why i have a chinese bf. i like black hair, not much hair on the chest hands and legs and of cos black brown eyes and best of all speak with a Singlish accent.

~ ritey! Home sweet home from here gals.

Bangkok Day 03 - Day and Night

we started the day really early at the Pratunam Morning Market, the sun was shining bright, the vendors were all ready for a good morning's bargain, majority of the stalls were selling female clothings. There were some push carts selling soup noodles for breakfast. Wj and I didnt catch any elephant crossing the street. Well, the clothings that they were selling were definitely different from the ones during the night market, even though they are at the same location. I bought a green top for the price of 100B. Quite cheap. By far the cheapest market, comparing to SuanLum or Pratunum Indoor Market.

After walking the morning market, Wj and I went back to our hotel to have our usual breakfast buffet. After breakfast, next we headed towards Platinum Mall which is within walking distance from our hotel. Platinam mall boasts a 6 storey shopping selling entirely wholesale goods. And by means of wholesale, all the store keepers define it if you were to buy 3 pieces and above then they will sell their wares at a 'wholesale' price. For example, a top may cost $180B but if you were to buy 3 pieces from the store, she will charge you $150B which is the 'wholesale' price.

Shopaholics will go crazy at this mall cos every level goes by a theme. For all i can remember, the basement was selling mainly denim clothings, the 6th floor was accessories, 5th floor was quite abit of lingerie while the 1st- 4th floors were clothes, clothes and more clothes, and there were like 30 over shops per floor! It was like walking in a maze! By the time wj and i finished the 3rd floor, we were so tired and hungry. So we headed up to the 6th floor where there was a foodcourt and had KFC (yes, believe it or not, come all the way to BKK to have KFC, but that's becos we didnt know wat to order from the foodcourt and plus you had to buy a card first in order to make a purchase from the food vendors). After lunch, we worked our way downwards this time..starting from the 6th floor. Gals who like anna sui mirrors, combs and brushes can find these here! and plus lots of brooches, pins, hair accessories, necklaces and lots more.

By the time it was 3pm, wj and i were tired again...haha so this time we went to the 3rd floor for some coffee at the Grand Canyon coffee house. Finally around 6pm, we decided to call it a day... and guess what? i did some shopping! hahah...okie not much considering what a huge mall we covered today. I bought a total of 7 tops!

Dinner that night was at Khao San Night market, somewhat similar to Mohammad Sultan as there was a line of pubs and discos along the roadsides, pretty beer girls beckoning angmohs to come in, lots of tourists, behind the small lanes and alleys, branching out were pushcarts and make shifts stalls selling clothings, bags. Lots of stuff. People doing hair braiding in the middle of the road too! Just so much to oogle at.

Finally we settled ourselves along the roadside with a plate of pad thai, a red bull for him and a heineken for me! We didn't really stay there very long as i find it somewhat like a red light district and didn't really feel comfortable. Might as well go back and watch some telly, sleep early and get ready for the next day!

Bangkok Day 02 - Off to the Grand Palace!

Here's a picture of both of us at the Hotel's Lobby.
Breakfast is served on the 2nd floor, not a very wide range but acceptable, from ready to made eggs (however way u want it, wj had sunny side ups while i had mine scrambled) to ham, chicken porridge, salad, toast, abit of danish, soup noodles, yoghurt and of cos your choice of milk, coffee, tea and juices.

i think overall the price for the breakfast buffet was very cheap!

And we filled our stomachs to the brim before we went to take a look at the Morning market which my cousin was telling me about and she even saw an elephant crossing the road!!! However by the time we got there which was ONLY 10am!!! they were closing!!!!

ARGH!

So people if u want to visit Pratunam Morning market by the roadsides....please get there before breakfast time or rather before 1030am!!!! Anyway, wj and I decided that we will try our luck again tmw morning!!!! This time we shall go there before eating breakfast man!

Photos of breakfast area and ahren and his new cowboy hat from SuanLum night market.

