Bangkok revisited 23.06.10 – 27.06.10 (Part 3)

the last 2 days are spent on only one mission :

shopping

so, there is nothing much to write here as it is pretty much the same as the shopping part of our Bangkok trip last year.

the only thing worth mentioning is of course this tower :

  the Baiyoke Tower. the tallest tower in Bangkok.

 

never got the chance to visit it last year but we took the opportunity to visit its observation deck this year since we are in pratunam area anyway (dun forget to go to Platinum wholesale Mall),

 

The ticket to the observation deck is 200Bht. there is also another price of 250Bht which is inclusive of drinks, but we just give it a pass.

 

from then on, proceed to 77th floor. and then it is photos time! .

    night view from 77th floor

  model of the tower.

 

it’s hard to take photos on that floor due to the reflections on the glass especially when taking it at night.

so, dun spend so much time on 77th floor. to get better view, go to the revolving deck on 84th floor.

but then again, taking photos on the revolving deck isn’t any better either. the strong wind and…

this lights on top makes our face so ‘colourful’!

taking photos here at night is a pain in the ass. but then again, we did not use any fancy DSLR. just some normal ‘point and shoot’ cameras.

next day was spent on shopping again. since there is some free time on the last night, we decided to go to Patpong.

i guess those old folks who used to frequent bangkok will definitely know this place. haha!

but yeah, patpong is not the plae or us and you wll get harassed more there too. and worse, there nothing much to eat there. boring…

unless of course, you planned to ‘eat’ other stuff. haha!

and along soi patpong, this particluar shop was partially hidden…

  what’s so special about Naraya anyway? looks normal to GF.

 

starved and seeing that the night is still young, we decided to go for a fast food joint in Siam Paragon

BK is cheaper than McD.

 

and go for a movie!!!

don’t really know how the ticketing counter over works, we just go to the counter, look for the movie and time, confirmed that the movie is in english, and then pay.

 

160Bht for a movie seems a bit pricey. mind you, they have different price for different seats. price can be as much as 400Bht if i remembered it correctly. we think that there is another class of cinema halls as there were a few different price list.

but!!! the price is worth it as even though we are like 10th row from the screen, it does not feel uncomfortable at all. with a slight reclining seat and big space for yourself, i’m not complaining.

waiting lounge  any movies in mind?   i think this is the hall with cheaper movie ticket when you see the word ‘GRAND’ in a movie hall, you know that the price will not be ‘CHEAP’ haha! GF put in an extra shirt that i bought for myself in patpong earlier as it might be cold in there. yeah, original sports apparels are cheaper there as it is made in that country. guys can consider getting your jerseys in Bangkok

Psst… the price tag is still in the shirt at that time. haha!

   the last supper. in our bangkok of course. and how can i forget the condoms from Cabbages & Condoms? it is still with me though. oh wait, it is expiring soon!

 

time flies when you re having fun and it’s time to fly home. i can’t believe that it took me almost a month to post this. haha!

Bangkok revisited 23.06.10 – 27.06.10 (Part 2)

waking up early in the morning to take BTS to Victory Monument for an 1 1/2 hour van ride to our destination, Ayutthaya.

and boy, it is hot there…

since we are not taking any tours AND with only a map in our hand, as usual we had trouble finding the place.

what we found after 10 minutes of walking,..

after walking for like 30 minutes, we had reached our destination!!!

Yes, it is Wat Mahathat.

and this is where the famous Buddha Head is located

amazing isn’t it? there’s a certain calmness in the statue although the roots of the tree made it otherwise.

other than the head, i found that there is nothing special about Wat Mahathat as there’s only rubbles and ruins. look at the photos below and you will get what i mean…

this is what remains of the Grand Hall.

most of the Buddhas are beheaded. what happened back then?!

This is used to place Buddha’s relics!

one of the Buddha’s which is not destroyed

is this called ‘Klongs’, right?

Can you imagine how grand it is if it was not destroyed by the Burmese back in 1767 AD? screw them for destroying the royal temple!!!

after Wat Mahathat, we decided not enter the other Wats (there are like more than 20!) as they look the same (and most of them charge 50Bht per entry).

instead, we just take photos from the outside as we walk pass them

lunch was so-so…

thai style char siu + siew yoke + lap cheong rice for 250bht

on the way walking back to the van station, i saw a bus station to Bangkok. so… being TOO smart, i decided to take the bus home as that means we don’t have to walk any further.

the bus ticket. please take note.

the time it took to reach bangkok is slightly longer than taking the van. and the bus stops at a bus stop near Chatuchak market, in which we an take BTS back to hotel.

but the problem is…

once we arrived, we can’t find the damn market. from the map, it is just BESIDE the bus station. yet, we can’t find it. so near yet so far…

in the end we had to take a cab back and experienced how jam bangkok traffic can be, even though it is not peak hour. damn, money wasted on the taxi trip. damn…

next, is dinner time. nothing much can be done on the 2nd day as some time was wasted on the journey from Ayuthaya.

decide to go to Cabbage and Condom for dinner, a restaurant with condom-based concept established by Population and Community Development Association (PDA). read on the link provided to know more.

the ambience of the restaurant is very nice! and it really feels like fine dining, at one point, i even told them to stop serving us as i got used to do it myself. guess i’m just another ‘ulu’ people. haha! food is ok, and it is suitable for those with low tolerance for spicy stuff (as it caters more to westerners).

here', i’ll let the photos do the talking :

lanterns made of condoms.

music by student of university/school of fine arts.

fried noodles green curry. not my favourite though fried rice and tom yum, tastes good!

take a stroll after the dinner (or enjoy the free internet) and don’t remember to take photos too!

and don’t forget, by having a dinner there, you are doing for a good cause too!

after the dinner, took a walk around the town area before going back for my football supper.

last photo of the day. and yes, traffic in the town is bad, regardless of the time.