Bangkok trip'07/8: 29th Dec to 3rd Jan -- Arrival day

The long awaited BANGKOK POST!
PLEASE BEAR WITH THE HEAVY-DUTY PICTURES!

Be4 leaving for bangkok in the evening..

we went for voices meeting at suntec!

whee..

boi carry his suitcase around town!

quite a sight! hee.. and i must tell u! his suitcase weighs a tons!

yup.. so after meeting.

we went to have lunch and we are happy that the ever-so-long-queue of the donut shop at raffles city is so short!!! wanted to taste how good is that ever-son-long-queue donut.. tho i ate before once.. but i decide to try again! Since we are taking a budget, we decide to buy one dozen donuts to ease our stomach while we are on the plane! :)

EEW.. taste is okie la.. the bread.. NAH!! dun like. this is the kind that if u leave overnight.. the bread will not b spongy. But overall.. still good la!

so we hop back to my hm to take my luggage..

leave 6 donuts for my family and the other 6 we took it with us!
was amazed that 985 can bring us to kallang..which will shorten our travel time to the airport.
next time go to the east.. i got one more choice le!!

we were still quite on the dot when we reach budget terminal! we took a shuttle bus over btw!

still with xmas spirit!

have not went to the budget terminal before..

was told that it was v lok kok!
no aircon..

then i was worried that we will go hungry if we did not have any food before boarding the plane and thus the irrational choice of buying the dozen donuts!! ROAR

to our surprise!
its small and kempt tidily..
GOT AIRCON and a food outlet..
decide to leave the donut for whatever supper or sudden food craving that we may encounter during the trip.

after check in.. we went for our dinner!

IT's another brance of hanz.
quite nice and relatively cheap.
we were too full to move after we had our dinner!

the set meal is very worth. tho not appealing. but at a price of 7plus bucks we got ourselves a soup, garlic bread, drink, cake n main! worth right!

our dinner

after dinner, we check in for departure..
wow! it's all automatic!
like JB like tt..
scan yr passport and poof!
u are allowed to go!

inside the waiting area!

we were suppose to queue up to board the plane.

as we were early.. we are standing beside the window..
so we are able to see the runway of the airports.
hurhur..
as usual, we are spotting for fatso(Airbus380)
and we saw a tiger plane nearby and tot it's ours..
gosh..
we waited so long and it began to drizzle!
guess wad..
a tiger plane just arrived and minutes later.. we board that just "arrived" plane.
boi says since the flight is one hour plus..
tiger must make it all worthwhile..
it is realli a cool experience.. walking to the plane!!
I bet u only got this in budget..

in the plane..
well... budget ma.
cant expect much.
i cant compare jetstar and tiger..
but somehow..
i still like jetstar..
but it is so ex! *shrugs*

going to set off lor!!
GOSH! that plane was terrible..
i suffered so much during that one hour flight..
the air pressure in my ear was hurting me..
compared to that hk trip..
i think this is the worst.
even though, the thoughful boi bought me sweets to suck to ease the "anticipated" pain..
i was still very much in pain!!
haiz..
i do not knoe whether is this a newly formed ailment not..
shrugs..
newae.. reached bangkok and it was only like 7 plus pm!
imagine we board the plane at 6plus near 7 in singapore time!
*we were one hour behind bangkok time*
there are many big statues that resembles the one in grand palace.
i forgot the name but i know it had symbolic meaning to the thai!
went to get our taxi!
was enveloped with all the private taxi cabbies who offered an one flat price..
we were so like "er.."
but with lightning pace..
we siam diao them and reached the "proper" metered taxi queue outside the airport
we saw alot of maps while queueing.. took all of it..
and i seriously feel that.. the maps which we bring and prepared are much better off sia!

newae.. when its our turn, we tell the guy at the table our location. To double comfirmed the place. We already print out the hotel's name and address both in English and Thai to show them! The guy at the table will then called on to the next cabbie guy to fetch us to our location. We paid right at the place according to the fee. (yup, altho metered.. but at the airport, they do things differently. If u think that u might as well get the "private" cabbie 'cos no need to queue.. u are in the danger of them bringing u to another place to sign up for some weird stuff.. 'cos the cabbie will get commission. why suffer? =) )

the driver was rather young.
he is nice and helpful..
but i dun think he knows much english!

