Bangkok Trip, January 2010

On the last day of my Port Dickson -Malacca trip, I was scheduled to fly to Thailand on the same night. I know, it was a big rush. I had to admit that I was running a little bit late and that I drove fast to get home from Port Dickson, as soon as I could. Trust me, I haven't packed my stuff and the Bahts/USDs needed. And I was going to Thailand ALONE.

Oh well, in the end I actually boarded the flight 1 hour after I got home, with just a bag pack, filled with a t-shirt, a pair of pants and my gears. It was supposed to be a backpacking trip, so my dad said I shouldn't carry too much.

Upon reaching Survanabhumi Airport, I took a cab to the nearest hotel to spend the night. The cabs were all either Toyota Altis or Mercedes. The next morning, I took a cab to Khao San Road, and lodged there. Khao San Road is the most happening place in Bangkok City. There were more tourists than locals, I think. I was super cautious, as I was alone. LOL.

There's just too much to tell here. I'll just entrust this task to the photos that I took:

Oh oh oh. I like this. Business class dinner on board. Beef stew and Salmon salad. Plus white wine and dessert. Nais.

The first tourist attraction site I visited in my first morning in the city, The Grand Palace:

Thanks to an English couple who offered to take this photo for me, on the Grand Palace grounds:

I took this myself, with much effort.

This is Pratunam area, where supposedly you can find plenty of good imitations. There was a police raid before, so I didn't find anything worth buying. Saw a few LVs, but too fake to the eye.

Wat Bechamabophit. Also called the Marble Temple. The walls, floors and ceilings are all covered with marble.

This is what we don't have here in KL. Efficient traffic system.

I also visited the giant Sleeping Buddha. Clad in gold.

This is the famous Giant Swing, built right in between two main roads, just outside Wat Suthat.

Oh, and I didn't miss Chinatown. It's not a very big place but it sure was packed with people. And they don't speak chinese. So much for the name Chinatown. However, they serve chinese food. The restaurant I went to for lunch. Super big portion. And here I learnt that they like to do shabu-shabu (steamboat).

Oh Patpong Night Market. OMG, this place was scary. I only spent 15 minutes here. There were two long rows of stalls supposedly selling fake goods, and behind the two rows of stalls are brothels. I didn't notice it till I went to the back of the stalls to avoid the sea of people bargaining. They came up to me showing me catalogs of you-know-what. They even had tables and chairs set up for your comfort while you make your choice or bargain with the pimps. Sorry, no photos on that.

I actually walked 2 kilometres for this. McDonald's. Why, you asked? For their pork burger, nothing else. I was a little disappointed the last time when I went to the McD in Shanghai, only to learn that that outlet doesn't serve it. Yums. Bon appetite.

Pork burger. Tender and Juicy.

Actually I had a lot of Thai local food and delicacies during my trip there. There were too many to be posted. Anyways, this was what I wanted to eat before leaving Bangkok. Khao Neo Ma Muang, or Mango and Sticky Rice. I had this just 2 hours before my flight home. Yums.

Personally, it's been a very good experience travelling and backpacking alone to a foreign land at my age. I have to thank my parents for such a wonderful opportunity. I hope to do this again some time soon.