sawadeeca day 1 (more pics soon)

Changi Airport Viewing Gallery

It was almost an insane trip. 2 bored guys suddenly decided last minute that they wanna get out of the tiny red dot and fly somewhere else. They booked their accomodation and ticket (via SIA) on Tuesday night, do some really last minute planning for their filmsy itinerary, and set off for the Land of a Thousand Smile on Saturday morning. For me, it was my 5th visit to the city. For my great fren Jian Jia, it was his virgin trip to Bangkok.

KK and me at Changi Airport, just b4 departure

Our Departure Gate to Bangkok

Everything was so smooth. We got to the airport with just enuff time to spare for some shopping (and a purchase of a bottle of Tequila) before we board our flight to Bangkok. SIA, as expected, provided great entertainment and a smooth landing. Almost completed the movie Because I Said So, but the flight time was just too short to catch the last few minutes of it as we touched down to the Buddist Kingdom of Thailand.

On Board SIA

The 1st impression of the city was that the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport was a sore-eye. It looked almost like a hi-class warehouse. Everything was so grey and industrial. And the custom was still as bad, with queues snaking till they cramped up to the walls. Well, I have to give some credit to the new airport as well. The queue, though long, was still faster than the old one. The baggage collection conveyor was not even indicated, which caused us to find a few lanes for our bag.

The nice exterior of the Bangkok Airport

An Industrial design in the interior

After ard 30min of cab ride, we finally reached our hotel, The Twin Tower Hotel. Definitely much much better than I've expected. The high ceiling and wide hallways won us over the moment we stepped in. The staff were superbly friendly. As we entered our room at 874, we were amazed. The room was so spacious it contained 2 queen sized beds, an executive corner and a tea corner complete with a tea table and 2 cushioned chairs. And we had the Bangkok City view all to ourselves!

Day 1 was supposed to be a relaxing day, and we did. Upon unpacking our stuff, we headed for the hotel's pool for a jacuzzi and pool dip under the slightly grey clouds. It was great! For me, it was my 1st dip in perhaps 2 months. For Jian Jia, it could well be his 1st un-interrupted dip in several months! The only thing missing was the sun.

Siam Paragon @ Siam Square

We went straight for Siam Paragon for our 1st meal of the trip. And it was a Japanese dinner at Fuji restaurant. We ordered our most expensive meal ever for our entire trip, setting us back SGD66 in total. Not too bad, considered we really ate till our tummies nearly bursted! We spent the next couple of hours exploring Siam Paragon, doing basically window shopping (something that i dont really like). The late evening was dedicated for our 1st street market experience..


Our 1st meal in Bangkok, Japanese Dinner @ Fuji Restaurant

We took the BTS Skytrain from Siam to Silom station. It's the start of the famous Patong night market. A huge array of stalls just kept pouring into our sight as we strolled down the streets. The lights and visuals were jus mind blowing for 1st timers.

Street Hawker @ Patong Night Market

It was during that walk that we realised that Patong was also famous for not jus its night market, but as a red-light district as well! Oh, and I believe also the pink-light district. Jian Jia and I went to this cafe (Bee & Bug) in Patong for a snack and this nice looking gal approached us to take our orders. She was mummering to herself as she took our orders. When I asked her to repeat, an almost manly voice splurted out, which stunned me for that split second! Being in Bangkok where transexuals are a norm, I tried to behave as normal as I could. It was until the waiter(ess) was gone that Jian Jia informed me of my so-called shocked expression.. Oh dear, I think I've just scared tat waiteress feeling for the night..


Me @ Bee & Bug (the waitress in the background)

Day one was relaxing and eventful. The nex blog will tell you more about the nex few days.