The Land Of Smiles

Back fr Bkk for just 1 day and i'm starting to miss their food already. Yummy.
Everything went well for this trip. Its my 1st time to Bkk and its a lot lot better than i had imagine Bkk to be. Tot it would be messy and unsafe initially.

My summary and perhaps a Bkk guide of my 5d4n trip:

Flight: i took the Jetstar @ SGD194 which depart Spore 7am (Spore time) and depart Bkk 6pm (Bkk time) . Pls note Bkk is 1 hour behind Spore.
Once out of Arrival Hall, was faced with many aggressive drivers trying to quote THB600~700 for cab to town. Glad that i had ignore them and heed advises to proceed to Lvl 4 Departure Hall to cab from there. Must always check with cab driver before boarding and insist on meter. Else take the next cab. There are forever many cabs around, so fret not. Have stick to this practise in town also. Cab charge from airport to town was like THB200 plus toll charges of THB25 and THB45. Total of THB270 compared to those who quoted me THB600, great savings for a start of my trip.

Hotel: Have book the Deluxe Rm at Baiyoke Boutique Hotel @ THB1200 per double rm per night via www.asiarooms.com. Rm looks exactly like those shown on website, something which i was quite pleased about. Hee. Clean and cosy, thou a bit small, equipped with bathtub and hairdryer. Well, i cant ask for too much considering the price i paid for. Includes breakfast daily.
Rm has a new wooden furniture smell and nope, i'm not complaining for that. At least it smells new and not something else.
Nice and friendly recept. There's a chio jap ger and a Rain (the korean singer) lookalike guy at the recept. Wanted to take a pic with "Rain" on my last day but ended up he on leave. Arghh.. my only regret for this trip.
Btw, they gave discount coupons for services at Baiyoke Sky Hotel located beside it. Went to try out the international buffet dinner (78floor) @ THB470 at Baiyoke Sky which include entry to the rooftop (84floor) for a nice view of Bkk.

Traffic: One word, Horrible. The massive number of cars on the road at all times. Their kind of driving styles. Be mindful when crossing roads. And their zebra-crossing dont work like Spore. Cars dont stop to let you cross. When in doubt, simply tag along next to a local and you'll be good for the roads. Cabs are cheap so my whole trip only consist of either cab or walking (as cab might take longer due to their un-comprehensible road system).

Air: Pollution seems to be at its max in this country with their kind of traffic. Theres always seems to be a smell in the air regardless of whether you are indoor or outside, think its their food.

People: Not as "ugly" and distinctive looking as i thought. Actually if we dont talk, pple might just mistaken you for a thai. Yes, we do look that much the same as them. Guess all the ugly thai workers are in Spore already.
Generally they are very friendly very service oriented and a very happy bunch, not as bad as I thought they will be. Guess they have a gd work life balance. Most of them understand and speak simple english. Think Spore has been overprotecting us, end up we tend to fret too much or imagine the worst when visiting another country.

Food: I only eat at places with aircon. Its much cleaner. Din really bother to try their roadside stall in case it gives me the run. Not worth taking the risk. Food is cheap starting from THB35 for food court prices. Alcohol is dirt cheap, ard THB20~40 for a can of beer. Miss their yummy fishball soup noodle, Tom Yum Soup and Glass Noodle. However their food portion is really small, its bout half of what we eat in Spore. Even a small eater like me needs 2 portions in order to feel full. No wonder there are almost no fat pple in Bkk if you notice.

The Shopping Scene
You cannot never be done with shopping in Bkk. There are really too much shops in Bkk to complete. However shops tend to get repetitive after a while. Shopping Malls are similiar to those found in City Hall and Orchard areas in Spore, if not even bigger and more posh. Most imptly, its cheap. They dont put price tags on their stuff so you have to ask. Have a feeling they quote the price seeing when u come from. Shopping mall generally opens from 1030am to 8pm everyday. And when they say closing at 8pm, it means the mall door will close at 8pm, so the shops inside the mall will actually starting locking up 7pm onwards. Even their cafe closes ard 1030pm, and that is consider late already. So practically you have nothing much to do after dinner unless you are going to their night market and clubbing areas, which is limited also. And I always thought that Bkk has a very vibrant nightlife, din expect shops to close even earlier then Spore.

Platinum Mall: Its like a very big Far East Plaza, selling almost everything from clothes acessories, shoes, bags for both guys and gers at cheap prices. They will offer you wholesale price if you buy 3 pieces or more. I always say "Discount" when paying and if they offer u a lower price its a bonus else I'll just pay the original quoted price. There is a food court at level 5. Loot: 1 bag 1 dress(THB100 only) and 2 tops, Total: THB800.

MBK Plaza: Sells about the same stuff as Platinum Plaza. Quite a number of THB199 shops. Quality of clothes sold are slightly better here. There are a few Thai-Brand Boutiques and many restaurants here. Loot: 1 bag, 2 tees, Total: THB500.

Siam Paragon, CentralWorld, etc: Gigantic size of our Orchard Paragon. Sells high end stuff and prices are steep. Their branded stuff are not any cheaper than here, so just walk ard and eat only. Din buy anything.

Chatuchak Weekend Market: Actually no need to go down too early in order the beat the crowd/heat as the whole market is only fully open from 10am onwards, i reach ard 9plus and its only a quarter open. Be prepare to sweat and squeeze. Its really damn big so u need a lot of leg power and heat tolerance power to survive it. Good prices and sells really everything from furniture, lightings, pets, clothes, shoes, toys, etc. Lunch here for those with stronger stomach else JJ Mall will be a better alternative. Loot: 3 earrings(3 for THB50), 1 dress, 2 tops, 2 socks and 1 belt(THB50), Total: THB550

JJ Mall: Aircon mall beside Chatuchuk Market. Had lunch here after shopping at Chatuchak Market, as food seems to be bit unhygiene to my liking at Chatuchuk Market.

