Bangkok Trip with Friends, Thailand
Bangkok here we come!
I'm Joanne, I'm a new blogger, never thought of blogging before. Angeline invited me many times, cause I love to take food photos and love travels. If I'm not good, please forgive me, just trying my best.
A bit of me, I'm a single parent for 3 kids, my job - Admin & Account Executive for AR Cooling Engineering Works. I thank God for whatever I have now, surrounded by good friends and I love my children. I'm enjoying my life now and food, haha. Friends and family are very important to me, I'm bless, thanks God, I love you forever!
I spend most of my time with my kids, sometime take a break and go travel with friends.
So this is my break free trip to Bangkok with some of my close and good good friends. I'm sorry for not stating the prices for the food, cause I really don't remember, we share the bill most of the time.
DAY 1 IN BANGKOK
COZY BANGKOK PLACE GUESTHOUSE
41/146-148SOI. SUNTHONPIMOL , RAMA 4 RD.PRATHUMWAN , BANGKOK 10330,
THAILAND
TEL : (662 ) 6119178, (668 ) 98954626
www.cozybangkok.com
E-mail : cozybangkok@hotmail.com
Cozy Bangkok Place Guest House is located in the heart of the city but surrounding with the quiet atmospheres. Only 3 minutes walk to bus stop and 10 minutes to Hualampong subway station and Central railway station . There are 20 rooms in different room type for your convenience and full facilities, new alternative for you to explore Bangkok
ROOM TYPE:
DORMITORY: THB250 (Fan)/ THB350 (Air-cond) per person
TRIPLE ROOM: THB750 per room (Air-cond)
(3 PERSONS)SINGLE ROOM: THB300 (Fan)/ THB400 (Air-cond) per room
(1 PERSON)
TWIN BEDS: THB750 per room (Air-cond)
(2 PERSONS)
DOUBLE BEDS: THB850 per room (Air-cond)
(2 PERSONS)
After checking in at the Guesthouse we went to Suan-Lum Night Bazaar hunting for food, haven't had our dinner yet
It looks really interesting, can't forgive myself if I don't give it a go! Turns out, it was worth trying, not fat at all, mmm and the gravy so good.
Braised Pork
Glutinous Dumpling, the ingredients are more then the rice, which is good, I like it!
Coconut Ice Cream, it looks good and it taste good! Eat it
DAY 2 IN BANGKOK
Our Breakfast, we ate nearby our Hostel
Signature Fishball noodles for this shop, really good, from the soup to the fishball, thumbs up!
Dessert, Mango with Sticky rice, mmmm the mango was so sweet and great aroma, the sticky rice was chewy and creamy cause of the generous coconut milk topping, wah! wvery filling
Tuk-tuks have become one of Bangkok's most recognisable transportation features, and are still popular among tourists and visitors. Riding a tuk-tuk is more of an experience rather than a practical way to get around. So, if it's your first time in The Big Mango, there's no harm in giving it a go. Here are some tips to keep in mind before you wave one down:
- Fares vary, depending on the distance travelled, the time of the day, the traffic, and the mood of the drivers. Normally a very short trip will cost 30 baht.
- Fare negotiating and haggling is a must because the price named by the driver is always an 'inflated rate' (especially if you're a tourist). The trick is to negotiate 5 - 15 baht off the proposed fare, and take it from there.
- Be careful of the 'mafia' tuk-tuks around touristy areas, who often boasts privileged knowledge of 'secret' or 'special' shopping places and things. Some of them may offer sightseeing tours and unsolicited help to take you places. A short and sweet "no, thanks" will save you from their scams. The same rule applies to taxis.
- Avoid taking a tuk-tuk during peak hours (07:00 - 09:00, 16:00 - 19:00). You don't want to be stuck in traffic for hours, sweating and breathing in the hazardous fumes from engines all around you.
- Tuk-tuks are most ideal for short trips. (Sometimes it would cost the same, or even cheaper, to take a cab to the same destination
Highlights of it are:
- Boromabiman Hall, built by King Rama VI and every king since has lived here at some time.
- Amarinda Hall, the original residence of King Rama I and the Hall of Justice. Nowadays it's impressive interior is used for ceremonial occasions and coronations. It contains the antique throne, used before the Western style one presently in use.
- Grand Palace Hall / Chakri Maha Prasat. Visitors are allowed inside the spacious European style reception room. This building has not been used for royal residence since the mysterious death of King Rama VIII (the older brother of the current King), found shot dead in his room in 1946. The reverence for the monarchy in Thailand means that, even today, this remains a completely taboo subject to talk publicly about in Thailand.
