Explore Bangkok: Saphan Phut night market

Saphan phut night market, or Memorial Bridge night market, is a sprawling market named after the towering Memorial Bridge located in the heart of old bangkok. The night market is open from Tuesday to Sunday, with stalls setting up about 6pm onwards but the crowd going into full swing rom 9pm onwards till the wee hours  of 2, 3am.

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Explore bangkok: Erawan Shrine, Bangkok city hotel

The Erawan Shrine, or ‘San Phra Phrom’ in Thai, is a well-known shrine in located next to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, in Bangkok, Thailand. It is also known by Chinese-speaking tourists as the ‘four-faced buddha’ in mandarin, and is a must-visit for Hindu & Buddhist devotees.

How to go: It is located near the Bangkok Skytrain's Chitlom Station. If you exit the station via the elevated walkway leading from Chidlom to Siam station, you will see the shrine on your left before the Ratchaprasong intersection of Ratchadamri Road. It is also located near many shopping malls such as Gaysorn (5minutes walk) and CentralWorld (8-10 minutes walk). 

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Eating in Bangkok: T&K Seafood restaurant, Chote Chitr, KFC

Eating in Bangkok is no shabby affair- with a wide range of dining options, from cheap roadside stalls to fine dining establishments, one is spoilt for choice. In this post I review the food and dining experience the bf and I had at 3 establishments in bangkok: the famous T&K seafood restaurant in Yaraowat, Chote Chitr, a small 5-table establishment located in old bangkok, and the familar KFC.

First off is sprawling T&K seafood restaurant, located in the busy Yaraowat. Loved by tourists and locals alike for it's wide range of seafood available at wallet-friendly prices, the bf and I made the trip down from our bed and breakfast one weekday evening, between 7-8pm.

Those familiar green polo t-shirts beckoning you towards great & reasonably-priced seafood...

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Alternative Thailand: Maeklong Railway Market

The Maeklong Railway is a  railway that services the route btween Wongwian Yai, Bangkok, and Samut Songkhram in Central Thailand. The railway is most famous for the portion of it's route through the Maeklong Railway Market, affectionately nicknamed Talad Rom Hoop, or ''Umbrella Pulldown Market', which derives from the action of the stall owners scurrying to pull down and keep the tentages/plastic shelters to make way for the train to pass.

A couple months back the bf and I visited Maeklong Railway market as part of a 2D1N trip from bangkok along with Ampawa (review here) as we wanted something a little different from the usual shopping/eating Bangkok trip. Despite being incredibly touristy and crowded, it didn't disappoint. 

How to go: There are regular van services from beneath victory monument flyer over. details here. You can also choose to go via bus, train, details here. For a timetable of when the train passes the station, refer here. 

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Shopping in Bangkok: Asiatique

While the bf and I were in Bangkok, we were recommended by the staff at our bnb to visit a place called Asiatique, the riverfront. Asiatique is a waterfront complex consisting of various stalls/units housing eateries and clothes/accessiores/furnishing stores.

How to go: you can take a taxi or ferry to saphan taksin stop and wait for a shuttle service (free) to pick you up from there. You can find further details here. Take note that majority of the stalls open from 5pm onwards and close by 10+ 11pm. Taxis will start to charge exorbitant rates and not go by the meter from evening onwards so be prepared to pay a little more if you want to stay late.

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Dining in Bangkok- Deck at Arun Residence

Eating in Bangkok is one of the key highlights of being there, much more so than shopping for $10 clothes, shoes and bags, in my humble opinion. In this post i review a small eatery called Deck at Arun Residence, a restaurant offering a beautiful view of Wat Arun, the temple of the Dawn.

How to go: Arun Residence is located in one of the small alleyways near the bangkok riverside. for detailed directions refer to their website here. the bf and i walked from our bed and breakfast (the asadang) located near Wat Pho and it took us about 10 minutes. If you are walking, we advise you print out this map and it will help you as it's easy to get lost. It's right at the end of an alley full of what looks like low-rise residential houses/buildings.

Note: Remember to make a reservation early so you can get a seat with temple view. Walk ins are limited to indoor seats, which would be a waste.

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Shopping in Bangkok: Terminal 21

If you're looking for a one-stop shopping mall offering unique designs by independent Thai designers, Terminal 21, a shopping complex opened in 2011, is your go-to.

