Took the BTS and alighted at Udomsuk station. We’re here to take the shuttle bus to Mega Bangna. The bus stop for the shuttle bus is located right outside Lawson convenience store, pretty easy to locate. I thought it would be nearby the BTS station but I was wrong. It was quite a distance away and thankfully there’s shuttle bus service.
We followed the crowd and entered Mega Bangna which is a very large shopping mall that consists of many stores and restaurants. When we entered, we saw Big C supermarket and decided to explore it first since we weren’t hungry yet. There I found the Mickey Mouse air freshener that I wanted. After we checked out, we realized that they’ve charged us the wrong price for the air freshener. Head over to their customer service and thankfully despite our language barrier, they understood us and gave us the difference refund.
After shopping at Big C, we head off towards Ikea. As we were finding our way into the huge mall, we came across Miniso. Went in and saw a Mickey Mouse travel pillow. It was tempting to get but I decided not to purchase it as the chances of using it are low and we don’t travel enough to invest in one. It was a large mall and we took quite some time to reach Ikea from Big C. It’s literally walking from one end to the other.
Lunch at Ikea
The Ikea consists of 2 levels and we went straight to their restaurant because we were hungry. I got ambitious and ordered pork knuckles and a few other sides. And yes, I couldn’t finish because the pork knuckle was huge for my little tummy. The bistro offers more variety of snacks. They have more variety of ice cream and waffles too.
We booked a Grab to get back to our Airbnb. We waited at the wrong place, but thankfully our driver came over to where we were. Got back, unload our stuff, and rest before we head out again.
Booked a Grab and headed out to Train Market Srinagarindra. We input the wrong address, but thankfully we’re able to make the change while in the car. And yes, we managed to get to the right location after a mini hooha during the journey. It’s a very local night market, not many tourists in my opinion. But it’s definitely an interesting night market with all the vintage vehicles around on display.
Stall selling Marijuana
When we entered the night market, we happened to come across a small stall by the side selling marijuana. There’s potted marijuana. They even sell them like cigarettes. Yes, we went forward to have a look because of curiosity. The price of a stick of weed is shockingly expensive.😱 But it’s a nice experience to have a look at how the locals here sell weeds.
Dinner.
Saw a stall selling some old-school snacks/tidbits and Dear decided to get some. I didn’t get any as those snacks/tidbits don’t look familiar to me. We got hungry after some shopping, we decided to stop at a Muslim stall for some food. The fried rice was yummy. Despite our language barrier, we’re thankful there’s a picture for us to point to and order our dinner. Dinner was yummy and we enjoyed it.
We decided to rest for the night and booked a Grab back to our accommodation. On the way back, our driver asked if we put on our seat belts as there was a police check in front. Yes, we did of course. Ever since we had an unpleasant car ride driven by a family member, we’ve decided that even as passengers, we must have our seat belts on for our safety. As we practice this, it became a habit. Yes, safety comes first.
It was checkout day at Holiday Inn, but before we leave, we had our last breakfast buffet. Enjoying the yummilicious breakfast that I’ll probably miss as it’s so far the nicest breakfast buffet I ever had in Thailand. And no, I’m not kidding. We left two small luggage at Holiday Inn for safekeeping before we head off to our next destination.
Going on a holiday with Dear means we’ll be always changing accommodations due to our itinerary. So we’re on our way to Bang Na as that’s where the pet expo will be. I’ve been asking Dear a few months back if we could visit Thailand’s pet expo. Initially, it wasn’t confirmed as we were in the process of purchasing our first home. Money was tight and going on a trip wasn’t on our to-do list for the year. But thankfully, after everything, we have a little budget and off we go.
Checked into our Airbnb where I almost slipped trying to take a video of our accommodation. At first, I thought it was because I’m wearing my socks but even barefooted, we almost slipped. The floor was slippery and we have to walk with care. After we settled our stuff, we head out walking towards the pet expo.
Sign to follow towards Pet Expo
We followed the sign and poster for the pet expo to reach where the exhibition hall. As we were nearing the right exhibition hall, we saw more dogs and heard lots of barking. Bought our tickets which cost a total of 40baht and off we go to experience an overseas pet expo. It has a theme, Mission Impossible. We saw the floor plan online and thought it would be a huge event, thus we set 2 days to visit if we can’t finish walking on the first day. However, we were wrong. It wasn’t as huge as we thought it was, in fact we managed to explore the entire pet expo in a few hours.
