Bangkok Day 3 - Grand Palace Tour with Absolute Bangkok Tour and Asiatique

We woke up bright and early on Day 3 as we had arranged for a land tour with Absolute Bangkok Tours. We chose the package AB 1 + AB 2 which took us to Wat Trimit, Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha and Wat Pho. It was a very hot day and we were thankful our tour included our own mini van, cold water and wet towels. 

First stop was to Wat Trimit with the Golden Buddha. The buddha statue was initially made of plaster and it was only when they were moving it and the plaster cracked did people realize that it was made of pure solid gold. 

The Grand Palace was next. There was virtually no shade at all in the Grand Palace and we were sweating buckets. But look at the glorious architecture! So detailed and elaborate.

Wat Pho was the last stop and the Reclining Buddha was amazingly beautiful. The statue is really impressive and fits exactly into the temple because the temple was built after placing the Buddha within.

Our guide is Fon from Absolute Bangkok Tours and she is bubbly cheerful and very friendly. She speaks fluent English and describes every little thing in detail so that you would have a better understanding of the Thai culture and architecture. Absolute Bangkok Tours may not be the cheapest around but they definitely provide the best service with your own private mini van, cold water and wet towels. The tour really allows you to explore fully in comfort and learn more about the place. Will definitely recommend people to take up tours with them.

After lunch at Chinatown (which was such a rip-off, I swear), we decided to go back to the hotel to rest before heading out at night for Asiatique. Asiatique is the new riverfront night market accessible from Saphan Taksin BTS station via ferry. There is a free shuttle ferry to Asiatique from the BTS station. When you exit at Saphan Taksin simply follow the signs to the pier and join the queue. Each ferry comes in 15 minutes interval so the wait was not too long but the crowd was pretty scary. We almost gave up queuing!

Glad we did not. Asiatique was really interesting albeit a bit touristy. The place used to be a warehouse and was newly converted into a night market. The lights, live band in the central area and general bustling crowd gave this place a very festive vibe.

We had dinner at Kacha Kacha which serves fabulous teppanyaki dishes and yakitori. The food is really awesome, I love it so much. Be sure to order their teppanyaki and yakitori because those are the gems in the shop!

As for shopping in Asiatique, the prices are not super competitive but you can find pretty nice local designer clothes there as well. Oh and snacks. I was so happy stumbling into the snack shop, I bought so many rows of spicy cuttlefish which happened to taste awesome with beer. My brother bought some t-shirts at a small shop selling funky shirts and that was about it. But the food made the trip really worth while.

We took the shuttle ferry back to hotel and had a good rest!

Read about Day 1 and Day 2 in Bangkok!

Bangkok Day 2 - Chatuchak, Union Mall, Terminal 21

We started the second day in Bangkok with the highly recommended Wanton Mee in Pratunam which happens to be located right beside Glow Pratunam Hotel. Lovely, I love hotels surrounded by good food. The wanton mee stall is right opposite Platinum Shopping Mall. Just cross the overhead bridge, walk towards McDonalds, and when you see Macs, turn right into Soi 19. It is a relatively busy and bustling side street and you will see the Wanton Mee stall pretty soon. You probably wouldn't notice the stall right away so keep a lookout for the board that looks like this:

I have to warn you first that the portions are really very small and I have to eat 2 bowls for breakfast before getting enough energy to be on my feet for the rest of the day. However, for 50 baht a bowl, I have to say that the pricing was rather reasonable. The essence of this wanton mee lies in the large amount of lard used. The wanton itself was bland and pretty forgettable but the noodles soaked in lard was absolutely yummy. You have to be a fan of lard to like this, though. If not, go elsewhere or eat Macs for breakfast.

We had our Starbucks fix subsequently. I've weaned off my caffeine addiction during pupilage and am less reliant on caffeine these days so I usually refuse to have coffee but ah, Starbucks is my weak spot. The pricing in Bangkok is slightly cheaper than SG due to the currency conversion and I love the service here. Was also great to relax in an empty Starbucks before hitting the shops.

After filling our bellies, we took the BTS to Mo Chit for the Chatuchak Weekend Market. When you alight at Mo Chit just follow the crowd, cross the bridge and continue walking in the general direction where the crowds are. I expected it to be crowded and hot so I wore as little as possible. Shopping at Chatuchak is great but bargaining is such a chore and I am always bad at haggling. Anyway I bought a whole bag full of beer singlets for the boyfriend, tshirts and slippers for myself and my mum snagged a toy ukulele for my little cousin. 

