Sawadee Bangkok!

Another blessing from above! Since my mother will be having a long vacation, I had decided to book a ticket for us a trip to Bangkok. It was my treat for her, to relax and to have a respite from her very tiring work abroad, and for me too, Bangkok is one on my list for this year. 

Travelling together with your family will give you the edge to avoid a lot of questions and not to hold by the immigration officer, and having multiple stamped on your passport is an advantage as well. From the time I booked this vacation I was so excited, I conduct a research and read blogs about Bangkok which I believed that could be very helpful in planning a trip.

Suvarnabhumi Airport (Golden Land) also known as Bangkok International Airport is one of two international airports serving Bangkok. This airport is currently the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and Orient Thai Airlines. It also serves as regional gateway and connecting point for various foreign carriers. Suvarnabhumi Airport depicts what Bangkok truly is. Upon arrival you will be greeted by Thai letters, people, language, and even how the airport structured, the ideas were all inspired by Thai culture. You can see that they are very proud of what they are. 

Truly that Thailand was a jam-packed of tourist from different countries around the world, wanting to see and experience Bangkok life. We arrived at Suvarnabumi Airport at 8:35 in the morning, there’s a time difference between Manila and Bangkok (-1) but the weather of the two are the same. Suvarnabhumi was very fascinating in terms of design and architecture, it was not huge like Hong Kong International Airport (Hongkong) and Changi International Airport (Singapore) but it can stand out among the two, for its uniqueness. Approaching Bangkok Immigration was a long queue, so before you can exit you will spend at least an hour of waiting in line. After we went past the immigration officer, we bought first tourist SIM card for 299.00 Baht good for 7 days unli-internet (you can find out their booth at the arrival hall). You don’t need to worry about the transportation here because Bangkok has Airport Rail Link that provides easy access from Suvarnabhumi Airport via Makkasan to Phaya Thai station in central Bangkok. This connects you to MRT underground and the BTS Skytrain. The increment rate starts at 15 Baht maximum 45 Baht; you can buy your token from the Automatic Token Dispensers located at every station, select your destination and the number of passengers and the fare will be calculated based on your input. You can also buy your token from the ticket booth. (http://bangkokairporttrain.com/time-table-route.html please refer to this) In our case, from Suvarnabhumi Airport we get off at the Phaya Thai station that connects to BTS station then at Ekkamai Station where our hotel was situated. Only one thing that this mode of transportation disappoints us, there’s no escalator that can make it easy to go up and down. So if you are bringing large and heavy baggage taking this route were not the best option. 

We stayed at Lodge 21 Hotel centrally located in Sukhumvit area, a bed and breakfast hotel that caters visitors and travelers. I booked this through Agoda.com which I found affordable yet comfortable, what I loved about this hotel was it just a minute walk away from the Ekkamai BTS station. It was very convenient which was surrounded by malls, supermarket, food chain and the Eastern Terminal was very near if you want to go to Pattaya.  Lodge 61 is a friendly-budget hotel, we check in at 1:00 in the afternoon, the staff was very friendly they accompany us up to our room on the 7^th floor. Our room was too big for two which can accommodate up to 4-5 persons. The room has a mini-refrigerator, safety box for your important stuff, flat-screen television, air-condition, and private bathroom and the most important thing is we had a very comfortable stay here.

(http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand/bangkok/lodge_61_hotel.html)

We took first an hour of sleep before we decided to stroll around Bangkok.

Terminal 21

Fasten your seat belt, we’re now ready to aboard! For our first stop, a must visit shopping mall in Bangkok as it brings the world to you. This mall is unusual for its Airport theme where each of its nine floors represents several famous cities around the world i.e., Paris, Rome, London, etc. they not only satisfy your retail lust, but it also fulfills your dream to see the world in just one roof. Pretty cool!  

Terminal 21 is very accessible located at BTS Asok Station take Exit 1, the exit links to the entrance of the shopping mall.

