Bangkok Day 7: 11 Aug 2015

Today is the last day, well, last morning in Bangkok.  It was a rushed affair as I munched away bread purchased at Tops the night before and rushed down to grab a cab at 10.30am.

The ride to the airport was smooth and cost around B290, and I tipped the driver another B100 for his honesty, simpler because he used the meter whereas most cabbies just quote a B500 flat fee. 

 

The airport checkin was smooth, and my luggage was 24 kg!!!  It was a good thing I had purchased additional 5kg in advance.

my Fuji set

Lunch was a familiar affair at Fuji Japanese Restaurant in the transit area before boarding the AirAsia plane home.  Did you know AirAsia was named Best Low Cost airline for many consecutive years?  It was great ride with friendly services, the lasi lemak was nice although the chicken rice fell short (but still tasted better than what I had in BKK).

Lasi Lemak

Chicken Rice

Upon reaching Changi and waited for almost an eternity, I collected my luggage and realized I had to deal with 5 bags!!!! What a trip filled with shopping, massages and eating!!!!  I had severe blues the moment I boarded the plane in Bangkok!  

Bangkok Day 6: 10 Aug 2015

The last full day was, essentially, a day of shopping and buying all the essentials.  And the first stop was the Singapore favorite: Platinum Mall.  This mall has 6 floors of shops selling clothes and accessories at wholesale prices!  But before that, it was a sampling of local chicken rice nearby.  I still could not adapt to the bland taste of the local version compared to the SG version. 

local chicken rice and bitter gourd soup

 

shop front

The immediate target was of course Level 4, which was the men's department.  After 1.5 hours and a few bags of merchandise, it was straight to nearby BIG C Supermarket to stock up grocery and souvenirs.  And of course my last chance to buy the local durian.  This time I got the Montong which I didn't on my first day.  It was so soft, creamy and sweet!  And Chilled!! Nothing better than this to beat the Hot Hot day!!

It was then back to the apartment to off load all the shopping before going out for the last round of massage near Phra Ram 9 MRT.  The best scrub ever, although I got a small cut due to the excessive scrubbing strength.

After massage was a pre dinner snack at a nearby shack selling delicious fried chicken that was infused with lotsa herbs and spices!

a variety of chicken parts to choose from

super yummy!

Dinner was at Tub Tim Seafood Restaurant in the Silom area.  I had my first every curry crab, which unfortunately didn't taste any curry at all.  It's more a tomato scrambled eggs crab instead.  However, the other dishes were fantastic!  The stir fry bitter gourd tip was nicely cooked, crunchy and fresh, while the clear Tom Yum had the right levels of sour and spice.  The fried fish was crispy yet tender.

 

stir fry bitter gourd tip, my favourite veg in BKK

clear tom yum soup

garlic fried fish

yellow curry crab

After dinner, it was another round of shopping at Booths to stock up on dailies such as shaving creams and medicines etc. and one last stop at Tops Supermarket at Siam Centre for some crispy pork skin before heading back to pack my luggage.  And of course, to sink my teeth into the soft and creamy Montong durian!!!

my creamy yellow Montong

Bangkok Day 5: 9 Aug 2015

A very late wake up today. In honor of Singapore's 50th Jubilee Celebrations, I was in red and white attire. 

First stop was Ari BTS La Villa Shopping Mall where I had my lunch.  Yes, breakfast was skipped as I woke up THAT late!!! 

mushroom pasta with truffle oil

fried tomyum rice

holick drink

Massage this time was at Body Treat, and finding it was almost a nightmare!!!  I spent 45 min walking around the vicinity, asking people around who gave all the wrong directions.  Even the web provided 3 different locations!! But finally, it was found and boy was the massage relaxing that I slept!  I can't remember the last time I dozed off during a massage!  The 2 hours scrub cum oil massage was soothing, with great skills applied at all times.

After the massage, it was a motorbike ride back to Ari BTS.  My first ever motorbike taxi experience (I last took a motorbike when I was probably just 2-3 years old) was exhilarating and anxious both my hands were firmly grabbing the rider's shoulders! 

