Adventures in Bangkok - Conclude

This trip in Bangkok was concluded with less hiccups than that in Taiwan which was about 2 years ago. There was no anxiousness of not being able to secure train tickets back to Taipei. There was no fear of missing the flight when the airport transfer did not appear at the pick-up point. The only slight nervousness we experienced was when we were nearly lost in Chinatown and could not get a cab back to the hotel.

This was the first time I have attempted to clear customs using the automated custom clearing system introduced by Changi Airport. It was indeed faster then the conventional clearing system.

We have also learnt to use the public pay phones in Bangkok.We have first made reservation at the Chinese restaurant at our hotel for the reunion dinner. However, when we found a better restaurant at MBK, we had to cancel our first reservation. Since calling the hotel using a public phone in Bangkok was cheaper than using our mobile to make an international call, we decided to go for the former. When we could not get through despite entering the number several times, we had to seek assistance from the shop assistant. Then, we discovered that we had to enter the area code first before entering the number.

Somehow, as reunion dinner and CNY was spent abroad, the spirit and festive mood were somehow diminished. There was less excitement associated with the first day of CNY.



















All of us have managed to buy something for ourselves. As you would have guessed, the one who has ended up with the most purchases is me again. I have bought 4 pairs of shoes, 4 tops and 1 bag. I have always bought some snacks for some friends and colleagues (I hope they like them). One of the tops was bright red which I have worn on the first day of CNY. This was the first time in years where I have worn red during CNY. *Grin* It required some getting used to as I felt eyes on me wherever I walked.

However, I still felt that the trip was a little too short. It would have been perfect if I have had another 1 to 2 days. There were still places not seen and food not tasted.

Well, I am already looking forward to my next trip. Perhaps, it is time to start planning again. *Wink Wink*

The end.

Adventures in Bangkok – Food

I have always been a great lover of Asian cuisines, be it Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Indonesian. Western was not so much my cup of tea. Hence, Bangkok was practically a food heaven for me.

MBK
There were many restaurants which offered various cuisines at prices lower than Singapore’s. Some of which were even household names in Singapore – Swensen’s, Dunkin Donuts and Sushi Tei. There were even both a food court and a food centre. The food court was a series of stalls set in a nice ambience, much like the concept of Central @ Marina Square. On the other hand, the food centre was similar to our food court.

Our favourite was the food centre. It offered a variety of local fare at very reasonable prices. There was also a smattering of other cuisines, such as Japanese, Indian and Chinese.

No cash is accepted at each stall. To purchase the food, one would need to go to the information counter to purchase coupons which worked like cash vouchers.

As this was our first meal (outside the hotel breakfast) in Thailand, we were very excited about what to eat. Everything smelled and looked delicious. We were simply overwhelmed by the choices.

We have decided to order and share so that we could try as many as possible. Soon, the table was lined with mango salad, pad thai, stewed pork rice, fried pork dumpling, tom yam goong and shark’s fins.
o The mango salad, consisted of the tiny tomato, green mango, cucumber and peanuts, was very spicy, sour and refreshing which whetted one’s appetite for more.
o The hor fun used in the pad thai was smooth, without being too starchy or hard. There was not even a tinge of burnt smell from any over-frying which was commonly found in fried hor fun.
o The stewed pork rice was a rice dish with pork stewed in black soy sauce and pickled vegetables. The pork was cut in cubes and tasted more like duck than pork.
o I was initially drawn to the look of the pork dumpling because of their sheer size and the golden skin. We have decided to order one to try after we found out from the helper that it was wrapped with pork meat.
o The tom yam goong was with a milky based soup. It was filled with fragrance of the spices. The seafood was used lavishly where big prawns were served. The balance of the spiciness and the sourness was splendid where neither overpowered the other.

o The shark’s fins soup was contained in a claypot. Although the fins were smaller, one was treated to several pieces of the full fins in the claypot. There were also pieces of crab meat and oyster mushrooms in the stew.

All these came with a price tag of less than S$20. All the tables were provided with tissue paper. For those who were generally forgetful when it came to bringing along tissue paper, this place offered great convenience.

We were attracted by the myriad doughnuts on sale in Mister Donut. Doughnuts were no longer in their conventional shape and taste. There were round and rectangular doughnuts with fillings of strawberry, blueberry and others. The icings were no longer made only of sugar. They could come in the form of shredded coconuts, custard and chocolate.

There were also different stalls found at different levels selling snacks and dried goods. One of the most commonly found snack in Bangkok was the sweet pancake. It was a small piece of pancake filled with sweet cream and shredded coconut. The chendols sold had thick coconut milk, but they were a little too sweet. The rice dumplings were bigger than those found in Singapore. The fillings used were slightly different from Singapore’s – gingko nuts and red dates were also added.