Eventually it became so hot and unbearable, we decided to leave and head to Union Mall instead. Union Mall is at the Chatuchak area but we did not want to walk, so we took the underground subway from Chatuchak Park to Phahon Yothin instead which is one stop away. It is easy to spot the Chatuchak Park subway station. The entrance is just right beside the bridge, opposite Mo Chit BTS station. When you alight at Phahon Yothin, follow the signs to Union Mall and when you exit you will see a bright yellow building.

Union Mall is a good place to shop for young college kids and working adults, which makes it a suitable place for my brother and I. My brother managed to snag a couple of goods buys while I bought a sweet cardigan here. There is a good mix of shops selling clothes for guys and girls, unlike Platinum Mall where the guys just stand around getting bored while we girls go crazy. Prices are very reasonable as well and the quality is good. The food options here are rather limited though, so we settled for Pizza Company where I made the wrong choice in ordering some seafood spaghetti tossed in thai spices. It was so hot, my stomach was rumbling after the meal.

After Union Mall, we took the underground subway to Sukhumvit where Terminal 21 is. You can reach Terminal 21 by BTS as well and alight at Asok BTS Station. Terminal 21 is a very interesting mall for every floor is decorated in the theme of a particular city so there is Rome, San Francisco, Tokyo, Paris, London and many others. The exquisite decorations make this place so charming! Oh and when you are in the mall, do make it a point to visit the washroom. Even the washroom is well-designed to suit the theme at every level!

The clothes here are quite expensive and come from various local designers. The quality is definitely way better than the goods at Platinum Mall and Union Mall and the design much more attractive. I succumbed to three dresses at Terminal 21, bit the bullet and shelled out quite a bit of money for them. But no regrets, since they cost probably as much as dresses back in SG.

Dinner was at MIX where we had our first Thai food after arriving at Bangkok. Ordered a spread and were all so happily contended after the meal. The tom yom goong was really creamy though, probably too much coconut milk was added. But it tasted good all the same. And check out the ultra big river prawn!

We each ordered a drink too, since SGD 4 cocktails were so hard to resist.

After the awesome meal, we took the BTS back to Glow Pratunam and retired for the night.

Day 3 next! And read about Day 1 in Bangkok here. 

Bangkok Day 1 - Glow Pratunam Hotel, Chicken Rice at Pratunam and Siam shopping

Reached Bangkok's airport in the late morning and made the wrong decision to grab a cab to Glow Pratunam Hotel. We were stuck in a (typical) massive jam in the heart of downtown Bangkok for a really long while and by the time we reached our hotel, it was close to 1pm.

The lobby of Glow Pratunam is situated on the 7th floor of Shibuya mall, directly opposite Platinum Shopping Centre. The location of the hotel is definitely one big plus! It's so close to the shopping haven which is Platinum and within walking distance to Siam Paragon, Central World and Siam Square. It is also right beside the Pratunam market if you are interested in some roadside shopping. The only downside has to be the slightly longer walk to the nearest BTS which is Ratchathewi station, but even that did not take us too long.

We reached earlier than the allocated check-in time (2pm) but the staff was so accommodating and allowed us to check in early. But first they ushered us to the lounge for our welcome drink!

Nice cool refreshing purple drink with some lime bits inside.

For the price we paid, I was completely blown away by the room! It was spacious, very clean and with all the tiny details to make your stay more comfortable. For example, there is a dock on the counter for you to plug in your iphone or ipod and play your own music while you rest after a long day shopping. There is a comfortable reclining chair beside the window for you to watch the view below while you wait for your hair to dry. Oh and the wardrobe opens both ways, and you can get your clothes from the bathroom as well so you don't have to pack your clothes to bathe!

After settling down, we walked over to the famous Chicken Rice at Pratunam. We read about it in the papers last month and our taxi driver strongly recommended it when we went past the shop on our way to the hotel. If you want to try the famous chicken rice at Pratunam, you can walk over from Platinum. It is just opposite Novotel, on the same side of the road as Platinum. I suppose the shop name should be Kuang Heng?

The chicken is really soft and tender. The taste is totally different from the Hainanese Chicken Rice we are used to in Singapore and the rice is less oily. I love the sauce that accompanies the chicken rice! It's sweet and salty all at the same time. Awesome dip for the lean tender pieces of chicken.

After the chicken rice, we turned down the road and walked to Central World to begin our shopping journey! After some shopping at Central World and Siam Paragon, where we KIV-ed a whole bunch of stuff (and eventually returned to purchase them on the last day), we decided to head over to MBK. But not before grabbing dinner at a squat little building housing Ootoya!

I ordered the set with scallop steamed rice and fried chicken in boiled sauce. I remember trying this dish in Singapore's Ootoya as well and this one in Bangkok levels up in terms of standard. Was a very satisfying first meal in Bangkok! And nope, we didn't have thai food until the second day ;)

Day 2 coming up next!