Travel Tips

Yes. I am back again! As usual, the short in this city is usually short as it serves more of a stopover between other parts of Thailand and Singapore. Not to forget, my last 2 days is spent doing the necessary shopping for to fill up my wardrobe and running errands for dear friends.

This third trip, however, had less shopping but more adventuring around the city. Better still, I am now able to navigate around solo with my map on hand. You can always ask the bus driver if you aren't sure which way you are going.

Things which i have done on this third trip:
- Visit main places of interests by tuk tuk (for just 100 baht! it took about 30 mins to an hour) - Check out the pictures
- Stayed at a friend's home just on the outskirts of Bangkok
- Visited my colleagues who worked in the Thailand office located @ Silom area
- Strolled down Kao San, Patpong (cutting through street with Japanese labelled parlours)
- Found the best place to develop good and cheap photos and visited Central Plaza
- Avoided Chatukcak (JJ Market)
- Visited wholesalers of Pratunam (with legs giving way and not having finish venturing Indra Square)
- Came to Suan Lum Night Bazaar
- Took a stroll around Thailand Cultural Centra BTS and found the big Carrefour, Jusco and Lotus mega malls.
- Passed by the sleezy side of Karoake bars, massage palaces around Din Dang area
- avoided the jam by taking a boat ride through the Chao Phraya River.

If you need to avoid jams, hop on the boat and ride along the Chao Phraya River - only 25 baht per trip. :)

Enjoy the scene of wats and manigicant buildings and hotels.
You can see Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) from a distance - so get your cameras ready.

Knowing that roads are jammed reagardless of peak or non-peak hours, it's decided that travelling by the BTS and MRT is the most efficient way of getting from one place to another. Maybe walking could be another alternative.

I have tried my bes to avoid tuk tuks since negotiating prices is not going to work for someone who can hardly speak fluent thai like me. I had tried on a motorcycle (remember to hold on to your hats when being driven on them!) but i won't try if i were alone. Still got a long way to polish up my negotiation skills. :P

I suffered enough of public buses tranversing within the city - do not forget that buses are very packed as well. If you are a real cheapskate that saves every penny, then the bus is for you.

(of course, please remember to strap on some cash)

7-Eleven is always found on either side of the street (you may find other 24-hour convenient stores as well).

If you are looking for some grocery shopping - Tesco Lotus is found almost everywhere, there's food court where you can change your coupons or deposit money into prepaid cards to purchase food.

I never fail to have my "kway tiao naam sen lek" (thin rice noodles with soup) each day in Thailand - on the street, in the foodcourt. It's always "aroi maak maak" (very delicious!)

If you have some time, try the noodles with pork blood (not bloody but rather they are cubes that taste like beancurd) with a dash of pink gravy.

So much about my noodle fettish. I have one more to share about noodles:
if you head down to Victory Monument, there is this shop that sells "kway tiao lua" (means noodle sold on boat). What is unique about this shop is that each bowl has very small serving, and that each costs about 7-10 baht, with pork or beef balls. if you can shove down 30 bowls , you can get a free bottle of coke - well, sounds like some kind of challenge right? Please don't do it for the sake of free coke. I'd rather you buy a bottle than to eat 30 bowls of this noodles.

I haven't found the most aroi Tom Yum Kung. If you know, please tell me!