Bangkok Valentine's Weekend: Day 3

It's our third day and we realized that we haven't gone to any cultural site. We haven't really had "tourist photos" for this trip so far. So we decided to finally visit some temples. I did a bit of research before going to Bangkok, and we decided to visit 2-3 cultural sites, just to have some "touristic" photos haha! It's the adjective I use to describe photos that prove we're really tourists.:))

We took a cab to the area where the tourist attractions are. There's this area where most of the temples and authentic Thai restos are situated, and they're all near each other. We're supposed to go to the Grand Palace, but it's so "grand" that we were able to see some parts of it outside that we didn't need to enter anymore haha. Well maybe we're just too lazy 'cause of the scorching heat of the sun. It's 36 to 37 degrees that time. And besides, we've heard from a friend that entrance fee was relatively high. So we had lunch at a resturant outside Wat Pho. We had really yummy and affordable lunch. I love Thai food!:)

After lunch, we finally entered Wat Pho, or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It's the biggest Buddha in Thailand, and it's uhm yeah, reclining. Just a reminder, don't wear shorts and sleeveless, unless you wanna wear green robes as if you're inside a spa, just like us. LOL! Anyway, we paid 100 baht as an entrance fee. That's inclusive of a free bottle of water. After a few photos in and out the temple, we're done.

filling the containers with coins

don't wear shorts or you'll look like this :))

We took a tuktuk to the other side of the Chao Phraya River in order to get to Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn. We paid 100 baht. It's relatively a fair price because the distance was kinda far. But be careful because some tuktuk drivers are taking advantage of tourists by charging more. Another option is to take a ferry crossing the river, which costs a lot cheaper, like 15 baht each. However, it's so hot and we we're already so tired trying to find the port. So to just get away with it, and for experience purposes, we just took the tuktuk. Anyway, entrance fee for Wat Arun is 50 baht. We had to rent sarong (long skirt) for 20 baht each since we're wearing shorts. The place was so nice, and everything's intricately designed. However, we were not able to climb really far because the steps were so steep and we're really scared of heights. So after reaching 1/4 of it (not even halfway up haha), we already went down.

Then we headed back to the hotel. While waiting for Dr. Sopon, who will be sending us to the airport, we stepped out to find something cheap to eat. Then we walked towards the direction where food stalls can be found. We tried one food cart that sells noodles. We couldn't understand anything on the photos and the vendors weren't English speakers so we just pointed the photos of our order (no idea what those were). Then it was cooked on the spot. For 30 baht, we tasted really yummy Thai noodles! It's just a cart on the side of the street, yet a lot were stopping by to grab something to it. The we got some dessert from 7-Eleven. Well it's really a cheap yet awesome dinner for us.

We went back to the hotel and Dr. Sopon finally arrived. He drove us to the airport. What a nice person, really! He's very down to earth despite all of his achievements. Anyway, we checked in kinda early so we explored Duty Free a bit. We bought some snacks that we ate right before boarding. At around midnight, we boarded the plane...and POOF! We're back to reality! Weekend's over. Time really flies so fast when you're having fun.:)

i want!!!

Here's our Day 3 expenses:

1. Transportation (including toll) - ThB 500
2. Meals (lunch, snacks, dinner) - ThB 500
3. Entrance Fees - ThB 150
TOTAL: ThB 1,150 or PhP 1,620 (Php 810 each)

Here's to sum up our INDIVIDUAL expenses in our 3-day trip to Bangkok (not including shopping expenses), with free accommodation, some friends treating us to dinner/drinks and some free rides:

1. Airfare - PhP 7,000
2. Tax/Terminal fee - PhP 2,170 
3. Arrival - Php 328
4. Day 1 - PhP 975
5. Day 2 - PhP 1,813
6. Day 3 - PhP 810
TOTAL: Php 13,096

*If we had to pay for our accommodation at PhP 1,000 per night for 2 pax, that would've cost us PhP 3,000 for 3 nights, or PhP 1,500 per pax, so it's gonna be a total of PhP 16K.