Pythons
Like Singapore’s pet expo, lots of pet products are on sale. We arrived at the reptile and exotic animal section as we walked further. Saw a few bearded dragons, frogs, and snakes. There’s even a huge python in an enclosure! Apparently, it was like a normal sight in Thailand’s pet expo, but it was all new and exciting for us. Of course, small animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits are also on sale. Yes, you can buy a pet at Thailand’s pet expo which is something we won’t get to see at Singapore’s pet expo. There’s a feeding section for animals such as tortoises, goats, and chickens, etc. Each feed cost around 20baht if you’re keen to feed them.
Bought some tees for Ben, 4 at 100baht. We brought along a tee of his as measurement and bought him some. We were told by our Animal Communicator friend that he likes wearing clothes. Our first fur kid that will get so excited when we show him his tee. Digging through the pile of tees for designs and sizes wasn’t easy, considering there was a small crowd at the booth.
Short Skit, Mission Impossible
As we walked past the stage area, we realized there was a small crowd and we decided to stay at wait to see what they were waiting for. We visited on the first day of their pet expo, they had a mini welcome opening ceremony. Saw a cute skit performed by a few humans and two cute corgis. After this short entertainment, we decided to leave the premises as I’m getting hungry soon.
Tanaka Suisan, Bangna
It was raining cats and dogs when we exit out the building. Holding onto our only umbrella, we made our way to the nearest Japanese restaurant, Tanaka Suisan, for lunch. It’s right opposite the expo along the street and fairly easy to recognize with the banner outside their door.
Sushi
We had the buffet, 777Baht per person. The first 10 sushi was omakase; subsequently, you can order sushi of your choice. It comes in a plate of 10 sushi and we had like near 40 sushi each. Yes, shocking and we left with a fully satisfied tummy. The sushi that we had were fresh and delicious. Lots of good reviews online especially from Japanese. Dear said they have other outlets, so do google to find out which is the nearest one to where you’re staying.
Went back to our Airbnb to rest. And yes, we skipped dinner due to a very heavy lunch. Really needed the rest after traveling to Bang Na and exploring their pet expo. It was definitely a pleasant experience and will definitely be back again in future for their pet expo.
Breakfast buffet at Hotel Inn again. It’s chicken porridge and I just had to try it. I conclude I prefer their prawn porridge more. I tried their plain butter croissant but didn’t like it as it wasn’t crispy. It’s more like a soggy croissant which makes it difficult to chew. Their pain au chocolat tastes better though the pastry was kind of soggy too. Wished they could help toast a little to make it even more perfect.
San Fransico, the highest level in the mall
Took BTS to Terminal 21, a themed shopping mall. Each level is a different country and you’ll get to be whisked away whenever you step onto an escalator either going up or down. It’s a very interesting shopping mall which kind of made me look forward to which country I would be “visiting”. It’s a very Instagram-worthy mall, very suitable for those social influencers to visit.
We were looking for some bath bombs since the day we arrived because our hotel room has a bathtub, perfect for soaking in. But sadly, we didn’t manage to find any since we arrived. All we could find was bath salt from the nearest mall and it wasn’t cheap. Thankfully, there are a few shops at Terminal 21 that sells bath bombs. And we bought them from Khas as they were having some promotion, buy 2 get 1 free. Though it will be our last night in Holiday Inn, at least we managed to get the bath bomb and enjoy a relaxing soak before we checkout the next day.
Boardgames
As we slowly head down towards the basement, we came across a board game event happening at the mall. Boardgames were on sale too but most of them are in Thai, making it difficult for us tourists to purchase though the price was tempting. Dear took a while to explore the area as she was communicating with her closest friend who is keen on board games as well. Since I have no interest, I got distracted by the nearby store that was selling donuts. No, I didn’t buy any because I managed to resist the temptations.
Ikan Bilis
Since we were still early for our lunch reservation, we continued shopping at the supermarket. Saw a packet of flavored Ikan Bilis that looked nice and decided to buy it. It was amazingly yummy and thankful that I managed to buy the last packet off the shelf.
Took a bus ride to our next destination which was around 3 bus stops away. You don’t pay the fare to the bus driver, instead, you take a seat after you board the bus, and a bus conductor will approach you. We asked how much will it cost to get to our destination, paid the fare, and were given the bus tickets. Both the bus driver and bus conductor were helpful to us as they both informed us when it was about time to alight.
Niku Sho
We walked towards Niku Sho from the bus stop, a place where Dear made a lunch reservation. Dear’s mum and sister recommended it and so we’re here. It was a Japanese BBQ restaurant. We were taken to a private room for our meal even if it was just the two of us. After looking through the menu, we ordered what we wanted and what Dear’s family recommended we try.
