Bangkok/Pattaya Part 1

Sa-wa-dee-kap! I am back!

We arrived back in Singapore on a very early Thursday morning at 12.30am. So did we enjoy the trip? Let's see..I am now more bronzed and tanned, I have gained a few kilos (I'm not kidding) and my bank account is now very pathetic. So yes, we did have a hell of a time there! Loads of shopping, great food and most importantly, romance :)

So let's re-cap our trip to the City of Angels, Bangkok and the beautiful city of Pattaya.

Day 0

Trying to pack my stuff, but as you can see, I was quite unsuccessful. Only managed to pack once they were off to slumberland.

I am so gonna miss these three kiddos :(

Day 1

Woke up at 2.30 am. Our flight was at 6am and we needed to check-in 2 hours prior to that. Daddy was such a sweetheart to drive us there. We have never taken a flight from the Budget Terminal before. It was of course, not as great as Terminal 1 or 2.

Check-In Area

At the Budget Terminal

After collecting our boarding passes and checking-in our luggage, we had a light breakfast at the one and only cafe there. Just tea and cake. There really should be more eateries there. However, I do like the menu board at the cafe, it was designed to look like a flight directory.

Soon, it was time to board the plane. My adrenaline is pumping like crazee..a few hours more and we will be in Bangkok!

On board Tiger Airways Flight TR 102

Because fares were cheap, if we wanted to eat or drink, we had to purchase the food and drinks. We bought a small carton of apple juice for S$3! Expensive!

Finally! Arrival at Bangkok's International Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport. This is a newly opened airport. The last time I was in Bangkok about 2 years ago, the old airport was quite run-down and seemed very old. This new one was very grand and big and has quite a number of duty-free shops.

Hubby with a huge statue of a Thai god

Once we were out of the airport, we needed to grab a taxi to our hotel. The first taxi agency we approached quote us a price of 1200THB! That's about S$50! We knew that was an inflated rate, so we went around a few taxi operators before settling for one that offered just 400THB (S$17). The journey to Baiyoke Boutique Hotel took us about 45 minutes. Btw, Thailand is 1 hour before Singapore time.

Baiyoke Boutique Hotel is relatively new and is right smack in the city district.

At the hotel lobby

As it was only about 9.30am, we were unable to check-in yet. International check-in time is 2pm, so we left our bags at the concierge and went to look for brunch. We walked along the Pratunam shopping area and into Pratunam Plaza. Most shops were not opened yet and since I was quite hungry and I was having some gastric pain, we ate at the foodcourt there. There was a Muslim stall, however, I would advise fellow travellers against eating there because the food basically sucks.

At a bridge overlooking the Pratunam district
After eating, we walked about and was approached by a local who recommended us to visit a Buddhist temple. Having been to Thailand 3 times already, I love the fact that Thais are genuinely friendly, gentle and warm people. They are not vulgar or pushy, even when they are selling their goods to us, they won't pester us to buy anything if we do not wish to, unlike some countries or places I know of, where the locals can get very pushy or nasty just for money. During this trip, I never encountered a bad experience with a local. Service is Thailand is an exceptionally wonderful experience.

A tuk-tuk

Riding a tuk-tuk (a Bangkok motor-taxi) is like going on a mild rollercoaster ride. The rider goes so fast, we could hardly catch our breath. We hold on to the sides very tightly, as the rider's swerves and quick turns make it very possible for us to be flung out of the vehicle when moving. It is however, a very cheap form of transport.

So we took a tuk-tuk to one of the popular temples. It is opened to all, including tourists once a month only. I have been to many temples, churches, mosques in my lifetime and I always get a feeling of calmness and peace no matter which place of worship I enter to. This was no different. The temple was at least 500 years old and beautifully crafted with intricate carvings and drawings.

Inside the temple with a Buddha statue

Beautiful shots of the temple

After the temple visit, the tuk-tuk driver took us to a gems jewellery store. Thailand is famous for their gemstones, such as rubies and emeralds. The prices there are much lower than in Singapore. We met locals there who told us if we wish to make money, we could buy gemstone jewellery, such as rings or necklaces and sell them in Singapore, and we could get a neat profit of at least 40%! Anyway, we went in the shop just to look-look, see see. I have always love accessories and jewellery, and I was just blown away by the array of collection they have.

Hubby knows how much I love gems and their jewelley and I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me to choose a ring that I liked. I told him its ok, and not to waste his money. He surprised me further saying that its my advanced birthday gift.

I love you

It's an amber gemstone ring set in diamonds and white gold. I prefer chunky accessories than the dainty ones. It's perfect and gorgeous. Thanks darling, I love it and I love you.

We then made our way by foot to a nearby massage parlour. An hour of foot and body massage is just 200THB (s$10). And it is damn good. We even fell asleep throughout the massage.

Relaxed mode

Hubby feeling ticklish

After the massage, we had lunch at an Indian restaurant nearby our hotel. We realised that there are many foreigners, especially from India who have opened up businesses in Bangkok. There are quite a number of Muslim restaurants around the Pratunam district itself. The garlic naan there is superb, practically melts in the mouth.

We then head back to the hotel for some shut-eye.

After maghrib, we went around the Pratunam night market for some shopping! We bought so much stuff (and they were freaking cheap too) that we knew it was impossible to fit into our one pathetic luggage. Hmm...I must make it a point to bring extra luggages next time we come to Bangkok.

At Pratunam flea market

After dinner at a Turkish restaurant, we shopped some more till the shops closed on us! It was then time to go back to the hotel and sleep.

Dinner

Damages on the pocket

Day 2

After breakfast at the hotel, we took a cab to Chatuchak weekend market. This market is, as the name says, is only opened on Saturdays and Sundays and is the biggest market in Bangkok. It is in fact so big, that we only managed to cover maybe only a quarter of the area during the few hours we were there! It sells, everything from A to Z. You name it, they have got it.

There was a section of the market which sells only animals or pets. I was quite disturbed actually looking at the pets for sale, such as kitten, puppies, rabbits, hamsters etc. From their appearance, it was pretty obvious that they were not kept properly by the stall holders. Their furs were bruised and they are kept in cages which are of poor hygiene. Those who were not in cages had their feet/paws secured with a chain ball to keep them from escaping. Some of the rabbits we saw were dressed in colourful clothes. Many of the tourists there found the animals very cute, but I did not. Fellow travellers who are strong animal rights protectors, please refrain from going to this part of market.

After shopping, our feet was covered in blisters (yes, we walked a lot!), we head towards a nearby mall for a late lunch. Me and hubby have sensitive stomachs, and thus we would often avoid eating at roadside stalls if we could. Had western fare this time. We noticed that Thai people are excellent in making smoothies! Me and hubby still cannot forget the coconut milk shake we had the last time we came to Bangkok. It was really delicious. Their shakes and cocktails taste so good, they really use the best and freshest ingredients. I ordered a chocolate smoothie, you can really taste the thick flavour of the chocolate beans. Yummy!

Chocolate and apple smoothie

After some more shopping at the market, we left and headed back to the city for more shopping! We even bought a luggage bag to fit in all the stuff we had bought.

Contented shoppers

See the denin jackets on the top left of the pic below? Just S$6 per piece. Can die!

We head for Pattaya on the 3rd day. Part 2 coming up soon!