It feels like ages since my trip but technically it's only been a month. What I would give for another vacation right now!
As my trip was a short weekend one, I wouldn't be able to give information on many locations so this guide shall be more like a review of what I experienced, and perhaps some recommendations on alternatives if I can think of any.
Airfare/Airlines
Departing Singapore: Tigerair approx. S$115 per pax
Departing Bangkok: FlyScoot approx. S$108 per pax
Review: We had a very pleasant journey on Tigerair. I know they recently revamped their brand and I'm loving it. There's a noticeable difference in service attitude and a level of professionalism this time round. Definitely would fly Tigerair again.
FlyScoot wasn't that great for me as the crew seemed to be in a hurry most of the time and were frowning at passengers while giving instructions?! #whythelongface It was also a very noisy journey as there was a group of tourists across the aisle who talked non-stop throughout the flight, and they were really loud. Needless to say, that pissed me off big time.
Accomodation
Citin Pratunam: S$122 for 2 nights
Review: Never stay here, or at Ten Stars Inn which I stayed at previously. When it comes to hotels, cleanliness and maintenance of room amenities are important to me. If the hotel can't even fulfill these most basic requirements, they shouldn't be called hotels. Every morning, I woke up to the sound of construction/banging woks/Singaporeans talking really loudly in the hallway (ha-ha). The shower area was pretty gross too.
If you're on a budget, you can check out
LemonTea which we saw while exploring the area. It looked like heaven compared to Citin Pratunam and I was this close to moving over. If you can afford to spend a little more, check out Baiyoke Sky or Glow as I believe these are the higher-rated places to stay.
Platinum Mall/ Main Shopping Area
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| This lady sells the best coconut ice cream omg |
Review: I remember the food court at Platinum Mall had good food so I was disappointed at the drop in standard. The beef noodles used to be really savory but now, it tastes like salt soup with black sauce.
We asked the hotel for restaurant recommendations and after much confusion in terms of the language barrier, we were directed to Once Upon A Time. It took us a good hour to finally locate where the place was and it was literally a hole in the wall restaurant. I was overwhelmed by the decor but everything was so interesting to look at. Please use Google Maps if you want to find this place, unless you've time to waste.
Review: The food tasted alright. I've a feeling this restaurant is more catered to expats/tourists as the prices are comparable to tze char places in Singapore, except a smaller portion. The highlight of the night was when I found a huge housefly in my soup. The line from a joke, "Waiter, I found a fly in my soup" was finally put to good use. Most of the customers were drinking bottled alcohol instead of eating so that's a safer way to enjoy the ambience of the place if you'd like to go.
Review: I was expecting this to be as good as the beef noodles I had at a roadside stall in Phuket, but one should never have any expectations while traveling so you wouldn't be too disappointed.
Thong Lo BTS Station
Made a trip to Thong Lo because Darren recommended this Thai restaurant to us called "999" if I'm not wrong. Please ask the station service staff for directions because I did not find out the exact address of this place. It's located just underneath the stairs right beside the control station. Save the photo below to show the station staff if you're interested in going!
We found out it is only opened at night so we settled for this phad thai place in an alleyway. I'm not sure what's the exact address but there's a signboard saying it's the 5th World's Best Phad Thai ranked by CNN. Give it a try if you find it!
As the 999 restaurant wouldn't be opened till night, we decided to head to Siam Center first, followed by Terminal 21.
Review: Let me first proclaim my love for these two malls. No doubt prices are similar to when shopping in Singapore but quality there is so much better (referring to their local brands). We spent a lot of time in Forever 21 at Siam Center. I appreciate how everything was so neat as compared to the F21 stores in Singapore. Siam Center has more of their local brands and how I wish I brought more money to spend there. There were so many unique and well-made pieces of clothing ranging from dresses to pants.
Terminal 21 was where I did more shopping at. The top level has little stores that offer a huge variety of apparels for ladies. I would very much prefer to shop at these two places compared to Platinum Mall. More on Platinum Mall below.
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| A ukelele festival swarming with Jason Mraz(s) |
We decided to give Mr. Jones Orphanage a try since it's highly recommended by locals and tourists. I stumbled upon the cafe, joined the longgg queue, but was immediately given a seat because there were only two of us. Benefit of traveling in twos!
Review: Am I the only person who thinks this is a morbid name for a cute cafe? I get very creeped out in places like that. We had the chocolate banana cake which was good. My mocha drink could've been better. I think prices were equivalent to Starbucks in Singapore.
It was back to Thong Lo for dinner after shopping at Terminal 21. I am so thankful that Darren recommended this to us as it was probably the saving grace of our meals in Bangkok so far. No overcharging, no noisy diners, and most importantly, no dead floating houseflies. When we took a taxi back to Pratunam, we saw many other restaurants/bars along the way. I'd definitely go back to this area for more food.
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| Coconut Curry Chicken, Kang Kong, Tom Yum, Steamed Fish in Lemongrass (amazing) |
After that satisfying meal, we headed back to the Pratunam area for massages. The signature Thai massage is still the best. Two hours of massage for around S$20 only! There's this stretch of massage places along the main street leading into the smaller streets of Pratunam. I remember the name of one of them which is "Number One" which we went, as well as the one next to it. I prefer the one next to it.
Review: On the last day, I decided to shop at Platinum Mall and spend whatever money I had left. It was so tiring because of the couple of unpleasant experiences I had while shopping. The store owners were quite rude and hostile towards me for no apparent reason. For example, if I'm asking the price of something, they would quote a price with a scowl. I must state that I am very polite when shopping because I know how it feels to be on the other side of the counter serving rude customers. Their hostility baffled me... Until I bumped in other Singaporeans.
Those Singaporeans are the epitome of ugly travelers. They were raising their voices at the retail assistants demanding a cheaper price, and threatening to leave if the prices weren't lowered, I kid you not. I'm sorry but whoever said you could behave like a b*tch just because you're a tourist?! They seemed to have this idea that as long as you stay fierce and stand your ground towards the locals there, you'd get your way. How obnoxious is that?!
I was so appalled at the disgusting behavior of those Singaporeans, whom I hope are the minority. Respect is a two-way street. When you're on a foreign land, it goes without saying that you respect the way of life there including the locals. This is a major pet peeve of mine because this is a phenomenon happening in Singapore as well.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
On a happier note, do watch my latest videos where I show you my buys from Bangkok. Hopefully it'll give you an idea of what you can expect when shopping at the malls mentioned above.
Hope I haven't left anything out because my brain is pretty much dead from the day spent in school, and my eyes are threatening to close anytime soon.
Do email me/comment below if you'd like to know anything else in more detail. Thank you so much for reading this essay and have a lovely weekend ahead woohoo!
