the weekend in Krung Thep - 'City of Angels'

my last 'passport-required' getaway was to Manila, Philippines, with my mom and eldest bro.
i was still very much single back then.
so, u can imagine how long it has been,
and why i was superly excited about my recent trip...
to Krung Thep, or famously known as Bangkok, Thailand.

Day 1
going there for the sole purpose of s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g,
my mate, Tinn; her friend, Paul, and i,
decided to make it a backpackers' style of vacationing!
hence, we checked-in into the backpackers hostel, Suk11.
with wooden concept that reflected some Bali elements to it,
the place was packed with foreigners from all over the world, or backpackers to be exact!
a decent place (considering the fact that we wont be spending much time in the room),
it was very well maintained, with a clean room + bathroom.
did i say it was cheap?? haha!! RM40 per night, with breakfast!
not bad at all! the only setback was, we got the room on the 4th floor!
for us, who arent really 'fit' by nature, had the toughest time climbing all the stairs!!



after settling our room, luggage and all, we started the 1st phase of s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g!
we headed to the Wholesale area, known as Chinatown!
after a VERY long walk, Tinn managed to find what she came for!
all her arty and crafty stuff... buttons, threads, yarns, fabrics..
ehem! she went 'crazy' in one of the many shops! haha! and i found it exciting..
seeing her grabbing all the stuff! at least, her shopping had a purpose!
:P

around 5-ish, we hailed a cab back to Suk11.

it wasnt a working day, but Bangkok was packed with cars, during the rush hour.

due to language barrier, most cab drivers didnt wanna take us..

despite all the explaining of the name of our place.

thank god, for the cab that did take us.. and i must tell you, it was one hell of a cab!

Tinn, Paul and i, we felt like we were in the Pimp My Ride episode on MTV,

except, this would be called Pimp My Cab!

with fully surround system, we nearly went deaf in the cab...

i dont think i'll ever get to experience that kind of ride in a cab, EVER!

after a whole day surviving on liquid, fruits and smoothies, we headed to Suan-Lum for dinner.

there's a food court, along with the night bazaar.

what would a trip to Bangkok be without a taste of tomyam and mango salad?? ala, kerabu mangga tu la! :P

we didnt spend much time there, coz tummy was full, hence, eyes were droopy!

haha! plus, we had to catch the MRT back to our place, before it was closed.

and, to tell you the truth: our legs were 'falling off' by that time... tak larat!!!!!

[the food court had a live band performing. cool eh?]

Day 2

it was the day that we waited for so much - the Chatuchak day!

we started the day slightly earlier. after breakfast, we took the BTS Skytrain to Mo Chit,

where the thousands of stalls were located at one place!

armed with a map, we conquered most part of the market...

i shopped like there was no tomorrow! hahaha!!

everything was so damn cheap, and so damn nice.. how could i resist!!!??

[lunch at the only Halal food place @ Chatuchak. i had the pricey Chicken Rice,

70 Baht = RM7 per plate!!]

[more damage to the wallet!]

from house deco items, to clothing and accessories,

from souvenir items to dried food, Chatuchak had it all!

the place even had a superhot weather!

we were 'burning' walking around the market!

luckily not the extent of 'mandi hujan' when it rained much later during the day..

if it werent for the rain, we would be spending more hours there.

but, becoz the market was actually slowly flooding,

we decided to get out of there, and went to someplace 'cooler'.

we ended up in Siam Paragon, the Thai version of Pavillion, except Siam Paragon was much more beautiful!

with high end brands flocking the mall, we were like the most 'selekeh' visitors.

wearing tshirts and flip flops, we really didnt belong in the mall! hahaha!

but then again, we were tourists! we were supposed to dress 'selekeh'-ly! :P

and, what would a trip to a foreign country be without a stop at Hard Rock Cafe, rite???

hehehee!! did i shop there?

errr, no comment!

[i like the way the put Tuk Tuk as their HRC signature! very authentic!

as opposed to the Harley Davidson here in HRC KL??? apakahhhh??]

Day 3

having a tripmate who is so much into crafting,

which also happens to be her way of earning extra income,

the trip would not be complete without her checking out one of the famous knitting place in Bangkok,

The BigKnit Cafe. located in between Thong Lor and Phrom Phong,

the place is situated in the high-end district, surrounded by huge houses with posh cars!

it was a good way to kill time, considering that our flight back was at 8.30pm (Thai time).

we got there at noon, and spent hours, knitting and stuffing ourselves. well, i did NOT knit. hehe!

it was totally Tinn who got to add on her knowledge in knitting!

while we were there, a heavily pregnant lady walked in.

we were told by BigKnit's staff that she was one of Thai's supermodels.

sadly, i couldnt remember her name.. :P

[while Tinn and Paul were busy knitting, i was busy too; stuffing myself with mango smoothies,

choc fudge brownie and Sophie Kinsella. the right pix is the heavily pregnant supermodel]

tho im not into knitting (and i dont think i ever will be),

BigKnit Cafe is a nice, little cosy place ~ a great place to expand social network

and also meet people who share the same interest.

by 4.30pm (Thai time), we were already lining up the ticket counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

it was time to go home.

i felt kinda excited with the fact that i was flying home;

mr. hubby and kiddos were all i could think of, or in another word: RINDU!!

yes, i didnt get to do much sight-seeing, because it was a totally s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g. trip,

but, i did get to observe the way Thai people lead their lives..

im amazed with the way most of them include their culture, heritage and history,

in most of the things that they do.

although they might not be the most friendly people in the world,

but they are always helpful; assisting in giving directions and all.

i think, the pride that they have in their country has made Thailand one of the most unique

country in Asia. i was telling my friend, if i were to choose whether to go back to Manila or Bangkok,

i'd definitely choose Bangkok! but i also wont mind vacationing (again) in London!!

to my mate, Tinn, thanx for a wonderful trip together!

i hope that wont be the last!