The bulk of the cost is attributed to the airfare, which at that time was already on seat sale. If it wasn't, original price would've been Php 12K + tax for a roundtrip flight.

Anyway, it was a fun weekend. It's quite short but I don't think there's much to see there. It's really shopping and my Thai friends that would keep me coming back to BKK. Next time, we'll try Pattaya and Phuket for the beach. :)

Bangkok Valentine's Weekend: Day 2

It's our 2nd day in Bangkok and we haven't been to any historical place. But then again, we'll never go wrong with shopping. So we headed to the Chatuchak weekend market. The place was extremely huge, just like Divisoria. Everything's sold in really low prices. When I say, everything, I meant it! From food, to clothes, to kitchenware, to pets! Name it and it's definitely there.

cute!!!

I really wanted to take one home...

Street food are cheap but are good, plus the Thai iced tea is to die for. Pad Thai is just a street food there, and it's really yummy. Got to taste all of those for less than 200 baht. Then we're back to shopping. We bought tops for just 100 baht, souvenirs that cost around 40-70 baht, and dresses for 200 baht. I don't wanna recall how much I've spent there, but I was so happy. What I brought home as pasalubong for my friends were accessories, tops, and spicy tamarind! Oh, I can't get enough of spicy tamarind haha!

time for lunch!

Thai iced tea :)

street food

Anyway, after Chatuchak, we headed to Siam Square to shop at H&M. I got a nice aztec dress for just 500 baht. We had a light dinner at the food court of Siam Paragon, then we headed back to the hotel.

so we're back!

Thai crepe ;)

Oh, that Beckham TVC! :))

At the ground floor of our hotel is a massage service. We experienced 1 hour of real Thai massage! Oh my God, it's really good. I felt relaxed and energized at the same time.  

Anyway, after the massage, we fixed up and headed out. We're supposed to meet a friend somewhere, but she kinda ditched us. The worst part was, we've spent around 300 baht for 3 different cabs just to get us where we had to go. The first one was a really rude driver. He dropped us at the red light district when it's actually not where we're headed. The second one was really nice but we we're on our way to a different place with the same name, so we had to go back. When we finally arrived to the club where we're supposed to meet my friend, the place was kinda dumpy and it looked like nothing's happening there, so we just left and headed to Sukhumvit 11, where the nice clubs were at. I used the Guidepal Bangkok app to choose which club to go. So we went to Levels. It's on the 6th floor of ALoft Hotel. There were a lot of tourists, locals, and expats there; and it looked kinda upscale. No door charge, yey! But an average drink would cost around 250 baht. The drinks might be a bit pricey but they're quite strong. I was able to make my Long Island last for 2 hours but managed to be a bit tipsy LOL! So there's a reason why it's called Levels. There were different rooms in the place playing different music genres. Outside was a sky lounge with lounge music. Inside, there were a couple of tables on the sides, there's a bar and a dance floor at the center. Hiphop/RnB and Pop were being played. Then in another room, house and techno music were being played. Upstairs were the restrooms and VIP rooms.

classy

perfect!

Aztec dress, Snake-skin Clutch all by H&M

what a crazy photo bomber! LOL

our dinner/breakfast haha

After a few hours at the club, we headed to Angel Diner, just beside ALoft. It's quite pricey though, but we liked the food. Our second day was definitely a cosmo day! Shopping, food tripping, and clubbing/drinking were a must every time I travel. Well, that's how a city girl like me does it! :)

Ok, here's our estimated expense for the day, considering all the misfortunes that we encountered that bloated our transportation expense (shopping not included):

1. Food (lunch, snacks, dinner) - ThB 1,000

2. Transportation - ThB 700

3. Massage for 2pax - ThB 300 

3. Drinks/Party - ThB 600

TOTAL: ThB 2,600 = PhP 3,625 (Php 1,813 each)

xoxo,

city girl :)