-on a side note: it was really warm in bangkok when we were there. However, the later part of the year is considered to be the best travelling period as it only rain once or twice every month. and it is not as hot as the summer in Bangkok which is in the period of may-aug(i think). while the rest of the year is considered rainy season!! ALWAYS RAIN! RAIN = NO FUN! therefore, do plan your holidays wisely!-

this is the coolest taxi uncle.. tru out the whole trip.. this is the only taxi with tv.. it is showing all the thai mtv! quite cool!! newae.. he drove at 160-180km/hr..

SERIOUSLY..
i saw it.
and i tell boi..
hohoho..
we were like wow!
it is not scary at all altho it is that fast.
i really felt okay sitting in it!
but u are not going to believe this!!
all taxis in thai are altis(toyota)!
boi's car!
ALTIS LEA!
i paid.. 20 bucks from airport to my hotel.
and every day.. i spent like 2 bucks to go from one place to another!
ALTIS WOR!

Compared to singapore cabs..

forgot wad brand..
not good de!
uncle drive manual.
change gear anyhow change..
cab will go "groung groung"
and at the end..
u leave the cab with a big hole in yr wallet and then yr head feel dizzy..
*shake heads*

before we came.. we had read alot of reviews on Diamond City hotel.
many had said the dark alley that our hotel is situated..
oh well.. we had good and bad reviews..
and we keep it in mind of the dangers that we may face!
its quite a long stretch at first.. but as the days goes..
that road is very short actually..
newae, when we reached.. taxi uncle will come down n help u carry luggage de! ALL of them. the thais are really good ppl!! So different from singapore!

it is a small cosy hotel. the staffs here are really nice!!
this is the check in place.

the waiting area.. various sofa was put here.. i suppose it's for decoration as well as havng a place for ppl to chill..

one bad ting happened at the hotel was that we were given a standard room altho we booked a deluxe. the room was okay initially.. but when we decide to have a bath before turning in.. we realise there is no hot water! gosh! its freezing water!! we called and asked to change room. we are supposed to stay there for 5 nights! we cant live in this condition. We got to move into another room.. this time it has hot water.. but the light was not working properly.. we need to stand on a chair and twist the bulb to let it light up. and the farnie hotel staff jokes with us that we can turn it off by twisting it into another direction! oh well.. in addition.. the fridge is not cool enough! :( quite disappointing at first! But the staff promised to bring us to a bigger room tmr when the guests checks out!

SERIOUSLY.. the bigger room that he said is the one that we booked de ba! altho this is quite a frustrating thing.. however, everything was done nicely.. and being the very nice ppl.. we stay in tt standard room for one night.. [oh ya! no cable tv! its okie.. we pay budget, so we get budget.] The stuffs provided is already very nice lor!! :)

Bangkok trip'07/8: 29th Dec to 3rd Jan -- First day!

woke up early in the morning, all hype up for today's activities!
as this is the only weekend we had..
we decide to go to the weekend market chatuchak!!!
before we embark ourselves to all the religious attractions!!

pack our bag and for the hotel attendents to bring our stuffs to our new room tonight!
wheet~
hopefully, a tired day out we will be welcomed with a wonderful shower at the end of the day. =)

For the rooms at diamond city hotel,
breakfast is complementary!
buffet style.
dun think is like big hotels' buffet.
it's just a simple affair, with rice, noodles, eggs, suasages, toasts and beverages.
catering to the diverse tourists living there.
there are angmohs and i think tons of singaporeans!
hahahahaah..

with a only big lcd tv with cable at the dining area..
bbc is what that keeps us informed everyday..
i miss my discovery.. =(

look at this breakfast!

hohoho.. it's still not so bad! dun be niao la!
i like their you tiao!!
it's yummy..
and the thai eat their youtiao in coffee.
yup! coffee!!
i tried!
omg!
it's not bad!!

breakfast is from 8a.m till 1030a.m
they will keep the stuff at arnd 10.15a.m
So dun be a lazybum and sleep till late!!

this is the table that we always choose to sit..
while eating our first meal of the day and to observe the morning bangkok
how beautiful!

during december..
the morning are cold..
hee..
enjoy the chillness while u can!
'cos when the sun rose higher..
you will have to blaze tru the heat to travel bangkok!

essentials on the trip:
water bottle!! big one.. not those tiny one! and it must be distilled.
cap or umbrella! they can realli come in handy!

