Day 3
8am: Happy Good Friday to one and all!!
Breakfast time! We were up early bcos we were still not used to being 1 hour behind SG's time.
Mixed rice for breakfast O.o Thai style.
We took a cab to Chinatown for 70 baht (S$3). Surprisingly it was clean and nice sitting inside it. No cigarette smell, no bad BO and the drivers are friendly people too.
Some of those roadside stalls, along the pavement.
9am: Started exploring Chinatown.
It's just like our wet markets, just that its all along the alleyways. The food stalls are not very clean either, I doubt the people there could actually speak Mandarin either. Bought some souvenirs back and got lost halfway while trying to figure out how to get to the nearest train station =.=
12.20pm: Went back to Pratunum area for a full-body Thai massage (:
150 baht (S$6.50) for 1 hour. SHIOK!
Not that sleazy like we thought it would be, but it still gave us the creeps somehow. We changed into those ugly pajamas b4 massage. I dozed off few times during the not-much-strength-used massage. I was expecting an all-powerful whacking session on my tired body, but we were abit disappointed. Ha!
2pm: Lunchtime!
The auntie making my papaya salad, individually =)
Papaya Salad! Looks boring, but it is super spicy and yummy to eat! I love it~
Mango with sticky rice and coconut milk, for only 70 baht (S$3)! Awesome combination!!
Thai Express does sell it but for S$7.90++, and the rice is more than the mango. Definitely not as nice nor as worth as the one at BKK. Haha!
7pm: Off to Suan Lum Night Bazzar!
Arty-farty blue lights!
The crowds of tourists and many food stalls~
Drink stall in a vintage Volkswagen van!
Clothes and shoes stalls are in abundance here too~
Live music performance on a gigantic stage, FOC somemore~
A stall that sold grilled food, like sotong!
Waiting for the grilled food to come ^^v
Got the sotong, battered crabmeat and sausage (I think...)
Dinner time!!
Kebab! Pork, chicken and salmon and other types!
Fishball Mix with Seafood Sauce =P
Freshly-squeezed tangerine juice!
Some big water feature in the middle of the night bazzar.
Cats seen today!
9.30pm: Back in hotel to rest and watch more CNN on the stupid protests. Sighs!
The fairies pens =) one each for my loves!
Day 4
9.30am: We set off bright and early to the long-awaited Chatuchuk weekend market!
But first, we need to find our way to the nearest BTS (aka our MRT) station from our hotel. Indeed the saying is so true, so near yet so far =.=! From the map, it was just a big U-turn from our hotel, but after walking for 30 mins, we were dying from the long walk and the heat.
Thank God for this lady passerby, who came and asked us if we were finding the BTS, bcos she was going there too! Hallelujah!
The lady passerby and Joan, chatting away....
On the way, I noticed some old-school stuff by the roadside.
White London cab~
Red London-style mailbox~
Eh... A makeshift BBQ pit made out of metal tins~
10.30am: Finally we reached the BTS station - N2: Phaya Thai!
BTS is still using SMRT's train card, insert into the machine kind. Haha!
Still gives the same problems, such as error inserting the card or gate dun open after insertion.
BTS train map, quite straightforward but no great places to visit except N8: Mo Chit~ Chatuchuk Market.
Spacious train platform, reminds me of KL's.
Handles in loop shape for a more ergonomic feel, I reckon. Haha!
Chatuchuk, here we come!
An almost-forgotten quiet park, just next to the BTS and a short distance away from the busy busy market.
The crowds heading towards the market. Get ready for more jostles and unnecessary perspiration in there man!
Stalls selling animals! CUTE~!
Husky puppy!
Golden retriever puppy~
A dolled-up puppy, napping amidst the buzz around it.
Squirrels!
Rabbits~
"Fuzzy bear" puppy~
Maltese puppy taking a jet shower, direct from the hose. OUCH! It even ran away from the tub and the old granny had to chase after it. HAHA! So mischievous right!
More puppies!
Joan couldn't resist taking a pic with this white kitten, which resulted in a scolding from the stall owner =\ Oops!
A lil pub in the middle of the market. Interesting. The angmohs should like it here.
Lotsa shops selling cheap yet nice clothes. I bought 7 in total, T-shirts and dresses included :D
The market was slightly flooded due to the sudden heavy rain and we decided to rest our aching legs at another lil cafe.
Can you see the heavy downpour outside? Crazily wet and sudden lah!
1pm: LUNCH!!!
This place is highly recommended by Joan's Thai friend, and we had a great lunch.
Her friend actually wrote out the food he always ate here, in Thai, and we just showed the waiter the piece of paper and tada, our food arrives :) Piping hot and being the envy of all tourists dining there ^^v
Busy cooks at work!
Our marvellous lunch placed b4 us :)
Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Vietnamese Noodles Soup, Fried Pork Belly and Fried Chicken Thigh and Drumstick =P
Happy me ^^v All satisfied and full within~!
The squatting toilet there is indeed interesting. No platform for you to stand on, but to test your balancing skills, they minimised the bowl to a minimal size =.= Just nice for your two feet to stand and squat on.
A daunting feat, but nevertheless I did it without plunging my foot into the bowl. All for just 3 baht, for the wonderful toilet experience! WOW!
The infamous squat toilet bowl~
Finally, to conclude our awesome market shopping afternoon, we saw this funny opera-looking basker, who happens to be a transvestite, singing some kuku song and onlookers just grimaced at him/shim (she + him). LOL!
Posing in full glory for my snap! WAHAHAHAHA!
Just look at their carpark. So many times bigger than ours, still need multi-storey carpark too. This is only 1/3 of the carpark, mind you. So much land over here. SG, too small.
Happy us enjoying the comfort of the aircon train, after much shopping!
The Thai guys are very gracious people, offering us seats even though we are not eldery nor disabled. SG guys, reflect more on your behaviour please.
At N3: Victory Monument, this is the one!
Not forgetting that was where the Reds' anti-government protests actually started on Friday, b4 moving up to Pattaya for the ASEAN Summit meeting on that very day.
4pm: Off to Central World, a rather big shopping mall, better than Vivo City! Got ourselves movie tickets, some lil shopping and a short walk around. Awesome malls BKK has!
Me at France's Eiffel Tower~
Joan at New York's Statue of Liberty. Haha!
This shop, Naraya, a very famous Thailand house brand.
Forever so crowded and everyone in there seems to be buying the products off the shelves, literally like hotcakes! First time in my entire life, I see men and women buying things w/o looking at the tags nor the condition of the product. Their shopping baskets are full and they pay with their credit cards w/o batting an eyelid.
We went in there twice, and I was lost by these mad people. I see nuthin in there, worth my bahts, and till today, I still see no reason why I should even stick my hand into my pocket to pay for those stuff. I was so puzzled and took that shot to show that HK tourists are much more kiasu than us Singaporeans ok!
The security scolded me for snapping pics in there, its only 2 shots lah, and every shop allows me to do that leh. I got so pissed in there, that I needed to leave the shop to chill else I'd have exploded.
7pm: Grabbed dinner at Isetan's Japanese food area.
We unknowingly spent 1000 baht (S$42), on lotsa delicious food, and smuggled them all into the cinema. Heehee! This time we watched "New in Town", starring Renée Zellweger, and Harry Connick Jr.
9.30pm: Back in hotel to rest and watch more CNN on the stupid protests. Sighs!
-photo credits to me and Joan!