Bangkok Valentine's Weekend: Day 1

We left the hotel around lunch time. We took a cab to Terminal 21, the airport-inspired mall in downtown. We had lunch at The Terrace, a Thai restaurant. We had pad thai, tofu, tom yum. I think all of those cost us around ThB 900. Since I wasn't able to have my peso changed into baht, I just withdrew from the ATM. Luckily, there's an AEON branch (with ATM machine) in Terminal 21 that I was able to withdraw in baht without extra charges. Before doing so, I actually searched online for banks that do not charge for transactions of international cards, and so I found AEON, which I have first encountered when I was in Japan.

Tokyo bathroom

After lunch, we did a bit of shopping. We found nice coats on sale! Got mine for ThB 500! :) Then we took the Sukhumvit line from Asok to Siam. There we went around multiple malls namely, Siam Paragon Mall, Central World, Platinum Fashion Malls 1 and 2, and other nearby malls. We loved Platinum for lots of cheap yet awesome finds. There we bought a pair of flats for ThB 250 and colored pants for ThB 500. Actually, there were a lot of stuff to choose from. Had I brought a lot of money, I would've shopped clothes and resell them in Manila haha!

spotted a Crossfit box! :)

My name just means Royalty :)

a day after Vday

Siam Paragon

this is like the Thai version of grotto

awesome shopping spot!

yummy milk tea

After shopping, we headed back to the hotel where Dr. Sopon (my Thai friend) picked us up. We walked to his nearby office and toured around. There we found campaign materials 'cause apparently, he was also running for Bangkok Governor in the upcoming elections. Anyway, he took us to Central Plaza, a nearby mall, for dinner. We had a hot pot dinner at MK Restaurant. We had so much for dinner, and the best part was, it's free!:)

After dinner, we were off to Asiatique, hangout place by the bay. It's like their version of San Miguel by the Bay behind Mall of Asia. There were a lot of different shops (clothing, food, pets, toys, etc.), bars, and restaurants there. Plus there's a huge ferris wheel! We were there to meet with Narid, a Thai friend of mine, and her Chinese husband. They treated us to drinks at Checkmate, a restobar. The place has got a nice ambiance, plus there's a live band playing good Thai music. The singer was one of the last few contestants of "The Voice" Thailand. The place also serves sumptuous dishes. But the best part for me was we were able to try Hoagaarden Rosee for the first time! It's a cherry flavored beer and it really tasted good. I'm wondering why I couldn't find one in Manila.

we kept spotting Happy Lemon in every Asian country we visit :))

historical spot

LOLing at this :)))

new coat and new flats haha

artists

an artist with a unique style in his works

This photo grabbed our attention that's why we stopped by this artist haha he was with Mario Maurer in Jandara's (movie) premiere. Anyway, while the artist was talking to us, he was actually quickly drawing us on a piece of paper. He gave it to us and he asked for donation after. Oh well, we gave him 20 baht.

We had a great time catching up with my Thai friend and her hubby. She's still so fab and pretty that I don't feel she's getting old. Just before midnight, they brought us back to the hotel with their cutie white Mini Cooper. Well they're so blessed for living a perfect life, but the best thing about them is, they're very down to earth. You know, it really pays to keep in touch. It was in 2009 when I first met them and this time was just the second. I'm so happy having met such nice foreign friends.:)

Thai music

Hoegaarden Rosee for the ladies! Cheers!

awesome night :)

Since it's always our habit to have a central fund every trip (and I'm always the one handling the money), our summary of daily expenses would always mean that it covered 2 pax. Here's an estimate of how much we've spent:

1. Lunch - ThB 900
2. Transportation - ThB 300 (incl. toll fees - to avoid traffic)
3. Dinner - FREE
4. Snacks - Thb 200
5. Drinks - FREE
TOTAL: ThB 1,400 or PhP 1,950 (Php 975 each)

xoxo,

city girl