First destination:
Chatuchak weekend market

First travelling day and we are still very unsure of the cab fee.. so as to waste money, we decide to take the train.. it takes about 5 minutes walk!!
The rumored dark alley is such a pretty little lane in the morning..

graffiti on the van

distilled water dispenser! hahaha..

the morning street. telephone line, electricity are still ulled by the long cable with tower
old buildings and little shops and street vendors selling food. It is more bustling at night!

it takes just a while for us to reach the station!
do not fear language barrier..
thais are very friendly people, they will help u as much as possible.

tip: planned yr itenary way before.. or at least a tentative one. know the road or train station of the attraction (if you are taking train). asked the concierge to write the attraction or road name in thai and travelling will be made easier.

the train station, not much different

the tickets! its so retro! its our those bus cards that we use before ezlink!
as chatuchak is quite far.. the tickets are not cheap. probably 2 plus sing bucks.
coins are only accepted to purchase the tickets at the machine. money can be exchanged at the counter! =)

inside the train platform.. its a long track.. but the train only occupy a small portion.

the train

us, inside train! so excited!!

woot.. there's alot of people going to chatuchak!! see all the long queues of altis!!
all waiting for people to board it after their trip at the chatuchak..

Chatuchak market is adjacent to the Kamphaengphet station (MRT) of the Bangkok Metro, or about a 5-minute walk from the Mo Chit (หมอชิต) Skytrain (BTS) station and Suan Chatuchak(Chatuchak Park) station(MRT).

Hours: 08:00 - 18:00 on weekends and Fridays (wholesale day). Plant shops are open Wednesdays and Thursdays too from 07:00 - 18:00.

although the opening states 8am. all shops usually opens at 12pm. And shopping will then be enjoyable! i must say.. the heat was unbearable when it is afternoon. And there are alot to see!! IT's humongous!! we got a map but in the end, we did not realli need it.. there's alot to see alot to buy.. in the meantime u have to keep yourself cool! A good shoe is needed too cos u will walk till yr feet screamed!

if u are feeling hot, do pop in and out the stores if possible!!

boi got this for his fren! can u see, its alarm clock n tuktuk car made out of can. its not cheap okau?! about 4plus bucks sing dollars.

look at the cute puppies sold here. its quite sad..
however, they looked well groomed n fed.

cool bottles. not cheap too! but special!!

pass by one of the food stall and caught my eye! pink beehoon!! hohohoho

looks tempting right.. we din buy.. dar says from the looks of it.. not clean and all. okie lor.. haha

da pai dang! so many people de okie!! too bad we are just tired and not hungry.. if not we will sit dwn and eat. but the store itself looks dirty.. clean clean boi wants something that pass his standard! It's a pity, we cant eat those but we had to protect ourselves from falling sick! we still have so many days ahead of us!

we even saw an commotion. there's like a group of police/bodyguards? Someone big shot is eating there!! we looked arnd.. dun see anyone.. or perhaps dunno who is the big shot and continue with our shopping.. we almost bought all our souvenior on the first day! we are able to enjoy more for the rest of the days rather than to trouble wad to buy back..

there's a mini country song performance!

sweet and cheap(40cent) coconut to conquer the heat!! singapore sells 2-3 bucks for one coconut and some are not even sweet! ohh.. how i love their coconut!

decide to rest for awhile!! sat dwn at a stall for coconut! damn good service!! see the orange bottle behind my back? well.. these are freshly squeezed orange juice! can u imagine! it's so ORANGE! i tot is fake de! hahaha..

sushi!! surprise huh.. but such a hot day.. dun think the sushi is cold..

