Finally, photos of my Bangkok trip last week!

Departed from Changi Airport at 7.40am on TG 402. To my shock, there weren't any in-flight entertainment on Thai Airways(at least that's the case for short-haul flights)? I was totally flabbergasted, I need in-flight entertainment to keep me sane, even if it's only a 2-hour flight. Dad booked the tickets from Thai Airways because we always take Cathay and he wanted to try Thai Airways out. Thai Airways and Cathay are around the same price range, so he assumed that Thai Airways had in-flight entertainment too since Cathay had it on every flight, no matter long-haul or short-haul. Okay, no more Thai Airways in future. Luckily I did bring along some books for reading at the hotel at night since I can't understand the Thai channels on TV. So I read Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls on the plane.

Arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at around 11am Bangkok time. Signed up for some short tour packages at the airport since 4 whole days for shopping alone is too much.

Decided to have a quick lunch at Macs at the Robinson Bangrak shopping centre which was just about a 3-minute walk outside the hotel, because the tour we booked starts at 2pm. Their Macs is super cheap, an upsized-EVM cost only about S$4.50, which is the same price as our non-upsized student meal?!? If only Singapore's the same, then I won't be spending such large portions of my allowance on food! Anyway, you will see alot of the word 'cheap' in this entry. Lol.

Then our tour started at 2pm. We got a private van, tour guide and driver all to ourselves! And no, the tour's not at all expensive, that's why I was so surprised that we got our own van to travel in. Our tour that day was a half-day tour to the Grand Palace which was about an hour drive away from the city. The entry fee to the Grand Palace was about S$12.80, that was kinda expensive as compared to the price of things in Bangkok. But still, it's definitely worth the S$12.80 because the architecture was really amazing! And the Grand Palace consists of 2 sections, the palace itself and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Anyway, they have a strict dress code for visitors entering the Grand Palace because the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is deemed as Thailand's most sacred place. No short skirts, shorts, tank tops, bare shoulders, flip-flops or else you'll be denied entry and be asked to buy the long pants and scarves they sell outside. So those who plan to visit it in future should take note of this.

After the tour ended, we asked the driver to drop us off at MBK. Haha, shopping time! We went to the Tokyu Departmental Store at MBK first. And sadly, there's no Tokyu in Singapore. =(

Mom complained of being hungry, and then she went into Dunkin' Donuts and bought bonbons(they looked like bonbons) to eat. 6 for only S$1.50?!?! Oh my goodness, super cheap, and super nice! Each one of us popped one into our mouths and they were all gone before I could take a photo. Haha.

Dinner was at this Ramen shop on the 7th floor of MBK. I think it's alittle similar to Ajisen Ramen. We had a hard time deciding what to eat before that. Because there's so many shops to choose from! After dinner, we went over to Swensens' for ice-cream. Did I mention that Swensens' over there only sell ice-cream? They don't sell food like pastas, main courses, etc. And Swensens' there is seriously seriously seriously cheap!!! They had this Choc Brownie Sundae which should cost about 8 bucks in Singapore, guess how much it was over there? 49 baht = S$2.10. I'm not kidding. At first I thought maybe have to spend above a certain amount at Swensens' to get is at S$2.10, but no, it's really just $2.10. But we had yogurt-fruz ice-cream instead that day, which was still really cheap, only S$3.60 for one large scoop(and I mean it's really large!) One tiny weeny scoop at Yami Yogurt in Singapore already cost me about $2.80. And the one at Bangkok's Swensens' is thrice the size of the one at Yami Yogurt.

Did more shopping at MBK after dinner, mostly in Tokyu. Bought alot of junk food at Tokyu's supermarket so that I could eat at night at the hotel. =P Seriously, our basket was so full that people might have thought we were locals shopping for groceries and stuffs.

Then I saw this really interesting machine outside the supermarket, it was a gumball machine. Okay, I never see before gumball machine since Singapore bans gum. So I put in 5 baht(about 20cents), and got my very first gumball of my life! Hahaha, was so happy, kept chewing and irritating my brother by blowing bubbles right in his face in the cab back to our hotel. He thinks I'm disgusting and unhygienic.