For one of the lunches, we have ventured into a restaurant selling Asian cuisines due to the divided interest among my family – my sister and I preferred Thai cuisine while my parents preferred Chinese food. We were proud and delighted to find out that the owner of the restaurant was also a fellow Singaporean. The pineapple rice and the fried fish cake were tasty. The prawn fried glass noodle and the seafood hor fun were more ordinary.

We had our reunion dinner at MBK. We were kiasu. For fear of not securing a table for reunion dinner, we had reserved a table at the restaurant we liked. The crew had gone the extra mile by reserving 2 tables for us when we were undecided on whether we want a round or long table. My family preferred the round table but it was near the entrance while the long table was at a corner at the inside of the restaurant. Typically, Chinese preferred round tables for meals as they signified reunion.

It was a 6-course dinner with dessert. We had a chilli kang kong, sweet and sour claypot chicken, claypot shark’s fins, herbal black chicken soup and deep fried sweet and sour garoupa. The desset was gingko nuts in sweet milk. The few tables around us were all Singaporeans judging from their accent when they spoke. It really felt close to home.

Platinum Mall
There was a food centre found at the top of Platinum Mall which was similar to that at MBK. The tables, the uniforms of the staff and even the variety were similar. It was probably a franchised food court chain, such as Food Junction and Kopitiam in Singapore. There were drop-down windows from the ceiling to the floor on one side of the food centre. Seated at this area, one could easily view the opposite Pratunam and the Amari Hotel. Unlike a voucher system at MBK, the food centre at Platinum Mall operated on a card system where one could top up the card to a certain value before making purchases of the food. Any unutilized amount could be refunded just as that at MBK.

We hade decided to try more food this time round. Craving for more delicious pad thai and shark’s fins, we have decided to eat these again. We have also tried some of their dim sums and fried carrot cakes which we found them to be less satisfactory. The fried carrot cakes were in larger cubes and were harder with a slightly burnt smell. We had bird’s nest for dessert. It was slightly herbal with strong cordycep smell.

Enticed by the waft of aroma from the crepes, we tried the chocolate and banana flavour. It was heavenly – with the crispy crepes softened slightly by the chocolate and banana. The sweetness of the banana was enhanced by the slightly bitter chocolate. For those who have a sweet tooth, this was definitely a must-try.

Chinatown
I have heard from my colleagues that Chinatown was a good place for shark’s fins and birds’ nest and decided to explore a little. It was a rather cramped and chaotic place. To our disappointment, there was hardly any decent looking eatery. We have decided to make a move shortly.

The food was the more flavourful sort. For those who prefer the blander food, they may find the taste to be slightly heavier. The desserts were very sweet. They were so sweet that for one of the desserts, we had to ask the waiters for water to dilute the sweetness.

To be continued... ...

Adventures in Bangkok – Shopping

Bangkok is well-known for its great shopping. Many Singaporeans have made Bangkok a weekend shopping trip.

A common ‘trait’ for Bangkok shopping was that many shops found in Siam Square, MBK, Pratunam and Platinum Mall did not allow trying of the clothes on sale, not even pulling over what you were wearing. Hence, one must be pretty certain of one’s size before making a purchase.

MBK
We have spent 2 days at MBK as it was simply too huge to be completed in a single day. The size of MBK was similar to Ngee Ann City but less spacious and organized.

The aisle between the shops was half or even a quarter of the size of that in a Singapore shopping mall. This somewhat ‘eased’ the shopping process as there were shops on both sides of the aisle. Imagine if the aisle were the size of Singapore’s, one would need to walk down the same aisle twice to look at the shops on both the left and right hand side, especially when it was crowded.

MBK was a comprehensive shopping mall, with an anchor departmental store – Tokyu which targeted the mid range shopping. There was the once familiar Tops supermarket, which has since disappeared from Singapore, for one to do some groceries shopping. There were many shops selling clothes, bags, leather goods, jeans and shoes. There was individual level devoted to selling furniture, handphone and IT gadgets and tourists’ souvenirs. We have found reasonably priced Thai snacks here too – dried mango, papaya, coconut, durian crackers, etc. The highest level was a Cineplex.

Siam Square
Next to MBK was a three-storey Siam Square which sold mainly ladies’ shoes, bags, clothes and accessories. The size of each shop, on average, was even smaller than that found in Far East Plaza in Singapore, ie if you stand at the shop entrance, you can see all the goods with one glance.

For shoe lovers, this was a shopping paradise, in terms of the selection and the prizes. This place definitely offered the lowest prices which were unmatchable elsewhere for shoes. Most shops have single prices of 199 baht for their shoes (less than S$9). Flip flops could be found at 45 baht (about S$2) a pair. However, for clothes, bargaining was required. How much value one could get from your purchase would depend on how skilful one is at bargaining.

Shopping alley between Siam Square and Siam Discovery Centre
There was a long alley leading from Siam Square to the opposite of Siam Discovery Centre. Shopping could be a sweatier affair here as there was no aircon. It was lined with many different stalls selling more clothes. To get mini denim skirts, this place offered quite good selection, though at higher prices than that in Siam Square or Pratunam.