Bangkok Day 02 - Grand Palace

Bangkok Day 02- Noon@Chinatown

Bangkok's Chinatown district is as old as the city itself. When King Rama I decided to build his new capital at the village of Bang Kok in the late 18th century, the land was then occupied by Chinese traders, who agreed to move their homes and businesses outside of the newly declared royal precincts. The new site chosen is today's Chinatown, which stretches along Yaowarat Road and the numerous narrow alley ways off it.

There are several ways to explore Chinatown. We prefer this route because it relies heavily on public transportation and can be easily extended to a couple of other interesting sights if you have the time and energy.

Start on the river. If you're staying at one of the riverside hotels, you're already way ahead of the game. If you're staying away from the river, catch the skytrain to the Taksin Bridge station. The station is right at the riverfront where there happens to be a pier for the Chao Phraya River Express boat service. The River Express is a sort of bus service on the river. They can be a bit crowded, so try to avoid peak hours on week days. Catch a boat up-river to the Memorial Bridge pier (Tha Saphan Poot). The fare from Taksin Bridge (Tha Sathorn) is just 6 Baht; about $0.12. There is an attendant at the Taksin Bridge pier who can sell you a ticket and answer questions about your trip. You can also purchase a ticket on board the boat.

From the Memorial Bridge pier, make your way through the buses on the road below the bridge and veer left. Follow the road around to meet up with the traffic coming off the bridge. To your left runs Chakraphet Road, Bangkok's biggest flower market. The market is most active in the wee hours of the morning, but you can see flowers on sale throughout the day. The flower market is actually the outer edge of Bangkok's biggest wet market, Talat Pak Klong. Its worth walking up the road a few blocks and then return to the bridge.

Returning to the bridge, you'll note that the bridge exit forms a "U" shape around a monument to a famous monk, Phra Budha Yodfa. Turn left from the market to head up Triphet road. On your left is the long, curving fascade of a school. On the right is the Wat Ratburana temple.

The first major intersection you will come to is Phahurat Road. On one corner is a small shopping center called "The Old Siam." This is a good spot to take a rest if you're trying to pace yourself. Inside the center are many restaurants as well as a food court. The center itself has something of a covered market feel to it and is worth poking around in. Otherwise, turn right and head down Phahurat Road. Across Phahurat Road from The Old Siam is the Phahurat Market, more or less the heart of Little India.

We had lunch around a junction just before the famous Nanxing as we were there in the afternoon and so Nanxing is not open. The restaurant we went to was opened by a taiwanese lady who speak fluent chinese however her sharkfin soup wasnt as nice the lady boss. The sharkfin was too fishy, wasn't fresh, even spoonfuls of vinegar didn't help at all. The only dish which was yummy was the crab vermicelli, it was delicious. The black pepper was fragrant and the vermicelli was soaked with the flavourful sauce so it was pleasure to eat it. Although i think it's quite a sin!!! cos i found pork lards underneath the bed of vermicelli!!! FAT!!! (faints, no wonder so tasty lah!) The birdnest can skip as well. The birdnest was little and hard. Almost nothing.My mother can make much better!

Here you'll find many fabric shops as well as clothing stores and Indian snack shops. Keep an eye out for the many shops selling wedding keepsakes. In Thailand, when guests arrive for the wedding reception, they register their names, hand over their gift or red envelope of money and then it is customary for them to receive some small memento of the occasion. These may be something along the lines of a refrigerator magnet, salt shaker or ceramic bell. They are almost always primarily ceramic and may be personalized with the couple's names. Along Phahurat Road you'll find shops sell them by the dozens in hundreds of varieties.

Map of Chinatown Route

At the next intersection, you meet up with Chakraphet Road again. Down the road to your right is the Sri Gurusingh Sabha Temple, where local Sikhs come to worship. Directly across Chakraphet Road from Phahurat Road is the entrance to Sampang Lane. Don't let the small size fool you. This tiny entrance will take you into a labyrinth of small alleys and passages, some just wide enough to walk down. Don't hesitate, just dive in!

