Bangkok Eat & Shopping Getaway Feb 2017
- Vincent Chan
- Feb 24, 2017
- 14 min read
So, I'm back from the first trip of 2017 that had been booked since the end of 2016 through Airasiago.com.my on a night when the idea of going to Bangkok just sparked up. Fares were decent and with the hotel included, we got some discount on the stay. That combined to a total cost of just RM1066 with return Flight fare of RM269 per person and a hotel room at Red Planet Hotel Asoke at the rate of about RM130 per night for 4 nights. I'm not sure whether it was booked in a promotion period but the price seems decent enough for me.
I did not plan much of a itinerary for the trip this time as I was intended to take this trip as a relaxing, eating and shopping trip. We do feels like we were home when we were there, probably due to the similarity in the people, traffic and weather between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
Here's some quick facts to know before going to Bangkok:
1. Bangkok is the Capital City of Thailand. One of the largest City in South East Asia, for all Malaysians, it is a lot bigger than Kuala Lumpur, like A LOT.
2. For Malaysians, you do not need a Visa to be able to travel to Thailand. Our mighty Passport allows us to stay in Thailand for not more than 30 days.
3. For bikers, there are no Superbike license or things like that in Thailand, a valid International License with Helmet will guarantee you a safe road trip without any annoyance from local enforcement. Traffic in Bangkok are kinda weird as you can see from the photo above, both side are having lanes going forward, but there is one lane on the right going the opposite direction!
4. For Umobile users, sit back and relax, Umobile offers Data backpack in Thailand in which means you may use your data at will without any roaming charges at Thailand as long as you are connected to Truemove Network.
5. As most of the Malaysia would have know already, Thailand Time Zone is 1 hour slower than us which is GMT +7.
6. Insist on using the Taxi meter whenever possible because I can guarantee it is gonna be cheaper than whatever the drive offers you!
7. There are MRT and BTS in Bangkok but both of them are using their own card system which means you'll have to carry 2 cards if you wish to skip the queue at the stations. It is worth noting that using card is actually the same price as buying tickets though.
8. 'Soi' in Thai language stands for Street, and the address system there is actually quite simple where 'Sukhumvit Soi 14' just stands for the 14th street along Sukhumvit, straight forward and easy to understand.
9. Bangkok in February was hot AF, so skip any of your cold wear, just go as if you were hanging out in Malaysia.
Day 1 (Asiatique, Lebua Skybar)
Our flight was at late evening and by the time we arrive at Don Mueang International Airport at the Northern side of Bangkok City. Well there are actually 2 International Airport in the city of Bangkok alone, the fancier bigger and newer Suvarnabhumi International Airport and this, where it was previously closed in 2006 to make way for the new airport but eventually it got reopened due to high low cost airlines demands.
In contrast to the new Bangkok Airport, the old Bangkok Airport does not had a skytrain or any sort of train connecting it to the city centre, though I can see the construction of a new train is ongoing while I was on the taxi into the city. Judging by the progress I would say it will be available very soon.
Getting into the city was easy, just go to the taxi counter and show the staffs where you wanna go and you will geh a taxi in no time. Most of the airport taxi speaks a little English but don't expect too much from them. Passengers will have to pay for the expressway toll levies themselves which cost 50+70 THB to get into the city, while the taxi fares would be anywhere between 200-300 THB depending on where you are staying and of course, the traffic condition.
We were staying at the Red Planet Hotel Asoke, Asoke Station is one of the few interchange stations between the MRT and BTS in the city. The other place in the city where you can find both of them is in Silom, but do take note that there are 2 different lines of BTS though. Our hotel is just a short walk from the station in the alley opposite of Terminal 21, a newly open shopping mall with different theme for each floor.
The hotel room was quite small but more than enough for 2 of us, overall it was very decent with a touch of modern boutique hotel style. Do note that the hotel did not provide any minibar nor a water kettle, most of the people staying here including us bought a big 5L drinking water from the 7-eleven store just further down the street.
Bangkok MRT and BTS were a tad more expensive than what we have here in Malaysia, but their taxis were cheaper. One thing worth mentioning is that their escalator speed were crazily fast, almost double of what we had here. Going on them require a little time to get used to.
