Bangkok (Feb 2012)

Travelled to Bangkok for a vacation with my gf and two other friends. Booked our flight via Jetstar, which cost us S$239.90 per pax, while the accommodation at Budacco Hotel cost around S$95 per pax. This came up to a total of around S$335 for flight and accommodation, which was still quite reasonable. But if I were to add my expenses there as well, I think I spent around S$1,200. Most of it came from the tailored clothes.

Day 1

Our flight was really early, at 7am, so I had to wake up at 430am to reach the airport at around 515am. Food wasn't served on the flight (it's a budget airline after all) so we had a quick breakfast at the airport first before departing.

Thailand is one hour behind Singapore, so we reached Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 835am (935am Singapore time). The Airport Rail Link was conveniently located at the basement of the airport, so we took it instead of a cab to avoid the jam. The train station looked brand new and sparse, devoid of any advertisements or notices etc.

This doesn't look like a train station at all.

It took around 45 minutes to reach Budacco Hotel, and we were relieved that they allowed us to check in early as it was not even 10am. The rooms there had several colour schemes (green, yellow, pink), and we were slightly turned off when we were allocated a pink room. But the room was still quite all right. Most importantly, it was clean.

Deluxe room at Budacco Hotel

The main door had to be locked by a traditional key, unlike the auto-lock doors with keycards at other hotels. So when we left, I just closed the door and assumed it would be locked. It was only ten minutes later that I suddenly remembered that I haven't locked the door, so I had to rush back to lock it. Fortunately we were still located within walking distance from the hotel!

Lunch was at an A&W outlet at Pantip Plaza, which was around 7 minutes' walk from the hotel. 

A&W Curly Fries. It's really different from McDonald's Twister Fries.

Love their root beer mug (and the root beer, of course)

Pantip Plaza is actually quite similar to our Simlim Square - well, more than ten years ago. It sells a lot of pirated software and DVDs. 

Pantip Plaza, our Simlim Square from more than a decade ago

After this, we took a cab to a tailor that one of my relatives recommended. However, we couldn't find the place, so a local directed us to another tailor instead, called The Oriental Galleria. While the shop looked much bigger, decent and professional compared to the other run-down tailor shops that I saw, I felt a bit uneasy as the original prices they quoted me were way too high, at THB1,400 (S$57.28) per shirt and THB2,000 (S$81.83) per trousers. This was a huge contrast from what my relative told me for the original tailor he recommended - THB900 (S$36.82) for one shirt, and THB600 (S$24.55) if you make 4 pieces or more. So I bargained rather hard, and all the while he insisted that theirs were of the 'best quality' and much better than the other tailors. In the end I managed to get it down to THB9,000 (S$368.25) for six shirts and two pairs of trousers.

Not as cheap as I hoped, but at least it was still significantly cheaper than Singapore. And after trying to find our way for around an hour under the hot sun, I just wanted to settle it as soon as possible. I was told to visit them again tomorrow for a fitting, and then they will deliver the clothes on the third day.

Proceeded to MBK Centre after that. It was a big and well-known shopping mall, though we didn't really buy anything - mainly because we intended to buy most of our clothes from Platinum Mall and Chatuchak Market.

We also tried a fish spa for the first time. It cost us THB150 (S$6.14) for 15 minutes.

It wasn't as ticklish as I thought it would be.

Once I immersed my feet into the water, my feet were surrounded by dozens of fishes in a matter of seconds, nibbling away. I felt like a buffet spread for the fishes. Contrary to what others tell me, it wasn't really ticklish. It was an interesting experience, though in hindsight, they should have asked customers to wash their feet first before using the fish spa, for hygiene reasons.

Had dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant named Sukishi Charcoal Grill, located at the top floor of MBK Centre, which was recommended by one of my colleagues.

One of their BBQ sets

The food was not bad, though I think the main reason was because of the charcoal stove.

Charcoal stoves beat electric stoves hands down

Day 2

Budacco Hotel's breakfast cafe was a bit small, and the chairs were obviously too bulky. But at least the food, albeit simple, was quite all right. We were going to lunch at a Japanese buffet restaurant later, so I told everyone just to have a light breakfast.