Siam Discovery Centre & Siam Paragon
Upmarket shopping can be found at Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Paragon where the layout and variety were similar to that found in Ngee Ann City or Paragon. Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Paragon were adjacent to each other and connected by a square between them.

Mid-range or upper mid-range shops, such as Giordano, Mango, Levi’s M)phosis, U2 and G2000 could be found in Siam Discovery Centre. High range shops, such as Chanel and Gucci can be found in Siam Paragon, in addition to the anchor tenant – Paragon Departmental Store. Prices were less attractive here. Although there were sales ongoing for U2 and M)phosis, the discounted prices were similar to those before any discount in Singapore.

What attracted me most were the washrooms in these 2 places. They were clean, spacious and automated. There was even plasma TVs in the washrooms. I do not recall ever seeing plasma TVs in any washroom in Singapore, not even at the airport.

Pratunam and Platinum Mall
Pratunam and Platinum Mall were found facing opposite each other on the same road and connected by an overhead bridge. Both were wholesalers for clothes, ie the Thai version of the Taiwanese’s Wu Feng Pu. Hence, greater discounts would be given for purchase of 3 pieces or more. Notwithstanding, clothes here typically were cheaper and of greater range than those found in MBK or Siam Square. Once could almost spend the whole day shopping at these 2 places.

Pratunam was smaller than Platinum. The orientation for Pratunam was more disorganized than that of Platinum. Platinum was sectioned into 3 parts and there were 6 storeys in total. One would need to plough through the Mall systematically for fear of getting lost and confused.


Due to time constraints, I have missed some of the other well-known shopping areas, such as Chatuchak market or Suan Lum night market. I will definitely mark them down as my must-go places in my next itinerary. *Wink*

To be continued... ...

Adventures in Bangkok – Prelude

Bangkok has always been touted as a great place for a short vacation trip. The people are friendly. The shopping and food are good. Finally! Yes, finally, I have the chance to experience it for myself.

This break came at an opportune time when I am suffering from slight fatigue from the recent rush for budget and project. I have been looking forward to the trip for weeks. Moreover, my last vacation was about 2 years ago, I have been longing to travel and explore a different land and to immerse in a different culture.


Suvarnabhumi Airport
The airport looked better in the day than at night. As it was domed-like with large glass panels, with the sunlight shining through, it was brightly lit. However, the lights were dimmer at night.

Perhaps because of green house effect, the airport was warmer than usual. Food in the airport was also more expensive than elsewhere. The price of a set meal in Burger King’s was higher than that of Singapore’s.



Streets of Bangkok
As one walked along the streets, one would notice that they were bustling with numerous hawker stalls selling local snacks and sundries. The stalls were mainly family business – with the children helping out their parents at the stall, either helping to string the flowers or helping to do the washing. In the morning, many locals grabbed a coffee or sandwich while they were on their way to the office. Despite the piping hot food, we were still hesitant in trying out the food.

There were portraits of the King hanging on the walls or building facades almost everywhere. Some showed both the King and the Queen. Some portrayed only the King looking radiant and smiling. The Thais’ respect and admiration for the loyal family was apparent.

It was interesting to observe that while the tourists clustered at the lower end Siam Square, MBK, and Platinum Mall, the locals were shopping at the higher end Siam Discovery Centre and Paragon. While the tourists looked sloppy in their Bermudas and flip flops, the locals appeared groomed in their heels, make-up and branded apparel.

Bangkok is well-connected by its public transport which comprised the BTS system (our MRT), bus and taxis. The BTS system has stations at the more prominent landmarks, such as MBK, Central Plaza, Siam Paragon, etc. The buses were without aircon and its windows would open upwards. Taxis could come in the form of metered taxis or Tu-tus (open-aired, tricycle like vehicle). Metered taxis were typically Toyota Corollas or Altis and painted in bright colours, such as shocking pink, mandarin orange or even red-and-blue split.

Walking along the roads of Bangkok, it presented a sight familiar to the older generation of Singapore. There were roads that had to be closed temporarily while the trains choo-ed choo-ed past. There were bright red post boxes standing proud at major landmarks. The locals would pray with fruits and flowers for prosperity before the start of the business daily. On the days of lotteries, there would be newsagents selling pieces of the results moving among the vehicles on the roads, just like Singapore’s Mah-bee-poh.

The People
Despite the language barrier, the locals were friendly. The shop and restaurant assistants were always eager to help.

In addition, the locals were also a pretty superstitious group where they were eager to have a good start each day. In addition to the daily ritual of praying for prosperity, they viewed their first patron importantly. Many believed that if they could close the deal successfully, it would bring them luck and success for the day. If you happened to be their first customer, they would be willing to undercut their prices for you to make the purchase.


Just as its food and shopping were colourful, the Thai culture was similarly colourful where each day spent unveiled a new revelation of Thailand.

To be continued... ...