My sister was in Bangkok when we arrived in Bangkok so we immediately went to meet her at her hotel on BTS, it was a four station ride from Asok station to Siam station that cost us 28 THB each. Once we were there, we grab a taxi from the hotel to Asiatique the Riverfront, a new tourist spot that stands along Chao Phraya River.
Due to the fact that our last meal was taken in Malaysia more than 9 hours ago, we immediately went for a open air Thai restaurant there called 'Why 97'. Ordered a few dishes and complete with a Mango Sticky Rice dessert. All of them were very nice especially the Sweet and sour steam Seabass, one of the must try Thai dishes everywhere.
When we left Asiatique it was already near 11pm and most of the shops there had already closed, except some cafe and restaurant.
Next up, we took a taxi to Lebua at State Tower, the hotel that house the famous Lebua Skybar. Damn was it full of people there at a small hanging corner of the skybar. We had to even squeeze along the crowd to get a space of our own.
However, I'll have to say that the night view on the skybar was an one of a kind experience and it is a must go if you have got the time & budget for a Mojito or cocktail.
We got back to hotel after midnight and had good night sleep until the second day morning.
Day 2 (Terminal 21, Siam Square, Siam Paragon, Asiatique)
The second day morning sees us sleeping until it was time for a late breakfast and the best place for that is the famous Pier 21 food court in Terminal 21.
Most of the food court in Bangkok now adapted the prepaid cash card system where you have to buy card loaded with credit in it from the counter. Then you proceed to buy stuffs with that card without having to queue for extremely long time just to wait for the cashier to return the balance. Just a swipe off your order and you are good to go.
No kidding, the Pier 21 is the best food court in Bangkok, Period. It brings in most of the famous Thai food stalls around Bangkok and placed them in a single food court with very attractive selling price. In fact, it was one of the cheapest place for food we had in the whole trip.
Some of the must try are as followed, the Kha Moo Nakornpathom (Pork Leg Rice), Tam Pen Juicez (Fruit Smoothie), Pad Thai-Hoi Tord Champ Mae Klong (Pad Thai) & Kuay Jab Sam Toom (Kuay Jab).
We did not had enough time and stomach for all of the food but these are in fact some of the best food we had in this trip.
Ok, back to the shopping mall itself. The concept of the shopping is to locate different type of shops into different level which was separated by big cities around the world. For instance, Carribean, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Fransisco & Hollywood.
The concept was quite amazing and if I must say, we from Malaysia wants something like this in our country. Come on, we've had enough of biggest shopping malls but one that comes in these sort of creativity is the one that we need.
Then, we met up with my sister again and this time we are going to a traditional Thai Cuisine restaurant in Thong Lo area who was serving one of the best Thai cuisine around town (according to my colleague in Thailand, this was for VIP only, haha!). With 8 people around the table, we almost ordered everything they had in their menu!
Their dishes was soooooo good that I've forgotten to take any photos of them. So, fast tips, get the fried Snappers, stir fried Crab Meat, tom yum soup, mango sticky rice and coconut ice-cream. And the name of the restaurant is 'Palm Cuisine', located at Thong Lo Soi 16.
After the lunch, our colleague dropped us at the Thong Lo BTS station and we then move on to another big shopping area, the Siam Paragon area. Well, nothing much to talk about when these shopping mall were basically the Pavilion and KLCC counterpart in Bangkok. Opposite the main street at Centrepoint @ Siam Square 1, things were better. Clothing prices were much lower and this is where you girls can buy a dress at around 300 THB.
Upon walking out of the shopping mall and down the street, we stumble upon the old siam square street where many small shops located in a tiny alley. A better place for shopping and the price of them is generally even lower.
On our way leaving the place, we went to the infamous 'BAKE cheese tart' to have one of them, and guys, we had completed our comparison chart. Tokyo Secret was best, Pablo second, Hokkaido and BAKE sucks man!!!
Moving on, the sun was setting very soon, so with the plan of watching the sun set in the massive Chao Phraya River, we took the BTS to Saphan Taksin Station from Siam for the free shuttle boat from the Sathorn Pier to Asiatique.
Oh boys look at that sunset, what a beauty!
RIght, again we were in Asiatique, other than just walking around and shopping, we went to this Mango Tango, recommended by my sister. had some mango smoothies.
I'll have to say Thai's Mangoes were generally sweeter than Malaysia's. I mean even mangoes in Hui Lau Shan Malaysia was so sour compare to what they got here.