the clock tower at the market!!

finally.. our lunch!! it's surprising.. we are not hungry.. we just shared this noodle! cos its freshly cooked in front of us. piping hot.. and its noodle.. so boi wants to try!! their coffee is called latte or mocha but it is mixed with their own taste.. and is so CHEAP!!

overall of the market.. outside

there are alot of families/children doing this!! this is like 冰棒! tempting sia.. but dun dare to eat.. dun think the water is distilled!!! but looking at the amt of ice! it realli makes u tempted

there's a second hand book store! we were so high.. walked tru one by one.. but din bought any books. some are so worth it but are too bulky to bring hm!

it's been fun!! bought tons of stuff! hahahah.. and we are back to the train station super tired!!

took the train back to MBK! where we can enjoy the aircon and cool our selves off. with good dinner waiting for us! tho we say MBK will not be our frequent stop but in the end.. we went there almost everynight! hahaha.. cant blame us 'cos there's blasting aircon n wonderful food to satisfy our palettes.


it's new year eve the next day!! big celebration coming!

what's bangkok without their heavy traffic!! woohoo!!

decide to stop by a thai restaurant and try thai food!!


i must say their food is spicy but great taste!!! and one thing i have observe is that for their condiments, sugar is an essential.. i was like.. "sugar?" hahahah.. yeap.. they use it for their food.. i am not sure for which tho!! the dinner was great!! each of us only spend 4 bucks!! how cheap?!?!?! hahaha

we walked around the mall to enjoy the aircon and also to see how MBK looks like!

the special ronald that is localized.. come thai, this is a must take pic wad!

we were off to baiyoke sky.. wanted to go sky bar in thai but we may have to change to a proper attire! but oh well.. let's miss it!! we will have the change again! this is

Sky Bar at Sirocco
1055 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500

A lot of bars use their views as a selling point, but none are more justified in doing so then Sirocco, perched atop the Bangkok State Tower. 63 floors up, in the city’s second-highest skyscraper, there’s little to separate you from the astonishing cityscape glittering beneath you, it's like floating on air.


yup,so we skipped our sky bar and came to another high-rising experience..
baiyoke sky hotel.
the tallest skyscraper in thai which overlooks the whole city
ticket is very cheap. ten bucks.. with complementary popcorn n drink(alcohol k).
Woot!

many exhibits of thailand were also exhibited there!
did some camwhoring before we went up to the highest peak!



tadah! at the observatory tower. it's much like the one i saw at empire state in USA. However, it is not as cold!! hahaha.. and with the accompany of my love one.. the experience was truly memorable.. the journey to bqiyoke was torturous!! hahaha.. we are determined to walk there from the train station! And so.. using the building as a landmark.. we walked a few kilometres before reaching the place! hahaha.. we were very very very tired!!! but the walk was truly fun!!
From the observatory tower, we tried to locate our hotel but to no avail.. we found many interesting buildings and locating some of the place that we will be going the next few days.. hahaha.. its realli amazing..

cam whoring was done and alot of shots came out bad..
well.. night shots ma.. no choice! but we manage to capture some good ones by compromising the lighting!! hahaha

to the bar!!! there's a bar located there and live band! gosh! so nice!! We were a lucky couple too.. we manage to found a seat shortly after we reach.. And so we let our tired soul to rest while still enjoying the night scenery that is still within our reach..

the tired me am determinded to take a nice picture of the bar..
with lotsa tries, i suceeded!!
cool huh!!! *smirks*


this is my first attempt! and i love it alot!! hohoho.. u can catch abit of the night scenary too~
we were really contended!
and this marks the ending of our wonderful day

took a cab back and were like surprised it was so darn cheap!
hahaha.. think 1plus bucks..
got back to the hotel to put our stuffs and check in to our pretty room!!
it's GOOD!
hahaha..

and we then drag our tired feet to the 7-11 to buy mineral water!!

oohh!! hot shower!!
hahahaha~
no discovery channel so we had to live with nhk channel..
not tt bad.. tho we dun understand jap..
sometimes, itself is entertaining alr!! hahaha..

we can't wait for the next day!!!