I'll be lying if I say that I didn't do much but there's just too many things to write about-which I just DON'T bother to do. Went there with my 2 paternal cousins, Sue & Yati (siblings) and my collegue cum travel buddy, Sri.
Bangkok Int'l Airport pretty much screw-up during the time I arrived. There were like, 20 planes?? that landed around the same time and can you just IMAGINE the crowd???Incredulous! We only made it through after 2 hours. Worse than the J.B Causeway custom on Saturday, I tell you.
Stayed at Baiyoke Sky, the tallest hotel in Thailand. We checked in quite late because of the airport screw-up and since they can't give us adjoining rooms, we got UPGRADED to JUNIOR SUITES. 2 persons in such a big room.... Wowee! On the 43rd floor, some more! And the view.... superb!
Anyway, the first night we got on the tour to the she-man ('cut' already) cabaret show and the tiger show.
A very flamboyant show, I'd say. A Mardi Gras of sorts, minus the parade. The over-the-top costumes, the ridiculous lip-synching of mostly Japanese & Cantonese oldies and the bevy of (artificial) feminine beauties. As the show's raunchiness upped several notches, I began to wonder about the young kids sitting in front... But the ladies are HOT!
Did I mention about making it to the Tiger Show? Yeah, so I did. Same ol' thing. What others saw, I saw. Yeah, nothing much. Except for the 'man-woman' part, the process which our guide jokingly called 'cooking'. But I'm still taken aback by the location of that show. After the mega-stage and huge auditorium of Ratchada Cabaret, the dark & dingy nightclub in that seedy neighbourhood (yeah, Patpong) was such a contrast.
The next day had been reserved solely for Chatuchack. That huge-ass market deserve a whole day from us. So we stuffed our face during breakfast (at the restaurant on the 78th floor) cos' I don't want us to waste time having lunch. Yeah, getting to that high floor is pure torture. Down from 43rd-18th (Lobby). Then change lifts to get to the higher level. From 18th to the 77th floor- DIRECT. My ears!! Owwwww!
The first thing I had after all that crazy bargainings and lugging of goods? Som Tham. Yes, that delectable Green Papaya Salad. I've been so crazy about that dish that I went on a frenzy looking for a stall selling that in Chatuchak. I got it in the end. Sooooo delicious! So happy..... :)
The next morning, with the aid of the Bangkok map, I tried to locate the buildings in the Siam Square area (MBK, Siam Discovery, Siam Paragon) from my hotel window (43rd storey, what). Happy to know that the buildings are within sight and the fact that our guide had told us that the area is a mere '10mins walk' from our hotel, we went ahead on foot. BOY, was that a BAD idea. We ended up walking for more than 1/2 hr. In the AFTERNOON.
The cool and dim Siam Ocean World in the basement if Siam Paragon was such a respite. It's similar to our Underwater World (inc. the entry charge). Since we paid so much for entering, we made it worth and spent like 2hrs in there.
Since it's our final night there, I made it a point for us to have a dinner to be remembered. The 2 times that I've been to Bangkok, I had my meal at Al-Maedah Rest'n. Owned by an Arab fellow and the workers are all muslims.
Ordered my fav. Fried Seabass with the famed Thai Chili Sauce; this spicy beef dish that's cooked with chili and basil (almost like rendang but much lighter); mix veggies and Tom Yum Goong. Their Tom Yum is much lighter with a some mild milky (maybe coconut??) taste. Their side salad of pickled baby cucumbers and spring onions served with spicy tomato salsa was refreshing. They've had that since the 1st time I came, like 9 yrs ago???
Spent that evening packing and the next morning we wentdown for last minute shopping in Pratunam, only to be disappointed by the fact that it's a weekday and the bustling weekend market had disappeared. It's suddenly so weird to see the roads all open with vehicles freely moving around the area.
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As the saying goes, A Picture Tells A Thousand Words. I have over 100 pics in the album.
Hope it tells something.. :P
Go HERE for the peeks
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