After breakfast, I went back to the tailor for a fitting. The shirt and trousers I tried were just nice - they had followed my instructions quite well - so I had no complaints. Took a cab to Swissotel Le Concorde Hotel - that's where the Japanese buffet restaurant was - and was very surprised that all the cab drivers we flagged down did not know where it was, despite showing them the address. It was only until our fifth attempt that we got a cab - and this was because a nearby local helped to give directions to the cab driver. Sheesh.

I had made reservations at this restaurant, called Takumi, via email when I was still in Singapore. Reviews were very good, and they were well known for serving good and fresh Japanese food at a cheap price (for Singaporeans, that is). They serve their food via an a-la-carte buffet, which I actually prefer to a standard buffet.

Our private room at Takumi

Their private room was quite comfortable, and didn't cost anything extra too. No footwear allowed, though.

Mixed sashimi

Their sashimi was really good, especially the tuna, octopus, and squid. While I usually prefer salmon over tuna, this tuna was really outstanding and I ended up eating more tuna than usual.

Most of the food we ordered were quite good, except for their chicken, which was not fresh and had a slight 'defrosted' taste. This was evident in all their dishes with chicken, including the small chicken cubes in their chawanmushi. Their teppanyaki was not bad too (except the chicken, of course), and I especially liked their beef teppanyaki (partly because of the fats that came with it).

The lunch cost us around THB700 (S$28.64) per pax. I think this meal would easily cost more than S$60 back in Singapore. Definitely recommended!


Restaurant name: Takumi Japanese Restaurant
Address: 204 Ratchadapisek Road
Tel: +66 02-6942222

Bookings should be made preferably two weeks in advance (especially for weekend dinners) because they are usually fully booked. I made my reservation on their website.

On the way here, we passed by a big shopping mall called Central Plaza. Since it was just around 5 minutes away, we decided to visit it after lunch. Central Plaza was extremely new - so far, in fact, that the top floor was still incomplete. But the lower floors were already full of retail outlets.

There was a Krispy Kreme cafe here. I am not really a fan of donuts (the high calorie content doesn't help) - but I know quite a few friends who are crazy over it. So this time, I decided to try an original glazed donut.

Krispy Kreme original glazed donut

Oh my. It was delicious - a huge difference from the other donuts I have eaten before. The bread was soft, and had a wonderfully light consistency. It was sweet, but not too sweet. And the glaze gave it a melt-in-your-mouth feeling. After this, I vowed to eat at least one donut if I am overseas and pass by a Krispy Kreme outlet!

And here's the signboard for the restrooms at Central Plaza.

If you are feeling this way, please proceed that way

There was also a Uniqlo outlet here, but I didn't buy anything as the prices for their anime t-shirts were rather close to Singapore's. I did get a cardigan and jacket from Basic House, and it was a pretty good deal as they were nice and going at half-price. Spent THB2,490 (S$101.88) here after the discount. Now that I think about it... it's still pretty expensive after the discount!

What I found most interesting for this mall were the vintage cars on display just outside the building. One in particular caught my attention - a lime green car.

Lime green vintage car of unknown brand...

Look at the seats, steering wheel and gear!

Omg, it's a Toyota! (look above the left brake light)

Next stop - Platinum Mall, the supposedly "air-con version" of Chatuchak Market. The clothes there were already quite cheap, though some of their service was really atrocious. One stall stood out from the rest - the staff didn't bother to give us eye contact when we asked about the pricing. When we asked if she could give a discount, we got an immediate and curt no. And when my gf decided to try one of the tops by just wearing it over her clothes, we were berated with a sharp "Cannot try!". Naturally, we decided to bring our money elsewhere.

I bought quite a few t-shirts here (only to find out, after I returned to Singapore, that some shrank after washing, while others were too narrow at the waist area). Think I will just give some of them away to someone who is of smaller build (which shouldn't be too difficult).

Dinner was at Once upon a time, a restaurant near our hotel that serves local cuisine. It was recommended by our hotel, and it was indeed good (and cheap too)! There were too many mosquitoes though, despite choosing the indoor seats.

Some of the food we ordered at Once upon a time

Day 3

The main highlight of the day was Chatuchak Market, and we went there early in order to avoid the crowd and the afternoon heat. At 945am, only a third or half of the stalls were opened, however.