- The impressive Dusit Hall, rated as perhaps the finest architectural building in this style.
- The Museum, which has information on the restoration of the Grand Palace, scale models of the Wat and Palace and numerous Buddha images. Labels are in Thai only, but there are free English tours available frequently. Entrance is 50B.
Details
The combined compound is open 8.30am to 3.30pm everyday. Cost is 200B (if you are Thai, it's free), and includes admission to Vimanmek Mansion and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, both in the Dusit area of the city, the Coin Museum in the compound, and so-so free guidebook. The entrance to the compound is on Na Phra Lan road, on the north side.
Don't listen to anyone on the street as you try to enter telling you it's closed for a 'Buddhist holiday', 'cleaning' etc, or asking if you want to see the 'Lucky Buddha' instead - it's all part of a sophisticated gem scam.
As Wat Phra Kaew is Thailand's most important temple, you are expected to dress appropriately or risk being turned away. Signs put up around the entrance show you are not permitted to enter wearing shorts, sleeveless shirts, singlets or any form of open ended shoes. Sarongs and long trousers are usually available for loan should you forget.
Other attractions easy to reach from here are Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the National Museum, others sights in the Ko Rattanakosin area, and the Banglamphu district.
There's plenty of options for getting to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Ordinary buses 44, 47 and 91 stop on Thaiwang road between Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew. Ordinary buses 1, 25, 44, 47, 82 and 91 also stop on Maharat road, on the west of Wat Phra Kaew. On nearby Sanam Luang, north of Wat Phra Kaew, ordinary buses 3, 15, 30, 32, 43, 44, 59, 64, 70, 80, 123 and 201 all stop, as well as aircon 6, 7, 12, 39 and 44. The Tha Chang river express boat stop is also very near. If you're staying in Banglamphu, it's possible to walk there via Sanam Luang. It's only about a 1 km walk, but involves crossing some large and busy roads which don't have any obvious crossing places
Army
ChinaTown
Nevertheless, Chinatown remains a pretty interesting area to visit. With the exception of Wat Traimit, it's almost completely untouristy, though this has the downside that most people round here speak very little Golden Buddha, Wat TraimitEnglish. Though the main roads are not very dissimilar to those of other parts of Bangkok, the genuine Chinatown lies down the busy numerous smaller roads, narrow alleys and backstreets. The Chinese in Chinatown have been living in Thailand for generations, and generally consider themselves very much as Thais - most can no longer speak any Chinese.
Very close to the intersection of Charoen Krung and Yaowarat road is perhaps the only real top attraction in Chinatown, Wat Traimit (วัดไตรมิตร), the Temple of the Golden Buddha. At first glance, the 3m high Buddha image in here looks distinctly average and undeserving of the busloads of tourists that visit every day. What attracts them all however, is the remarkable fact that it's made of 5.5 tonnes of solid gold. The story behind the image is that in 1957 a large stucco Buddha image was being moved by crane during development of a port. To the horror of all concerned, the crane operator accidentally dropped the image, sending it crashing towards the ground. Instead of smashing however, the stucco covering merely cracked and in the process revealed the solid gold image hidden underneath. It is thought to have been covered like this during the early Ayuthaya or Sukhothai period, apparently to protect the image from the invading Burmese, and remained that way for several hundred years. Just north of here is Hualamphong (หัวลำโพง), Bangkok's main train station.
Though other attractions as such are thin on the ground, Chinatown is an interesting place to just wander around. A couple of Chinatown's most interesting roads are Yaowarat road (ถนนเยาวราช), leading westwards from near Wat Traimit, and Sampeng Lane (ถนนสำเพ็ง, also sometimes known as Soi Wanit), running parallel south of Yaowarat.
Busy Yaowarat road is Chinatown's main street, and has surely one of greatest concentrations of gold shops anywhere, reflecting the love of gold the Thai-Chinese are often thought to have. There's dozens of them, all dazzlingly brightly colored, and with mainly very good prices. There's also plenty of restaurants round here also, where you can get birds-nest soup, dim sum, shark fin soup and other traditional Chinese delicacies.
The narrow, crammed Sampeng Lane was previously infamous for the gang fighting and high numbers of murders that took place here. Nowadays, it's a very busy predominately pedestrian street, with the main danger being the odd motorbike that tries to get past. The street is a hive of constant commercial activity, mostly in textiles and cloth, and while it's not really a great place for buying anything, it's an interesting authentic experience that doesn't seem to have really changed in decades.