When I entered the mall I was mesmerized on how the mall was constructed. You will not only treasure your shopping items, but the shopping experience that Terminal 21 can give you. As I walked around, my eyes were filled with awesome architectural design, colorful lights, and shopping boutique inside as if I was walking on the famous market streets in the world. It was a perfect place to do window shopping. In every escalator you can see boards stating “departure” and arrival along with the city names and the floor level, as if you are entering a country and leaving it.

LG Floor - Caribbean

You can see here the tall lighthouse, as if you’re walking on an island. Convenience Store, Supermarkets & basic needs are located. 

G Floor - Rome

You can find here: Fashion, Accessories, Cosmetics, some local Brands and Luxury brand boutiques. It was decorated with amazing sculptures, statue and well-known painting.

M Floor - Paris

1^st Floor – Tokyo

Inspired by Harajuku town. Complete by 10-ft statues of sumo wrestlers sculpture, reserved for ladies boutique. 

2^nd Floor – London

Adorned with the iconic telephone boxes everywhere and a huge London double-decker bus with nice shops inside. Its concept is Oxford Street in London, served in mini-shops of men's wears, jeans and sporting goods.

3^rd Floor - Istanbul

Enthused by Istanbul Market Town concept and decorated by colorful Istanbul’s lamps. This floor filled with mini-shops of shoes, bags, accessories, and jewelries.

4^th and 5^th Floor – San Francisco

You can spot here the San Francisco Trams and Golden Gate Bridge. This 4^th floor is the house of the Thailand’s famous restaurant.

On the 5^th floor where the Pier 21 is located was a Food Haven, a huge food court serving very affordable and delicious food with the theme of seaports and a fisherman village from the concept of Fisherman Village of San Francisco.

6^th Floor – Hollywood

The well-known Hollywood Street completes the novelty, concept is from the Hollywood Studio Town surrounded by Hollywood signs and Oscar Statuette. It was the zone for IT and Mobile products.

TIP: Please please please do check out restroom in every floor or else a visit to Terminal 21 will be useless, like me I missed it. So sad. I only saw one. 

After that we left Terminal 21 and check out what so-called ASIATIQUE RIVERFRONT, Bangkok’s first large-scale riverside community mall combining shopping, dining, sightseeing, activities and events in one roof. The strongest cultural aspect is what sets it apart from other shopping malls. There are more than 1,500 boutiques selling ultimate souvenir, fashionable clothes, textiles, accessories and home decor items. With more than 40 restaurants, there are Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and seafood dishes served all night. There are also the extravaganza of Cabaret girls from Calypso Bangkok and the lifelike movements of Thai puppets featured by Joe Louis Puppet Theater.

So, we took the BTS from Asok station to the Saphan Taksin Station and take Exit 2, on the stairs you will see the Sathorn Pier station just follow the sign that will lead you to the Asiatique free shuttle ferry (free which means you don’t  need to pay) that leaves every 15 mins. Asiatique opens daily from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm, but much better to be there at 6:00 because some shop opens late. It was also idealistic to visit it at dusk, as it can emphasize the real attractiveness of the place.

Asiatique is divided into four classes: Chareonkrung District where you will find the majority of the small boutiques, Factory District for gadget store including Apple, Waterfront District for the classy dining selection and the Town Square District for the major events including Calypso Cabaret.

I was sincerely amazed with this riverside high-end night market; the location was very awesome it can relieve stress. It was a good place for nightlife destinations who want to spend a fun night out in Bangkok.  There are many things that you can do in, you can shop here, dine and party until midnight. But, don’t just limit yourself with those; try to watch the lady boy show where Bangkok is popular of. 

Also, try to ride the Asiatique Ferris Wheel where can give you a panoramic view of Riverside Bangkok. It was best during at night, where the colorful and lively light of surrounding is on.

And because we are tired from our flight last morning and we will have an early trip tomorrow to Ayutthaya we had decided to go back to the hotel earlier. We just bought snacks from the supermarket and a take out from McDonald’s enough for us to fill in our stomach for that night.