Chatuchak Market

The place was huge. There are thousands of booths there selling anything from clothes and food to pets and paintings.

The map of Chatuchak Market. If you look closely enough, each tiny square is actually one booth, so there are thousands of booths here.

The weather wasn't too hot, but it was the ventilation and the crowd that made it unbearable. So it was a big relief when we reached the pets section - a few of the shops selling pet accessories were fully air-conditioned, and we spent a disproportionate amount of time there just to get some respite from the heat. I did buy a few shirts for my dog, though. There were also puppies for sale, and they were all so cute!

Puppies for sale

Other than dog t-shirts, I also bought some shirts, belts, and ties. The stuff here were even cheaper than Platinum Mall. Chanced upon a stall selling really nice ties - they were more expensive than other stalls, but their ties were much nicer and of better quality. I ended up buying more than ten ties from this stall alone. The stall name is Sawasdee Neck Tie, and it is located at Section 24, Soi 3. It is to the left of the clock tower if you approach it from the main entrance. I can't remember how much they cost, but I think bargained it down to around THB125 (S$5.11) per tie. It's relatively expensive considering that the other stalls were selling their ties for only THB80 (S$3.27) each before bargaining.

After two to three hours there, I couldn't take the heat and stuffiness anymore and we decided to leave. I don't understand how some of my friends could spend two days here, with up to six hours each day!

Our next venue was Chinatown.

A dazzling display of colours at Chinatown

We had a quick and light bite at a dim sum restaurant. The food was just ordinary, but it was very cheap. Fortunately we reserved some space in our stomachs for what Bangkok is well known for - shark's fin soup and bird nest, which we had at a restaurant called Chinatown Scala Restaurant.

Fish maw soup

The shark's fin soup and fish maw soup were really good and cheap, going at just THB300 (S$12.27) per bowl, which was big enough for one to two persons. And for this price, they didn't scrimp on the ingredients too, unlike some hotel restaurants in Singapore. We also ordered crab fried rice, which was also pretty good and came in a huge portion for just THB200 (S$8.18).

After the meal, we walked around Chinatown looking for somewhere to visit, but after half an hour of futile wandering, we decided to return to the hotel for a short break before going for massage and dinner.

The hotel staff suggested that we visit the massage parlours near Baiyoke Sky Hotel, which suited our plans perfectly since we intended to have dinner at the 81st floor of that hotel. The massage was quite value for money - I chose a food massage; it lasted for an hour and only cost THB200 (S$8.18). After that, we went for dinner - mainly for the scenery, rather than the food.

It took a while before we could even sit down, despite making a reservation the day before. We still had to queue at a counter to get tickets, and after that, queue to get into the lift. By the time we were ushered to our table, I think it was already a good half an hour gone.

We got a balcony seat, which they termed as a 'private room'. The view was fantastic. (Pictures taken by one of my travelling companions)

Night view from Baiyoke Sky Hotel, 81st floor

Night view from Baiyoke Sky Hotel, 81st floor

The buffet spread was huge - but almost none of the food was really good. I suppose the dinner (THB890 - S$36.41) was more for the view than the food. There was practically nothing worth mentioning, and I never took any second helpings for a particular dish.

The way out wasn't much better than the way in. The lifts were always packed when they arrived, and they only came once every five to seven minutes. After a while, we figured that in order to get out, we had to take the lift up and then down. There was chaos, as people tried to squeeze into the lift without letting others out first. Some ang mohs even lost their temper. It was only twenty five minutes later that we finally managed to escape from Baiyoke Sky Hotel.


Day 4

Decided to take it easy today, so we woke up rather late. Paid Platinum Mall a second visit to buy some snacks to bring home, then back to hotel to pack our stuff and travel to the airport. My luggage was practically bursting at the seams - I think it weighed more than 20kg, and since we were travelling on a budget airline, I was quite worried that they would charge us extra. But fortunately, they didn't even weigh our luggage and urged us to board the plane as soon as possible, because there will be a long queue later.

So far, this trip has been quite enjoyable, especially with easy-going traveling companions. The walkie-talkie was the most important thing that I brought - it was so convenient for contacting each other when we split up at shopping malls! And I bet it saved us at least tens of dollars of phone bills.