The garlic fried rice was one of the dishes Dear’s sister said to order. It’s not on the menu and we had to ask to make sure it’s available. It came in a hot plate kind of bowl and the staff helped you to stir and mix the rice well right in front of you before serving it to you. I didn’t enjoy it as I find the rice was too mushy for my liking. The taste was alright but not fantastic. I’ve had nicer garlic fried rice, so to me, this was just average. Their beef don was good though and I’m impressed. Weirdly, the rice wasn’t as mushy as the garlic-fried rice. The portion was a little too much, but thankfully I’m sharing it with Dear.
Ordered some meat for the bbq. It wasn’t fantastic, especially the marinate. I personally think the Yakiniku Go that we usually frequent in Singapore is so much nicer, even the quality of the meat. Then we had the beef shashimi which Dear’s mother and brother-in-law were raving about. I didn’t find any wow factor it in and didn’t really enjoy it. At the end of the meal, Dear said she spoilt us with nicer food and this was just average for us despite the good reviews. Oops.
Since we had the energy and were a few BTS stations away from On Nut, Dear decided to head over to the lotus supermarket. We love grocery shopping and when there’s an opportunity, we wouldn’t say no even when we’re overseas. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I feel that the lighting at Lotus was very bright! It was a nice change of grocery shopping as most people visiting Thailand would want to visit Big C which made it a little too crowded.
After Lotus, we head back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. Dear decided to bring me to Jodd Fairs as it’s a newly opened night market. It was crowded and the majority of the stalls there sells food. The weather wasn’t kind to us as it started to rain when we just got there. No shelter and seats were available, so we decided to order takeaway and return to the hotel for a meal.
Our dinner from Jodd Fairs
We might have overbought our dinner. There’s rice, noodle, baked potato, beef skewers, Taiwanese pancakes, and mango sticky rice. It was a nice spread of dinner, and we both were full at the end of it. We love almost all the food we’ve ordered, and we’re quite surprised by the Taiwanese pancakes.
Taiwanese pancake – custard boba
There’s this particular flavor, custard boba that I ordered. It’s mainly for Dear as she loves custard, and I didn’t think much of the boba. But there’s actually a boba pearl in it! It’s chewy and it goes well with the custard. Quite an interesting flavor and I would highly recommend you get it when visiting Jodd Fairs.
Got up early for the breakfast buffet. When we arrived, there was already quite a crowd enjoying their breakfast. They have a wide variety to choose from and they have a live cooking station to cook your eggs. Just order and pass them your table’s number tag and they’ll bring it to you once it’s ready.
Holiday Inn breakfast buffet
Don’t usually have an appetite in the morning, but decided to just have something light to start the day. Had their shrimp porridge and it’s delicious though I added too much soy sauce. It got a little salty for my taste buds, but overall it’s nice. It did open up my little appetite and I decided to get more food. The fried rice was good. The bitter gourd was too bitter for me. The bitterness covers the overall taste. The spicy morning glory was good though a little salty and spicy for me. We both agreed that the breakfast at Holiday Inn was better than what we expected.
Coffee at Phak Cafe & Crafts
We had black coffee at the hotel’s breakfast buffet, but it wasn’t to our liking. Dear said to bring me to a cafe for a nicer cup of coffee to start our day. Took BTS to Phak Cafe & Crafts, within walking distance from Phrom Phong station.
I ordered a cup of piccolo and Dear had her usual latte. The ambiance was good, perfect for relaxing and enjoying the coffee while wasting the morning. The coffee was definitely good. I like my piccolo, not too milky with a little taste of coffee bitterness. Dear’s latte was too milky for me, but she likes it. Yes, we both have our own preference for coffee.
After wasting our morning at the cafe, we head over to the opposite where a pet shop and veterinary clinic are located at. Wanted to see if there’s anything to get for the fur kids, but their retail section is a little small. Nothing much to get and so we left empty-handed.
Took BTS to Gateway Ekkaimai, and the nearest station is Ekkaimai. You don’t have to cross the road at all! After you exit the station, there’s a walkway that connects to the mall. Dear said it’s a surprise for me as the entire mall is Japanese theme. The restaurants are all Japanese cuisine too! Perfect for those that love all things Japanese.
Big Hero 6 mold
We headed up straight to the highest level and slowly make our way down level by level. Shopped at their Daiso and bought Big Hero 6 silicon mold as I wanted to make popsicles for the fur kids. We visited a stationary shop and chance upon some Sanrio toilet papers. Dear’s mother asked for Little Twin Stars while she bought herself a cinnamon roll. And yes, we carried two bags of toilet paper back to Singapore at the end of our trip.
