During this busy month, we took a trip to Bangkok and stayed for almost a week. It was a Shopping trip with a few hours set aside for site seeing and culture. The buys were amazingly affordable and had great quality. Dresses that would go for around P1,000 here in Manila were only about 170 Baht in Bangkok. Our hotel, Novotel, was a mere 15 minute walk from Pratunam, the Divisoria of Bangkok. We’d start early in the morning since it opens at 6am and closes at 4pm. By lunch, our shoulders would be hunched from all the shopping bags, we’d go back to the hotel, fit our purchases (because fitting is not allowed) and go shop some more. If an item fits perfectly, we’ll buy all colors - that's how nice everything was!
Aside from the shopping, eating was at the top of my list. Thai Cuisine is one of my favorites. I can eat Tom Yum Soup everyday, which i did. I also had Thai Papaya Salad and the Crispy Spicy Squid almost everyday. The Fried Fish Cakes were savory and went perfectly with the Fresh Spring Rolls. We lived right next to the Platinum Fashion Mall so most of our meals were at its food court. We tried the Fried Octopus Balls, Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls, Turnip and Leek Dumplings and the Papaya Salad with Crispy Fish. My cousin even wanted to take home Bagoong Rice in plastic tupperware. Thank God she didn’t.
A meal would cost about 200 Baht - really affordable.
Bagoong Rice
Crispy Spicy Squid
Fried Fish Cake
Fresh Vegetable Spring Roll
Oyster Cake
Papaya Salad
Tom Yum Soup
Thoroughly enjoyed the street food too! Especially in The Famous Floating Market where the street food was actually on water. I tried the Fried Noodle & Vegetable rolls and the Pumpkin bread bites. There were lots of meat on sticks and the favorite Green Mangoes with Bagoong. I had with me sweet and spicy tamarind candy that I got from a friendly souvenir vendor.
Mangoes with Bagoong
Pork Skewers
Different Meat Skewers
Fried Chicken Wings
We had half a day to explore the city of Bangkok. We visited a few temples and the Grand Gold Buddha statue. If you want to visit the Grand Palace, go early and wear pants or a long skirt. It closes at 3pm and they are very strict with your outfit. I recommend jeans and a polo shirt. Some had to buy sarongs to cover their leggings.
Golden Buddha
Temple
One morning was set to visit the Floating Market, Elephant Village and Cobra Show. We were trying to add a little culture to our trip. So... at least when people ask us what we saw in Bangkok, we won’t just answer - The Mall. Set aside 700 Baht for the day trip and about 6 hours. I suggest you leave at 7am so when you get back, you still have a few hours to spend more money. You have to pay for entrance fees for the shows though. Cobra Show is 400 Baht, and 100 Baht to feed bananas to the Elephants.
I’m kinda happy I got sick this weekend. It made me realize how lucky I was to be able to travel, study other cultures, taste other kinds of cuisine and just enjoy Life. Bangkok was amazing and I get to save so much on Christmas Shopping. So don’t be surprised if you receive a gift made from Thailand this Christmas. That means I thought of you during this wonderful trip!
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