After breakfast, we headed off to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which was a 90-minute drive away. The boat ride was fun, it was like a speed boat, going at top speed. I was so scared the whole boat might capsized traveling at such speed.

The floating market itself was a pretty sight. But there isn't much to buy unless you're a fan of handicrafts and fruits. Haha, we bought more lychees and mangosteens. Which was really stupid of us because we would have to lug it around for the whole day. Lol.

Next, we headed to Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo. It's basically a zoo, but people usually go there for the elephants and most importantly the crocodile farm. But I didn't quite like the zoo, because the living conditions for the animals were really bad. The elephants were chained to the ground, the tigers are chained so tightly that they can't even turn their head to touch their bodies, and the monkeys were all kept in the cages which were so filthy that they looked like they haven't been cleaned for years. There was this monkey which looked really sad in his cage. And elephants were threatened with this sharp axe which looks like the sickle that people use to cut rice stalks in padi fields. The blade of the sickles are held near their ears, and this is how the keepers control them to do the tricks and stunts they want, because apparently, elephants are scared of their ears being cut off, so they do whatever they're told.

Anyway, we watched this terrifying crocodile performance which involved the keeper putting his head inside the crocodile's mouth. After he removed his head away, the crocodile's jaws just snap shut. Goodness, the sound of the snapping of jaws was really spine-chilling!

Then we watched the elephant show. The elephants are so smart! They played soccer and acted in this performance about a war between 2 kingdoms.

Next, we went to Rose Garden. Been there before when I was in Bangkok in February. But it was part of the tour package, so we went there again.

Our tour ended and we headed back to the city. Asked the driver to drop us off at MBK again, because we wanted to do some shopping at this other part of MBK. It looked alittle like Bugis, with all your small shops selling all the trendy clothes.

Then we walked through some streets at the back of MBK to get to Siam Paragon. I love the streets here because it reminds me of 西门町 in Taiwan.

Then had dinner at this 9 Cafe. Food was alright, but I didn't like my fish and chips. The cakes was seriously good.

Cabbed back to hotel. Anyway, did I mention that cabs in Thailand are really cheap! And they're the easiest and fastest mode of transport to use if you're a tourist. The starting fare is only S$1.50. An average 15 to 20-minute ride from our hotel to the MBK/Siam Paragon area cost only about S$3.40, and each cab can take maximum of 5 people, that's about S$0.68 per person. That's only slightly more than what we pay for our bus ride in Singapore! Seriously, if I live in Bangkok, I can afford to take the cab wherever I go. Haha. Of course, they also have the BTS Skytrain(which is like our MRT), which is surprisingly pricier than cabs. Skytrain is about S$1.70 per person. But I guess there's a reason for them to charge a price higher than that of cabs. Because if you're in a cab, there's a chance that you might get caught in a traffic jam, especially before and after working hours(those who took geog in secondary sch should know how bad jams in Bangkok can be). So if you're planning to get to a place in the morning or in the evening, best is to take the skytrain to save you all the time of getting stuck in a jam.

But I've never taken the Skytrain before because I never bothered to find out where is the nearest Skytrain station to my hotel. Lol.

We walked around the market for about an hour before we can't stand the weather anymore, and hopped on a cab to MBK. Haha, we kept going MBK and Siam Paragon! Had lunch at Mr Meng's Cafe or something like that. Chinese food and dimsum. Super cheap again. My huge bowl of seafood udon cost only S$4 and the little dishes of dimsum costs only S$0.70 each. Darn, one ba pao in sch already cost me S$1. -.-

After lunch, we walked to Siam Paragon from the streets behind MBK again.

Shopped for a few hours before hopping on another cab to Emporium. More shopping! Hahaha.

Bought a pair of converses because Mom commented that my current pair of sch shoes look as if I just step into a sewage. S$42.50, don't know if it's cheaper or more ex because I hardly step into Converse shop in Singapore.

After shopping, cabbed back to hotel where we rested for awhile before heading out for dinner at Robinsons near our hotel.

