3rd day (11.06.09)
checked out from the hotel today at 8am coz we will be going back to Bangkok for some serious shopping and sightseeing.
after the ‘great’ experience the day before, we got to know that we should be taking the ‘blue and white’ bus for journey between Pattaya and Bangkok.
This is the bus that we should be taking!!!
If the bus ticket looks like this, it means that you have taken the right bus!!!
this time, it only takes 2 hours to reach Bangkok!!!
there was a request from GF earlier. she wanted to stay in other place instead of the Hostel earlier as she felt that 900Baht for a hostel doesn’t quite worth it.
but actually i felt that the place is great!!! the place is cosy, nothing fancy, nearby to Nana BTS station and not expensive at all. plus, it was recommended by all people, including Lonely Planet. i will never think twice to stay there again. oh, btw, the hostel is called Suk 11. Click on the link to check it out.
but like any good BF, i obliged to follow GF to hunt for other hotel. in the end, we still settle for Suk 11 as it is still the cheapest in the town (YAYYY!!!).
immediately after checking-in, we wasted no time and left immediately to our first destination:
that’s right. it’s Pratunam Market.
it’s actually a maze kinda like market. with the usual stuff like clothes and accessories. girls might like this market. but not for both of us. coz it’s not that cheap and the place is hot and stuffy.
after about 2 hours in the maze, we decide to shop at another place. by the name of Platinum Mall. spent around an hour looking for the Mall as the it was not listed in most of the maps.
after getting all sweaty and smelly looking for the mall, we hope it will not disappoint us. and boy, it is was way better than Pratunam Market. even from the moment we step into the Mall (coz there’s air-con. hahaha!).
it is basically a wholesale Mall where everything is cheaper if you buy more than 1 same item (e.g., 1 shirt = 250Bht. but if you buy 3, it will be 200Bht per shirt). good, coz we hate to haggle for lower price. there were a lot of home designers too. lots of nice and cheap t-shirts too. prices averages at around 200Bht. you will not be able to find one that cheap in KL where home brand t-shirts cost from RM40 to RM80.
but as time does not allow us to look at every nook and corner for the best bargain, we have to leave after around 3 or 4 hours in the Mall. pass through a few Malls on the way too.
Gaysorn Plaza. Quite empty probably coz the stuff they sell here are upscale stuff. Kinda like Starhill in KL.
Central World. a big big big Mall. ths photo is only one quarter of the Mall. my camera can’t take a full picture of it.
This some something that catches my eyes. in the foreground is Central World. but right in front of it is a shrine where a lot of people pray. looks contrasting, right? but it’s a norm here.
and this is the famous Erawan Shrine. located in front of Grand Hyatt andjust nearby Central world and accessible from Chit Lom BTS station. one of the must-see when you are in Bangkok, Never heard of it??!! it’s the place where a lot of people make their vow. just remember to return and bring your offerings if your wish is granted. There’s a sad news on the shrine a few years back. click on this link to know better.
went back to Suk 11 to put our stuff and take a shower. i did not bother to change clothes even after shower as i know it will get soaked in sweat anyway. yes, i was sweating all over again later at night (and also the subsequent days).
Bangkok is very very hot. it is very easy to get dehydrated. you have no idea how many bottle of mineral water and also fruit juice that we bought during our trip. and also how many packets of fruits that we ate in between to stay hydrated and cool. my advice, bring along a bottle of water. but you can omit so coz there are a lot of stalls selling 100% squeezed juice (especially lime juice). it will definitely perk you up instantly!
next, we proceed to take BTS and change to take MRT to Suan Lum night market.
stop by BTS Sala Daeng station to take MRT. take not of the girl in white shirt and black dress. those are university students. apparently, they have to wear uniforms. the only thing that differentiates the universities is the metal emblems they wore on their shirts.
The long walkway inside an MRT station.
Metal detectors are place in all of the entrance in MRT. Metal detectors are also installed in certain big shopping malls too!
Do you know what is this? a gambling chip? it’s actually a ticket for MRT. we spent a minute or two looking for the ticket from the ticket dispenser only to find this!!!
Suan Lum is just beside the MRT station. but frankly speaking, there’s not much there. we just spend the night walking around the market looking around, taking pictures and have dinner.
dinner with live band.
dinner for the night, tom yum goong, green curry and stir-fried veggies.
Do i really look unhappy? haha!
we left Suan Lum empty handed later coz there were nothing much to buy there.
This is Siam Paragon, which is THE place to go in Bangkok. will go there the next day. Photo taken from BTS Siam station.
Siam Discovery Centre, just beside Siam Paragon. Photo are also taken from the same BTS station.
since the night is still early, we decide to stop at BTS Asok station to Soi Cowboy, one of the red light district in Bangkok:
it actually is just a short road of clubs and ‘entertainment’ outlet. it took us less than 10 minutes to walk the whole stretch of road. if you’ve been accustomed to the night life in Phuket or Pattaya, then Soi Cowboy is nothing much.
After walking that much, our legs are killing us. what next?
foot massage of course!!! what better than to torture our legs more? hahaha!
after an hour of foot massage, we proceed to hunt for food. just walk along the road when we found this:
chicken noodles. so-so only if compared to the beef noodles taken in Pattaya.
got ourself a bottle of Pepsi (i dunno why, but Pepsi seems to be their favourite carbonated drink) and my favourite street food, meat skewer (choice of chicken, beef or pork).
after a day of walking, we blackout once inside our room. when i mean blackout, i really mean blackout. fainted immediately once it touched the bed. did not even bothered to take another shower.
*Part 3 of Bangkok trip will come later. stay tuned!!!
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