Had a dinner there as well, inside the foodcourt area of Asiatique, there were these 4 stores nearby each other there in the middle of it, and we follow the rules. First, follow the locals, then follow the crowds, these 2 rules will somehow get you some decent foods. Haha!
Ordered Tom Yum Soup, Pad thai with Rice Noodles and a Basil fried Chicken. Wouldn't say it was good but decent enough for a tourist spot.
Got ourselves tired there and took BTS went back to hotel to get some rest after.
Day 3 (Victory Monument, Grand Palace, Chatuchak Weekend Market)
Right, Boat Noodles. We had tried it before here in Malaysia, the boat noodles scattered around shopping malls. Now we went to try out the real Thailand version of it. So what were boat noodles? And why is it so small? It was simple, they were served by someone on the boat before and obviously you can't carry so many big bowls around while you boat is that tiny right?
And then there are 2 places we can find on internet where you can try out the real nice Boat noodles in Bangkok, Doy Boat Noodles and the Boat Noodles alley, where both of them located near the Victory Monument station.
We went to the Boat Noodles alley which was nearer to the stations, had 10 bowls of them. Of course in different flavours, some are dry, some are soup, some are glass noodles, and some are red sauce. Emm, the flavours were strong and they were mostly spicy, and it was the kinda spicy that will stay in your lips and tongue for ages but overall we were satisfy.
Then we took a taxi and go straight to Grand Palace, these are places that are inaccessible by any sort of trains. Unless you wanna take a local bus, but taxi fare was incredibly low at only 100THB after a 30mins ride in the traffic!
By the time we were there, we saw that there were some sort of function going on, looks like everyone were mourning their late King of Thailand. And talked about Grand Palace, it was once the Palace of the King of Thailand, but not for long and now it is a tourist spot in Bangkok. The tickets to enter were 500THB including the access to Wat Phra Kaeo, the temple housing the famous Emerald Buddha statue.
And, we did not went in there, first of all, there were tourist, tonnes of them, all squeezing and queueing to buy tickets from the counters. And there were tour groups with tour guide leading them to squeeze along. So we went ahead and took some photos outside instead.
Then we decided that it was time for Chatuchak Market! So the nearest MRT station was Hua Lamphone station, and guess what, we went to ask for a tuk tuk, and straightaway he says 300THB! Heck! The same trip cost me less than 60 THB in a taxi after I turned him down. Tuk tuk was just an unique experience and unless you have got a very convincing negotiation skill to get the price down, taxi is almost always cheaper.
After you come out from the MRT station, walk south towards the entrance of the Chatuchak Market on your right.
And immediately you will be greet by stalls, thousands of them. First timers would have no clues where to start, you may even got lost in there.
Further investigation shows that the market was divided into 27 sections with different sort of merchants lying around. Navigating in there were merely following the street number.
First we should talk about shopping in Chatuchak, the price there were kinda low, you can get a dress at ranging from 200 THB to 400 THB, but the designs are very nice and following the trend around the world. Especially on Section 2, 3 and 4, the shops there were air-conditioned and a lot more comfortable. You can find some of the local brand here which were very talented in creating their own fashion and even shoes.
Then we talk about food here, ok, there are a few must try here, first of all, any coconut ice-cream. Coconut ice-cream here generally got unlimited toppings where you can choose from a few types of them in front of the stalls. Normally around 50 THB per coconut cup.
And then there is this Honey Roasted Pork hiding somewhere in Section 22, Soi 4. Simply the best and most juicy pork you can find!!! This is a 100% must try! 50 THB for 100g so we bought 200g.
After the pork, we walked towards the main street, and there is this chicken soup noodles that was recommended. Ordered a dry noodles and a soup one, and the dry one was just so so, but their soup and the chicken drumstick was very very good, rarely you can get a braised chicken which can hold itself in ur chopstick but melt in ur mouth! Highly recommended!
By the time we finished our chicken noodles, we were left with only around 45 mins to roam around and buy some dress and clothes before departing back to our hotel.
WE WERE SO TIRED!!!
However, gonna continue eating and shopping. So, later that night, we went to Ratchada Train Market located just behind the Esplanade Mall nearby Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station. It was very organised with the food near the front and all the shoppings near the back so that you can fill your stomach before moving on for more shoppings. Things here are quite cheap but not as cheap as Chatuchak, bought some plain-T at only 100 THB per piece!