The short 10 min ride ended and one stop from the Ari BTS I arrived to meet Tour again for some great local satay.  The pork satay was simply chunks of meat marinated in yellow sauce and BBQ over charcoal flames.  The taste was as good as the last time I've tried them back in Feb 2015, although some were not fully cooked through.

It was then a taxi ride to the dinner main course at Mangkron Seafood.  This newly opened street side establishment features an open concept with an array of food in the middle for you to grab.  Yes, it is a buffet, a BBQ buffet that allows you to cook over burning charcoal!  Just take a look at the array in the photos!

Bangkok Day 4: 8 Aug 2015

Not a good night's rest, with visible panda eye bags when leaving the apartment.  Today I met my Thai friend for a trip to a very local floating market.  The journey saw us taking the BTS all the way to Bang Wa station before hitching a cab ride to the market.

breakfast near Siam BTS: Katsu-don with Kiwi yogurt slushy

After 15 min ride, we eventually arrived at Klong Lad Ma Yom market.  We had a spread of local delights made freshly by the river before exploring the larger parts of the market. 

market selling all sorts of things imaginable

canal hawker

Big Lunch

 

baking in the boat

This market was beyond my expectation!  It was not touristy, very much localized.  The narrow canal was flanked on both sides with shops and local eateries, offering a potpourri of choices from Thai to western dishes.

Thai sweets

Before the scheduled boat ride, we took some time off for some traditional artwork, Batik painting.  This is actually more Indonesian but it was still great fun creating my own piece of art!

Me and my Batik work

The boat ride next was a peaceful one, instead of the motorized version we took the paddle rowing one.  It was quiet and serene, a very good opportunity to observe how the river people live their daily lives.  A highlight was the lotus pond where we were within touching distance to the beautiful pink blossoms.  The only complain would be the heat as everyone on board was dripping with sweat!

all onboard

 

lotus pond

 

residential area

As we approached the disembarking dock, the waters began to stir and come alive with hundreds of river carps!  We threw in the remaining chunks of bread and the stirs became fountains of activities as the fishes wrestled with each other to get a morsel of food!

hungry carps

It was back to Siam for some supermarket shopping and dinner at Siam Square One.  Dinner was at Chinatown Scala, and the set for 4 pax was ordered, including many local Chinese delights!

After another round of massage, it was straight to the Train Market for supper!!!  The Train Market used to be located beside the Bangkok Railway station, thus the name.  However, due to development of the transport hub, the market was forced to relocate to its current location beside the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station.  

 

it gets busier the later the hour went!

The supper was a BIG bowl of wanton noodles with lots of crispy wanton skin and meatballs, good enough for 3-4 pax!  

A quick walk about in the market saw me munching on fried maggots and soaking in the live band atmosphere of this vibrant market at 11.30pm..  But good times end and it's time to head back before the last train.

me and my fried maggot

live band

Bangkok Day 3: 7 Aug 2015

It was a very lazy wake up today before heading for brunch at Terminal 21.  Probably the worst fried rice I've ever tasted at the food court.  The fish maw soup was overly starchy as well!

breakfast drink in bed

horrible and starchy fish maw soup

mushy fried rice

And such a coincidence bumping into my friends Steven and Liza!  We had a drinks cum dessert chat before parting ways.

dessert time with mango rice and ice cream brownie

Next up, Yumonori Spa!  This establishment offers a unique Japanese onsen experience with 6 different pools, a sauna and steam room.  What a great way to chill for an hour prior to my 2hours scrub and massage session!

Ohayo! being Japanese in Bangkok

After the spa, it was across the road to K Village for a Japanese steamboat dinner.  Nothing to shout about with slightly below average food quality.
 

 

 

 

Then it was a 20 min walk to Phrom Pom BTS.  And what a surprise when I entered the BTS cabin!  I bumped into my secondary school friend Kenny!  It was a brief 'oh what a small world chat' before I alighted and headed back to end the day. 

sneaky shot of Kenny :)