Finally, photos of my Bangkok trip last week!

Departed from Changi Airport at 7.40am on TG 402. To my shock, there weren't any in-flight entertainment on Thai Airways(at least that's the case for short-haul flights)? I was totally flabbergasted, I need in-flight entertainment to keep me sane, even if it's only a 2-hour flight. Dad booked the tickets from Thai Airways because we always take Cathay and he wanted to try Thai Airways out. Thai Airways and Cathay are around the same price range, so he assumed that Thai Airways had in-flight entertainment too since Cathay had it on every flight, no matter long-haul or short-haul. Okay, no more Thai Airways in future. Luckily I did bring along some books for reading at the hotel at night since I can't understand the Thai channels on TV. So I read Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls on the plane.

Arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at around 11am Bangkok time. Signed up for some short tour packages at the airport since 4 whole days for shopping alone is too much.

Decided to have a quick lunch at Macs at the Robinson Bangrak shopping centre which was just about a 3-minute walk outside the hotel, because the tour we booked starts at 2pm. Their Macs is super cheap, an upsized-EVM cost only about S$4.50, which is the same price as our non-upsized student meal?!? If only Singapore's the same, then I won't be spending such large portions of my allowance on food! Anyway, you will see alot of the word 'cheap' in this entry. Lol.

Then our tour started at 2pm. We got a private van, tour guide and driver all to ourselves! And no, the tour's not at all expensive, that's why I was so surprised that we got our own van to travel in. Our tour that day was a half-day tour to the Grand Palace which was about an hour drive away from the city. The entry fee to the Grand Palace was about S$12.80, that was kinda expensive as compared to the price of things in Bangkok. But still, it's definitely worth the S$12.80 because the architecture was really amazing! And the Grand Palace consists of 2 sections, the palace itself and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Anyway, they have a strict dress code for visitors entering the Grand Palace because the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is deemed as Thailand's most sacred place. No short skirts, shorts, tank tops, bare shoulders, flip-flops or else you'll be denied entry and be asked to buy the long pants and scarves they sell outside. So those who plan to visit it in future should take note of this.

After the tour ended, we asked the driver to drop us off at MBK. Haha, shopping time! We went to the Tokyu Departmental Store at MBK first. And sadly, there's no Tokyu in Singapore. =(

Mom complained of being hungry, and then she went into Dunkin' Donuts and bought bonbons(they looked like bonbons) to eat. 6 for only S$1.50?!?! Oh my goodness, super cheap, and super nice! Each one of us popped one into our mouths and they were all gone before I could take a photo. Haha.

Dinner was at this Ramen shop on the 7th floor of MBK. I think it's alittle similar to Ajisen Ramen. We had a hard time deciding what to eat before that. Because there's so many shops to choose from! After dinner, we went over to Swensens' for ice-cream. Did I mention that Swensens' over there only sell ice-cream? They don't sell food like pastas, main courses, etc. And Swensens' there is seriously seriously seriously cheap!!! They had this Choc Brownie Sundae which should cost about 8 bucks in Singapore, guess how much it was over there? 49 baht = S$2.10. I'm not kidding. At first I thought maybe have to spend above a certain amount at Swensens' to get is at S$2.10, but no, it's really just $2.10. But we had yogurt-fruz ice-cream instead that day, which was still really cheap, only S$3.60 for one large scoop(and I mean it's really large!) One tiny weeny scoop at Yami Yogurt in Singapore already cost me about $2.80. And the one at Bangkok's Swensens' is thrice the size of the one at Yami Yogurt.

Did more shopping at MBK after dinner, mostly in Tokyu. Bought alot of junk food at Tokyu's supermarket so that I could eat at night at the hotel. =P Seriously, our basket was so full that people might have thought we were locals shopping for groceries and stuffs.

Then I saw this really interesting machine outside the supermarket, it was a gumball machine. Okay, I never see before gumball machine since Singapore bans gum. So I put in 5 baht(about 20cents), and got my very first gumball of my life! Hahaha, was so happy, kept chewing and irritating my brother by blowing bubbles right in his face in the cab back to our hotel. He thinks I'm disgusting and unhygienic.