That's the end of the day and we gone back to our room to prepare for tomorrow.
Day 3 (Pratunam Market, Platinum Fashion Mall, Health Land Spa, Yaowarat)
The last day we've got time to mingle around in Bangkok, we slept until 11am and went ahead and asked whether is there any local breakfast around the hotel. And to our surprise we find that local Bangkok don't usually go out and had their breakfast and hence, there isn't much choices around. So we went back to Terminal 21 to had our brunch, anyway still the best food you can have here.
Then we moved on to Pratunam Morning Market, in a taxi, as it was not connected to any nearby BTS or MRT station. Traffic condition were better in Sunday and we were there in no time.
The structure of Pratunam Market is kinda weird as it was surrounded by some old shops while it was surrounding Baiyoke Gallery. Don't be frightened by the old shops at the outside, the stalls inside were one of the cheapest place you can find in Bangkok!
Here, a bikini cost only 300 THB and clothes cost starting from 50 THB to 200 THB. They normally gives you lower price if you buy at least 3 pieces. However, the quality seems to be generally lower than what you get outside, anyway daily clothing are fine as it was really dirt cheap.
However, beware of pickpockets in here during the morning when there was a lot of tourist. Just leave your passport and wallet at hotel if you are worried, bring some cash and you are good to go.
Across the main road, the Platinum Fashion Mall was something more like our Kenanga Wholesale City. But I'll have to say that their fashion are generally more advanced and in front of us in terms of trends.
Things were cheap but with higher quality and sometimes better design. It has 6 floors and every floor was selling different type of clothing. From night gown to day dress, I can understand why everyone come here and buy stuffs back to Malaysia and start a business.
We roam around the mall and take a taxi towards Health Land Asoke after a few hours there.
To our surprise, it was packed full of people. And by people I meant tourists. The cheaper variant of a oil massage was fully booked and we had to order a more expensive and probably higher end version of the oil massage, the Abyanga Massage that cost 1500THB and lasted 90 minutes.
It was the first time in my life to go for a massage and to be honest, I'm afraid that a traditional Thai Massage will break my neck. Hahahaha! But this oil massage was good, it was almost like recharging my body after that. I was full of energy again after the massage and suddenly all the pain previously on my feet were gone. It was that effective!
After the battery recharging process to my body, we were ready for another round of food before we went back. So we decided to go for the Chinatown, or what the locals call it, Yaowarat.
Yaowarat can be access by taking MRT to Hua Lamphong station and walk for around 1KM towards Yaowarat road. And you will stumble across the big iconic Chinatown door at the small roundabout located at the starting end of the Yaowarat Road.
My best advice after exploring is that to stick to one side of the road and walk until the end and walk across the street to come back to the MRT station. We chose the right side and some of the food were nice to try there, like the Bird Nest, the Seafood restaurant that were packed full of people named T&K Seafood and that's about it on the right side.
Walk across the street and come the left side, you will start with the Kuay Jab, it was served with very spicy Pepper soup, very heaty but absolutely nice for those who like the pepper soup. Further back we tried the pork leg rice at one of the shop, it was good but not nearly as good as Kha Moo in Pier 21. We tried the wanton noodles there as well, but beware that their dry wonton noodles is not the same as ours, it is just the noodles with some soup and salt in it. The soup was just okok only.
Walking further back, we saw a shop, everyone was queueing, and the shop even employ a numbering system. Guess what are they selling, the famous toasted bread in Yaowarat. It certainly looks nice, but we did not go for it. Anyone who had tried please let me know how good it was ya.
So we went back to the hotel to end the night before we depart back to Malaysia on the early morning of the second day.
Overall, Bangkok feels like home to us and we had decided to come back again by the end of this year for more shopping. It was very good for short trip and at the same time very attractive to those Mat Salleh in terms of their buddhist culture. Definitely a must visit place but there are still many places to explore around Thailand and even in our own land here in Malaysia.
P.S.:
Saw my hometown while I was on the plane, I couldn't help but take this photo to show you all. Yes it is, this is Teluk Intan there near the right side and I'm from there.
Footnote:
Airasiago
Red Planet Hotel Asoke
Terminal 21 (Pier 21) Food Guide
Palm Cuisine
Chatuchak Food Guide
Chatuchak Guide
Health Land Spa Asoke
Yaowarat food guide
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