The Thieves Market, or Nakhon Kasem is slightly north of the western end of Sampeng Lane. Though legitimate today, it was so named because this was where goods stolen from houses inevitably turned up. It's now a good area for looking or buying Thai or Chinese antiques. There's quite a number of shops and reasonable range of supposedly antique and second hand goods.
Details
Entrance to Wat Traimit is 20B, it's open from 9.00am to 5.00pm everyday. The markets in general are open until the late evening. Chinatown is not far from the Ko Rattanakosin area, including the attractions there such as Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho. Banglamphu is also just a short distance north of Chinatown.
Ordinary buses 1, 7, 8, 37, 49 and 75 will take you into Chinatown, some stopping on Charoen Krung, others on Worachak road (near the Thieves Market) though the river is normally a better bet due to the consistent traffic jams round here. The Tha Ratchawong pier is just a few hundred meters from Yaowarat road and Sampeng Lane.
Quail Eggs
Interesting Thai Roast Pork
Crispy Roasted Pork
Oysters
We got attracted by the Big..big prawn, so we end up eating early dinner here
Hungry Girl's
Grilled King Prawns
Sharkfin Soup
Tom Yum Goong
Tang Hoon Crab
Thai Style Char Siu Ric
Fried KangKung, My favourite vegetable
Steamed Shellfish
Baked Fish
Dinner cost less than RM150, as I remembered
We all need a food massage, fuh so painful!
After the foot reflexology, we walked back to our hostel
While we were walking, we saw this stall so crowded, we wanted to try it out, we shared the food.
Amazingly good, worth trying, although our stomach were so fulled. Yummy Braised Pork Knuckle, meat was so juicy, soft...melt in your mouth and herbs flavor was so matching!
DAY 3 - SAFARI WORLD
Located in Min Buri, just north of Bangkok, Safari World is an 800,000 square metre complex comprising a Safari Park and a Marine Park. The drive-though Safari Park is inhabited by a range of African and Asian animals living in a natural habitat on show to visitors. The Marine Park offers visitors regular dolphin and seal performances that are extremely entertaining for children. This is an all day event – it’s out of Bangkok so however you decide to get there, it’s going to take you a while. There’s also a lot for children to see and do so don’t expect to get off lightly – the kids will drag you round this place all day!
Details: Safari World is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00. Admission for an adult is 700 Baht and 450 Baht for a child.
How to get there: Given the distance involved, and that fact that you are probably taking a child, a taxi is recommended. Although expensive, the savings in convenience entirely outweigh the cost.
However, if you are adamant, a number 26 bus from Victory Monument will take you to Kilometre 9 of Ram Indra Road. From there you can take a mini-bus service to Safari World.
Safari World
99 Ram Inthra 1 Road
Kilometer 9, Minburi District
Bangkok, 10510 Thailand
Tel: 0-2914-4100-19; 0-2518-1000-19
Email: info@safariworld.com
Website: www.safariworld.com
Safari World boasts both Asia's largest open-air zoo and whale-and-dolphin show. Children will find the Safari World to be a fun and exciting place as it offers many animal shows. Orangutans, birds, sea lions, and elephants also perform tricks. Central to Safari World is a slow car cruise through Savanna populated by lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinoceros, zebras, cheetahs, and ostriches. Safari World is located on Ramintra Road, Km.9, Min Buri, Bangkok For more info please call 0-2518-1000
After Safari World to drop by the Market to shop around and for food
Grilled Bananas
Street Food
We stop at this shop for lunch while the other rest of my friends still shopping around, I'm hungry and tired, my legs so sored, hot and thirsty
Duck Noodle Soup
Fishball
It don't seem appeal to you right? But it's really nice, the chicken breast was soft and not dry, rice was fragrantly fluffy and not dry as well.
Well, we just gonna have street for dinner tonight, eat along the way then back to hostel and hit the sack. Eat...eat...shop..shop..walk...walk...what a great life...most important, good friends
Street Food
Fishball
Grilled Beef and Chicken Stick
Fried Chicken Stal
Fried Chicken
Fresh Mango
DAY 4, LEAVING BANGKOK
We went to Swensens at The Platinum Mall for ice-cream cos I heard that it's very cheap here, ordered two sundaes at a jaw-dropping price of RM15.00nett (No service charge and GST)
We decided to use the water route back to the hotel, our final day, enjoying the scenery of Bangkok
Lady Owner of Cozy Bangkok Place Guesthouse
Nasi Lemak
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