Pantip Plaza: "Sim Lim" but twice the size. Laptops are cheap (slightly more than SGD 1200) for a good one but without Windows installation. The rest of the items not too sure since I never check out the price before going.

Overall: Me not a heavy shopper but still bought a bit. Ends up my guy friends bought more than me. Haha.
Tips for Shopping: Always shop from the top floor down. Prices seems to be better at the top levels. Always try ask "Discount", you'll never know your luck. Its hard to find fitting rooms as shops are small. Wear something fitting so that you can just try on. Overall, Platinum Mall is good if you are running short of time.

Night Activities
Suan Lum Night Market: Opens 6pm onwards. Things here are slightly pricer so just see see look look. If you walk deep inside there is a eating area thats like our Holland Village. A good place for nice food/chilling out and wasting time away.

Patpong: Geylang area. Pple very aggressive for sales here. They will even ask me, a gal, if i wanna watch pingpong/thai ger show. I only walk ard as I know it gonna cost a lot if you follow them and once you enter its hard to leave without paying a hefty sum. From the doors i can see tall lanky gers with really good figure in skimpy bikinis doing pole dancing on the stage, but then again, nobody knows if they are really gers. There is also a stretch of pasar malam in the same area. This area is pretty safe even for gers to hang ard if you know how to say NO firmly to those touters.

Clubbing
Despite seeing/hearing many warnings, i still went to check out their clubbing scene. Actually I feel more safer clubbing in Bkk than in Spore. They have a more civilised clubbing culture. Not so sure if what i experience is the same everyday as i went on a weekday. Pple tend to sit/stand ard and shake a little only, dats all. Not like Spore where we really dance. They drink more heavily thou due to the fact that alcohol is cheap. I went to check out the stretch of discos along RCA road(RCA = Royal City Avenue). Best deal of the night: No cover charge!! So you can do club hopping as you like all night. Went to the 2 most popular disco as recommended by my hotel recept who seems to chiong a lot as his eyes gave us the sparkle when we ask about the clubbing areas: Slim and Route 66. Both are just beside each other and are like our Zouk. Route 66 is easier to find, Slim is in white and just beside Route 66, but u might still miss it as its signboard is a bit hard to read.

Route 66: Lesser crowd, perhaps cos Slim is nearer to the start of the road. Just need to purchase a drink. 4 rooms in all, North, South, East, West. play techno, hiphop, live band(but in thai) and Internet area, the internet usage is free.
Must visit is the Ladies toilet. Its amazing. I follow the sign to the toilet and saw this big area where there are 2 real normal guys with guitars singing with sofas surrounding. Initially i tot maybe i have yet to reach the toilet but its really inside the toilet already. To the left of these guys are the many cubicles and the many dressings table and to the right, private dressing tables and those sofas are actually waiting area meant for you to rest or to wait for pple. I really love their toilet, its very clean with no smell. Be sure to visit it. Where can you find such beautiful toilets with a mini live band inside. Haha.

Slim: Definitely more happening than Route 66, probably due to more foreigners. Its almost pack full even on a tuesday night. I din even need to buy a drink, either its too crowded or its optional. Not too sure. there are only 2 rooms here, techno and hiphop. Music is happening but still the pple are just shaking a little only. Its like pubbing in a chionging place if you get wat i mean.

Other Actitvites Done
Erawan Shrine: famous 4 faced buddha. Buy from the inside: 1 candle, 12 joss stick and 4 garlands @ THB25. Clockwise, 3 josssticks and 1 garland at each face. Or just follow the pple.

Chinatown(YaoWaRat): a bit hard to navigate. nothing much to buy for me. its more like a seafood and utensils wholesale area. Only bought some food stuff at Lin Zhen Xiang for my colleagues. Had Sharkfins and BirdNest at Dong Fang, @ THB500 each, which is the 2nd lowest grade. Highest grade can go up to THB3000.

Ocean World @ Siam Paragon: A underwater world that seems more impressive than ours. Cost THB750 and include a drink, a bag, a glass bottom boat ride, and a 4D theatre show.

Movie @ Siam Paragon: Best Cinema City in Bkk. Size of the cinema is superb. Even the waiting area looks good. Pricing are according to area u sit. Dunno if it is only for this cinema or for all in Bkk. Cinema culture: After watching 20min of trailer, everybody suddenly starts standing up. I was still thinking why is everybody suddenly leaving when the show has yet to start. Then a song (shld be the National Anthem, cant really tell what it is since its in thai) starts playing. Afterwhich everybody sits down and then the movie starts. Seats are leather and spacious with lots of leg room. The back of the seat are those that recline a bit as you lie down. Shiok.

Muay Thai Boxing at Lumphini Boxing Stadium: Think ourists gets rip off a lot here. Prices are like THB1500 for 2nd category(standing) and THB2000 for ringside(sitting). I took the THB2000 for ringside and was sitting in the first row. We dont have much of a choice unless we wanna save THB500 and make ourself stand for 3hours. There are 3 fight days every week and 2 slots on the day. My was for the 5pm to 8pm slot and there's another one from 830pm to 12midnight. There are about 6~7 fights in a slot, each lasting about 30min. Fighters can be as young as 15 years old to 25 years old. No idea if the fights are real or for wayang but i can see sweat flying ard, blood spewing and boxers passing out, same as what you see on tv. An eye opener.

Din manage to cover all malls and places of interests but i believe i'll go Bkk again one day.
Oops, suddenly realise i have wrote a long story.. haha. time to sleep. 4 am liao

Have to figure what to do for the rest of my leave. Still have 1 more week to go. Time flies just like that.