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Over the past five days, i took a short holiday to spend some quality time with my sis, together with Betty her friend, and Alice in Bangkok. It was scorching hot, and the air is severly polluted, such as such that i can feel my skin getting torched, feeling raw to the touch by evening after a day out.

The sunglass becomes a necessity, and so is the hat yet the trip is enjoyable on many levels, the most obvious being the extremely warm thai hospitality and fail-safe thai food.

We stayed in Pratunam, in the Best Western Mayfair Suite which is charming but a little far out, making commuting by cab or tuk tuk a must rather than a luxury. It is literally a 10-15minutes walk in, up Phetburi Soi 13, past shops and massage parlors, some construction sites and residences. When it rains, you can see people walking almost knee deep in the pool of rain water.

Day one Saturday- Landed in Suvarnabhumi Airport in the afternoon after some delay on Air Asia. It was a madhouse queuing up to check-in in Changi Airport, meaning they would definately lose me as a customer. After checking in, we decide to brave the rain with a tuk tuk ride out to Partunam to shop in the spanking new Platinum Mall. It is indoor, air-conditioned and sell a wide array of wares.

Day two Sunday- Chatuchak. Best shopping experience in Bangkok! The only way to distact one from the heat is to stay focused on the shopping, which aint hard at all! I suck at bargaining and ended up buying only one top and some gifts. It doesnt help that most clothes are made for the petite! By six, Dana and I had wolfed down 2 coconut ice-cream and copious litres of coconut juice. (best to enter Chatuchak near the MRT station, and shops closer to the train stations are atas and you get more quality = pricey ware)

Day three- Wat Pho and massage. Temple of the Reclining Buddha seated next to the Grand Palace. The visit ended with a keen and effective kneading session by the professionals that felt oh so gooooodddd. Followed by a torturous journey to Yaowaran/ Chinatown. The market is an endless alley of shops, make-shift stores, hawkers selling food with a charcoal burner on their push-cart making their way precariously through the crowds. Dined at food loft which serves pricey but really delicious food. Worth every baht.

Day four- Floating Market and Ayuthaya. It costs a total of 250 Baht excluding tips to be ferried by cab to and fro 2 destinations and back to the hotel. The floating market, abt 10km outside Bangkok is an obvious tourist trap but a highly enjoyable one. Had really yummy carrot cake and noodles sitting in a boat!

 

This is my second trip to Ayuthaya and enthralling still. The UNICEF site is a must for any visitor to see the Thai capital before Bangkok. Day ended with a walk in Silom- Patpong. It is a thrill to see girls cladded in not much and pimps pestering you to see ping pong shows! The bad air is getting to me by then, my eyes tired and irritated all day.

Day Five- Erawan Shrine in front of Grand Hyatt Erawan, Tuptim Shrine at Swissotel Nai Lerk, and 3D movie experience in Siam Paragon! At the airport, we walk from the boarding gate into the waiting bus, into the rain, up the ramp into the plane. At that moment I was home sick for a full-fledge carrier.

One more week to Taipei!!!

(For more picts and notes, click here: http://jocrossing.livejournal.com/3203.html)