How to go: Take BTS to Asoke station. Once you exit the station (Exit 1), the shopping mall is on your right. If coming by taxi/private transport, just tell the driver 'Terminal 21'. It is located on Sukhumvit Road, near Asoke intersection

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Explore Thailand: Amphawa

A visit to Thailand is never complete without a trip to a floating market- or so the boyfriend and I thought. Having had been to the ultra-famous but incredibly touristy damnoen saduak floating market, I was eager to explore somewhere more authentic and off-the-beaten track. I heard about an evening floating market in Ampawa, that seemed interesting and different from the usual fare. So in June during our whirlwind trip to Bangkok, we set aside a short 2D1N to steal away to the floating market of Ampawa, and the railway market of Maeklong.

How to go: There are regular van services costing 70 Baht from Victory Monument under Phaholyothin highway, Saphan Kwai side to Maeklong. some links here, and links here and here.. From Maeklong, take a songthaew (blue shuttle van/truck service) for about 5 baht to Ampawa (15-20mins ride). Some photos of the journey after the jump.

Accommodation: Stay at the cheap and cheerful Chababaancham, a laid-back no-frills resort by Ampawa river. Hotel review at the end of this post.

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Alternative bangkok: Old siam plaza

Ranked by lonelyplanet at a modest #310 of 792 things to do in Thailand, the Old siam plaza seldom tops tourists' lists of must-go places in  bangkok. However, if you have a weakness for sweet things/pastries, and like retro-style things/architecture, this is the place for you. 

Admittedly this wasn't originally in our itinerary, but had been included as a nice-to-have when I realised the our Bangkok lodging was located a mere 10 minutes walking distance to it. Coincidentally i also have a huge weakness for desserts and all things sweet, so on a late weekday morning we made the visit.

How to go: The nearest train station is Hua Lamphong MRT, after which you need to take a cab ride lasting about 10 minutes, or public bus. You can consider visiting the plaza on the same day as Wat Pho and the grand emerald palace, which are located in the vicinity. For a map, refer here

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Alternative hotels: The Asadang, Bangkok

If you've been following my blog, you'd know I visited Bangkok this June with the boyfriend on a short 1 week trip. During our trip, we stayed at the lovely Asadang, a small quaint bed and breakfast sitting by the side of a canal, a mere 10 minutes away from Wat Pho. Though I'm not paid to write this review, the staff and our stay was so lovely that I am compelled to write a review on it. And here it is, along with a couple of photos of our stay there.

Sao, one of the lovely staff in the dining area of the Asadang

Aside from the cheap food & shopping, the main draw of bangkok to me is really Thai hospitality. It is unassuming, gentle, thoughtful, and sincere.
That, in essence, is exactly what the Asadang is.

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7 Days of Bangkok- Day 7

Yes! Le Boyfriend and I are returning to Singapore today. And I am flying off to Guangzhou for work tomorrow :( Wish we had more time to dwindle... 

Krispy Kreme, Siam Paragon Basement 

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7 Days of Bangkok- Day 6

Heard that this place has shifted- we'll be checking this out at the new venue today if we have time. 

Vintage train market/Talad Rod Fai 

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7 Days of Bangkok- Day 5

This was from eons ago when W and I had our maiden trip to BKK- I still had my fisheye traveller camera then- that was how old it was! 

Taling Chan floating market

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7 Days of Bangkok - Day 4

hmmm. 

Wat Phra Kaew aka Grand Palace

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Bangkok Tree House

le boyfriend (no face because he shy)

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7 Days of Bangkok - Day 3

Hoping that it won't be this sunny when we visit today...

sunflower patches near Chaktuchak 

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7 days of Bangkok- Day 2

Today we are probably spending most of our time enjoying the wonderful complimentary afternoon tea at our bnb (reviews to come) whilst bumming around indoors since it's going to pour the whole afternoon....

street traffic, taken from bridge near victory monument

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7 Days of Bangkok- Day 1

We're leaving for BKK with backpacks! Totally left like 1.5 days for shopping and the remaining for sight-seeing/exploring/chillaxing. Hope we don't get lost though.

A photo a day for the rest of the week while I'm in the land of a thousand smiles:

Toilet on 'London' floor, Terminal 21

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Alternative bangkok: Talad Rod Fai

Bangkok is the darling of all destinations for long weekend trip out of Singapore. Besides the Wat pho, grand palace, and crazy shopping at Platinum Mall/Siam area, there's a lot more you can explore. I was looking for a different kind of experience in Bangkok when I chanced upon Talad Rot Fai last year.

image credit to Soo Huey Fen, the BFF. 

Talad Rod Fai, or 'train market', is a flea market that's located on the grounds of a old set of train tracks. The old coaches and warehouses are now home to one of the many stalls and stores that sell things ranging from vintage cameras, typewriters and handmade designer goods. The market is the brainchild of Thanayut 'Troy' and Khun Phirot, two Thai antique lovers.

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