After breakfast, we headed off to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which was a 90-minute drive away. The boat ride was fun, it was like a speed boat, going at top speed. I was so scared the whole boat might capsized traveling at such speed.

The floating market itself was a pretty sight. But there isn't much to buy unless you're a fan of handicrafts and fruits. Haha, we bought more lychees and mangosteens. Which was really stupid of us because we would have to lug it around for the whole day. Lol.

Next, we headed to Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo. It's basically a zoo, but people usually go there for the elephants and most importantly the crocodile farm. But I didn't quite like the zoo, because the living conditions for the animals were really bad. The elephants were chained to the ground, the tigers are chained so tightly that they can't even turn their head to touch their bodies, and the monkeys were all kept in the cages which were so filthy that they looked like they haven't been cleaned for years. There was this monkey which looked really sad in his cage. And elephants were threatened with this sharp axe which looks like the sickle that people use to cut rice stalks in padi fields. The blade of the sickles are held near their ears, and this is how the keepers control them to do the tricks and stunts they want, because apparently, elephants are scared of their ears being cut off, so they do whatever they're told.

Anyway, we watched this terrifying crocodile performance which involved the keeper putting his head inside the crocodile's mouth. After he removed his head away, the crocodile's jaws just snap shut. Goodness, the sound of the snapping of jaws was really spine-chilling!

Then we watched the elephant show. The elephants are so smart! They played soccer and acted in this performance about a war between 2 kingdoms.

Next, we went to Rose Garden. Been there before when I was in Bangkok in February. But it was part of the tour package, so we went there again.

Our tour ended and we headed back to the city. Asked the driver to drop us off at MBK again, because we wanted to do some shopping at this other part of MBK. It looked alittle like Bugis, with all your small shops selling all the trendy clothes.

Then we walked through some streets at the back of MBK to get to Siam Paragon. I love the streets here because it reminds me of 西门町 in Taiwan.

Then had dinner at this 9 Cafe. Food was alright, but I didn't like my fish and chips. The cakes was seriously good.

Cabbed back to hotel. Anyway, did I mention that cabs in Thailand are really cheap! And they're the easiest and fastest mode of transport to use if you're a tourist. The starting fare is only S$1.50. An average 15 to 20-minute ride from our hotel to the MBK/Siam Paragon area cost only about S$3.40, and each cab can take maximum of 5 people, that's about S$0.68 per person. That's only slightly more than what we pay for our bus ride in Singapore! Seriously, if I live in Bangkok, I can afford to take the cab wherever I go. Haha. Of course, they also have the BTS Skytrain(which is like our MRT), which is surprisingly pricier than cabs. Skytrain is about S$1.70 per person. But I guess there's a reason for them to charge a price higher than that of cabs. Because if you're in a cab, there's a chance that you might get caught in a traffic jam, especially before and after working hours(those who took geog in secondary sch should know how bad jams in Bangkok can be). So if you're planning to get to a place in the morning or in the evening, best is to take the skytrain to save you all the time of getting stuck in a jam.

But I've never taken the Skytrain before because I never bothered to find out where is the nearest Skytrain station to my hotel. Lol.

We walked around the market for about an hour before we can't stand the weather anymore, and hopped on a cab to MBK. Haha, we kept going MBK and Siam Paragon! Had lunch at Mr Meng's Cafe or something like that. Chinese food and dimsum. Super cheap again. My huge bowl of seafood udon cost only S$4 and the little dishes of dimsum costs only S$0.70 each. Darn, one ba pao in sch already cost me S$1. -.-

After lunch, we walked to Siam Paragon from the streets behind MBK again.

Shopped for a few hours before hopping on another cab to Emporium. More shopping! Hahaha.

Bought a pair of converses because Mom commented that my current pair of sch shoes look as if I just step into a sewage. S$42.50, don't know if it's cheaper or more ex because I hardly step into Converse shop in Singapore.

After shopping, cabbed back to hotel where we rested for awhile before heading out for dinner at Robinsons near our hotel.