Bangkok 2009 Day 1

I shall attempt to recount the highlights and the “lowlights” of the entire trip, willywei style. Here we go:

Pre-Bangkok Expenditure:
Return Flights with Tiger Airways – SGD$255.00

Guilt by Association movies

4 Nights of accommodation with Tango Vibrant Living Place Hotel – SGD$120.00

Meet the group: Andrew, Esther, Crystal and Li Wei

The trip actually started at 4:15AM in the morning of 25^th April because we all had to be at the Airport early to make sure that we get good seats and beat the crowd – true to our kiasu Singaporean nature. We checked our luggage in by 5:00AM and we had perpetually nothing to entertain ourselves with so we ended up inside the lounge area for early breakfast. Andrew was watching some “real” CSI show on the Discovery channel, with Esther reading some material, and I had the worst Nasi Lemak in my life.

Reading Material for In-plane Entertainment (May 4 2009 Issue of TIME Magazine) – SGD$7.50
Very lousy Nasi Lemak – SGD$3.50

Andrew teasing Crystal

We reached Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at Bangkok Time 7:30AM! Bangkok is 1 hour behind Singapore during Daylight Savings. Our first task at the airport was to submit an immigration form. Crystal had to do her’s there because she slept like a log on the plane. She also had some problems reading the signage. Actually to her credit, we forced her to pose for the camera. Haha.

Crystal's Writing Desk

In Thailand, Taxis go either by the meter or a prefixed price. I was told by my Bangkok veterans that metered charges are usually cheaper. The driver that took us to our hotel was a very amiable old man who has some background in the Hokkien dialect. But Crystal could speak some basic Thai so the language barrier wasn’t as bad as I first feared. Along the way, we learnt how to tell the driver to turn left, and right, and to go straight, all in Thai. He fed us with some local trivia about where to go and what to do. We also learnt that there’s such a thing as “Thai people’s price” and “No-Thai people’s price”, just in case we get conned like niave tourists.

Taxi Fare from the Airport (including 2 tolls) – SGD$8.60

In the Hotel Lift. We were really tired.

And straight after we dumped our luggage, we darted towards the nearest shopping mall, and it happened to be the best of the lot (in my honest opinion). Platinum Mall’s located in the Pratunam district, which is about 3 streets away from where we were staying. Andrew and Crystal went berserk upon the very first step into their shopping haven.

AK: So we’ll split up and meet back here yea.
Me: What time do we meet back here? (time was 2:00PM) 1.5 hour’s time?
Crystal:

• Manhattan Baby trailer

Crazy ah! So little time how to shop!? We meet at 6:00PM
Me: WAH SIAO! 4 hours!? CAN DIE LEH! we meet at 5:00PM instead.
Stranger Than Fiction release Här kommer Pippi Långstrump psp
Crystal: Okay! *scoots off to her shopping pleasures*

Mission: Impossible III release

The Trouble with Dee Dee

buy Helter Skelter If I’m not mistaken, Crystal blew almost half her budget on the first day in that very mall. Haha. I might be wrong, it could have been worse. It’s quite funny how she’s scrimping to save on every other thing to get the best out of her shopping. Something I quite admire and am amused at.

2 T-Shirts deal – SGD$12.70
Flyboys film
1 T-Shirt – SGD$7.20
Pad Thai for Lunch – SGD$3.00
Chrysanthemum Tea – SGD$0.80
Bottled Mineral Water – SGD$0.50

Local Thai food at it's best!

Too spicy to handle

They say to know the local culture, you have to be with the locals, talk with them and eat with them. Food is the common language. So we took the brave step, against all the odds of possible stomachaches, to dine at a local cafeteria nearby our place. But I tell you, it was the most amazing Thai food I ever had. Except that they added a little too much milk in their Thai Green Curry. Otherwise, it was superb! Little did we expect to unearth such a gem in the alleys of Pratunam!

Superduper local Thai dinner – SGD$7.20

Total Day 1 –  SGD$426.00

And oh, if you’re wondering, none of us got diarrhoea. So ends day one. Next up, the happening nights of Khao San and my “special” Thai massage experience!