The lane is full of stalls and shops selling just about everything, but with a big emphasis on cheap clothing and household goods. The lane is long and narrow, rarely wide enough for a single car. While you'll see many side-lanes leading off Sampang, its best to stay on the lane or come back to it if you see something on a side-alley of interest. The lane is occassionally crossed by larger roads with traffic. Cross these and continue on the lane until you come to the Tang To Kang gold shop, an interesting example of a colonial style building, as well an interesting gold shop in itself.

Turn left off Sampang lane at the Tang To Kang gold shop and head towards Yaowarat Road. You're now in the very heart of Chinatown. Turn right and head down the road. The street is lined with gold shops, Chinese herbalists, shops selling snacks of every variety, paper items for funerals, incense and just about everything else. Its said you can find almost anything in Chinatown, if you know where to look! Of course, most of the signs are in Chinese.
From this point, you have some options: If you've had enough, you can backtrack along Yaowarat Road to Ratchawong Road, turn left back towards the river. You'll cross Sampang Lane again and then come to Ratchawong Pier (Tha Ratchawong) where you can catch the River Express boat back to where you started.

Another option is to continue on down Yaowarat until you reach the Odeon traffic circle with its huge Chinese gate. On the left will be Traimit Road. A very short distance up this road is Wat Traimit, home of the large solid gold Buddha. From here, you're a short walk from Hualamphong railroad station, which is now home to many fast food outlets as well as the city's main rail station. You'll also find it easy to hire a tuk-tuk from the temple to the River City shopping complex, where you can get catch the River Express or a free shuttle boat back to most riverside hotels.
Yet another option is to head further away from the river up Soi 16 towards Charoen Krung Road. The Soi is lined with many food stalls selling sometimes exotic dishes.Upon reaching Charoen Krung Road, turn left and a short way up the road, on the opposite side, is Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, center of the annual vegetarian festival.

Bangkok Day 02 - Jim Thompson House

Entrance fee to the Jim Thompson House: $100B per pax + 30mins guided tour by a thai who speaks quite fluent English.

Jim Thompson's Thai house stands on one 'rai' of land, (equivalent to approximately half an acre) and is enveloped by beautifully landscaped gardens. Thompson found the haphazard look of nature's lush tropical jungles appealing. This jungle landscape in the midst of the city gives the house its unique appeal.

Jim Thompson was an American and studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a practicing architect in New York City until 1940.

With the escalation of the war in Europe in the early 1940s, Thompson volunteered for service in the United States Army, an important turning point in his life.

However the war ended abruptly as Thompson and the other men were en route to Bangkok. And soon, he grew a fondness toward Bangkok and turned his attention to Thai silk as a local commodity for business.

With his natural flair for design and color, and driven by his single-minded dedication to reviving the craft, Thompson soon gained worldwide recognition for his success in rebuilding the industry, for generating international demand for Thai silk and for contributing to the growth of the silk industry.

The Jim Thompson House is the home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. Thompson's achievements during his 25 year stay in the Kingdom of Thailand have won him much fame as the "Legendary American of Thailand".

The house consists of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. Construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959. And so now part of his house has come to house a museum, cafe, souvenir shops and some administrative offices for part of the museum.

What i managed to remember from the guided 30mins tour was at that time teak wood (which gives the house it's very red quality) was already very expensive, and the furniture that furnished the house came all over europe like the chandelier in the living room, the day bed, lamps, china-wares etc etc,some were bought by Jim Thompson himself and of cos some were gift by his business friends. He was single even till the day he mysteriously disappeared in the jungles of Cameron Highlands.

His houses very much represent the traditional thai house as firstly, there are no nails in the construction, the whole house was elevated for natural ventilation and is flexible to become a storage area. And besides the Chao Praya river, there are times of serious flooding thus an elevated floor is also an advantage.

Secondly like temples, Thai houses have steep roofs arching upwards towards the sky. Both the walls are inclined towards the center creating the illusion of height.In the hot and humid tropical climate, the airy, open quality of a Thai house and the broad overhangs of its roof protect the interior from both sun and rain.

Thirdly, its raised thresholds at the doorways. According to superstition and traditional Thai belief, the raised thresholds of Thai houses prevent evil spirits from creeping in at night and disrupting the sleep of the inhabitants. It also served a functional purpose of keeping crawling babies in the room. hahha....BUT REMEMBER...JIM THOMPSON was single! where got babies!

ritey, here's a picture of me blowing my nose away while taking a break at the cafe amidst its lush greenery. weather is hot hot hot!

After this we are all set for a whole afternoon of walking bangkok's shopping street as the JimThompson house is within walking distance to MBK.

Bangkok Day 02 - Afternoon to Night

>>> the famous shopping mall in Bangkok - MBK (Mah Boon Krong) and after walking quite abit, it's donut time!!! But sad to say, i think singapore's Donut Factory is way nicer than the original american's Dunkin Donuts! I miss singapore's Double chocolate donut! and raspberry centred ones!

yups, although BKK is enjoyable high tourism rates but still to this day, there are still visible signs of poor citizens and beggars along the street. So the donuts which we couldn't finish that day, wj and I decided to give to a mother begging on the streets cradling her child.

We saw this huge motorola phone at the atrium of Central World and I just had to take a picture with it since I AM A MOTOROLA user!!!! and a huge fan of their clam shell versions!!!! WEEEE!!!!

The whole afternoon was truly a tiring day with lots of walking from one end of Bangkok's shopping street to the other end!

(We covered Siam Centre > Siam Square which was thailand's version of Harajuku > Siam Paragon and finally Central World)

and thankfully, we did our homework and manage to find some nice eating hideaway places which only locals know...hahaha...and the stall even have plastered newspaper cuttings on its food okay! Dun play play ah....

so we tried their famous Hainanese Chicken rice which wj said was TERRIFIC, i didn't try as I'm not too much of a chicken rice fan. His verdict was the sauce was the main attraction! the chicken meat was tender, rice was passable, soup not very fantastic, still the sauce was the main fanfare!!!

I tried their 'satay' or BBQ meat on a skewer. It ain't like singapore's one where they will serve u chunks of meat on a skewer, over here, it's thin pieces of meat... :( The peanut sauce was thick and sweet. Tangy taste and goes very well with the meat. Only downside was the meat is so little!!!! The price was very cheap about a few dollars for both the chicken rice and 20 skewers of meat. (we had chicken and pork)

Photos of Siam Paragon and Central World Shopping malls

here's the proof of the famous chicken stall along pratunam area!

wj and his hainanese chicken rice...oh yah, wj is half hainanese btw, some of his relatives are still in Hainan Island!!!! And his aunties were born in Hainan island too... after which his grandma decided to move to Singapore and had his mum. Maybe that explains his love for Hainanese chicken rice!!!

Bangkok Day 01-Sawadeeka!

After many months of delay and many months of long hours; late nights, we are SO READY and raring to go for our holidays!!!!

i guess i must have told u gals umpteenth times about my leave being approved then cancelled, rejected and rejected until now!!! YIPEEE!!! and we are so excited about it!

So we are planning to go to Bangkok for a 4 days 3 nights Free and Easy trip. I have planned this trip on quite a short notice but with a fair bit of contribution from my cousin who just came back form BKK ....seems to me everyone is going to BKK these few days!( 2 of my girlfriends who went separately on different weekends thus we couldnt meet-up,my nephew, my cousin's friend ) Must be the cheap flights and hotel. My return jetstar asia ticket cost me $275 inclusive of taxes!

Here we are, doodling on the plane to while away our time, no tv is really very painful on the plane.

Finally after approx 3hours of flight we have reached BKK!!! And the airport although new was 'old' fashioned! Heard it was designed 20 years ago but because of the economic downturn, the construction of this airport has been put on hold for the longest time.

here are some shots of the interior of the New Old airport and shots on the taxi ride to the hotel.

more on the taxi ride photos. And taxis in BKK are so colourful! from Bright shocking pink, orange, green, blue to half yellow and half green!