Sukiya for lunch
After shopping, we walked around to see what was for lunch and I decided to try their Sukiya. I didn’t enjoy the one in Singapore as the taste wasn’t as wow as the one I had in Japan. And so, I decided to give the one in Bangkok a try. Amazingly, it’s much nicer. Wasn’t disappointed with their Sukiya. Ordered a set that comes with gyoza and a drink. I probably might have over-ordered as I was famished, and almost couldn’t finish my food.
Sweet Potato Bread
Saw a very interesting bread at the bakery and we bought one. It’s a sweet potato bread in the shape of a sweet potato! It looked exactly like one and it’s their bestselling bread in the store. We tried it once we got back to our hotel to rest. Even the interior of the bread looks like a potato! When eating it, the taste and texture were exactly the same as the sweet potato that I usually bought in Donki. We were amazed at the bread and thankfully we both decided to give it a try. They do have an outlet at Central World if you do not want to travel all the way to Ekkaimai.
Thong Smith Boat Noodle
Dinner was at Central World, Thong Smith Boat Noodle. One of the restaurants with good reviews and we decided to give it a try. Though it’s weird to have boat noodles in a shopping mall, but the one Dear wanted to bring me to closes early and dinner at the mall was inevitable since we left the hotel at around 7 pm.
The portion was a little small and definitely overpriced for boat noodles. But we both each had two bowls as one bowl doesn’t fill up our tummy. It’s delicious, but it wasn’t satisfying. Not worth the price. If you would want to try boat noodles, don’t visit this.
Cute Mochi
What’s dinner without dessert right? Bought two cute mochis from a store near Thong Smith Boat Noodle. And I truly regretted it. It’s cute but it wasn’t delicious. The mochi skin was too thick and not the kind of mochi texture we both like. The filling taste-wise was a little artificial. Yes, for the looks it’s cute but not worth buying. And Dear was thankful she stopped me from buying more at one go. Sometimes it’s good to have a partner to stop you from over buying or doing something stupid.
As we still had the energy, we decided to go grocery shopping. Took the BTS to On Nut station for their Big C. It’s another huge Big C supermarket but with a lesser crowd. So much more enjoyable to stroll in this Big C outlet without worrying about blocking anybody’s way due to the huge crowd of people.
We wanted to shop at Lotus, which is located next to On Nut station. The same area as the Big C that we went to first. According to Google, Lotus was open for 24hours. But when we arrived at around 9 pm, it was already closed. Apparently, since the pandemic started, their operating hours have changed and there wasn’t any update online. It was a wasted trip as Dear was looking forward to shopping at Lotus.
Since we couldn’t shop at Lotus, we decided to head back to our hotel since it was raining and there was nowhere else to explore. We decided to call it a night early.
I have no idea where we’ll be staying on this trip or what time our flight is. I used to panic and kept checking on the details to make sure we didn’t leave out anything. Maybe it’s because we haven’t traveled for two years due to the pandemic, I am kind of lost on what to expect. Thankfully, Dear took care of most of it, and I just followed along.
Got up at 5 am as our flight was at 8:20 am. Prepared and check on what to bring before we leave home. I booked a grab car and am amazed at how smooth and fast the ride was. We arrived at the airport earlier than expected. Checking in our luggage was a breeze without any delay. It’s an automated self-service kiosk now for Scoot. Or at least that’s what I know.
Once we entered the immigration checkpoint, we headed to Killiney for coffee and breakfast. It had a long queue as the other stalls around it weren’t open yet. Dear was disappointed that her eggs were cold, her kopi c kosong was lukewarm. My kopi o kosong was hot so I didn’t have any issues with my coffee.
Luggage zip that looks like darts.
Head off to our boarding gate after breakfast. Toilet break and empty our bottles before entering. We had a small piece of luggage to carry with us. As we went through the security check, they asked if we brought darts. Clueless, we opened our luggage to check what item of ours that looks like darts on their screen. After scanning our luggage again, all of us realised it was the zips on the luggage. It was a funny moment for us and the security officers. Mystery solved.
Dear’s seat on the plane got exchanged as someone was already there. He explained that his seat was taken so he took the next empty seat he saw. And since my row got another empty seat, we took it. The air stewardess knows about it so we’re all good. Got me a window seat and managed to video take-off and landing for my travel video.
Arrived in Bangkok ahead of schedule according to the pilot. The airport’s aircon was cold and we didn’t bring a jacket. So we shiver and head out to the immigration checkpoint. Went up to level 4 in search of Klook’s counter to collect our Thailand sim card and off we go! But first, brunch at the airport’s Macdonald’s.
First meal in Bangkok, Thailand
I couldn’t decide what I want and asked Dear to surprise me. And yes, my pork samurai burger was good! Dear enjoyed her truffle burger but I didn’t. Not a fan of truffles, the smell and taste are too strong for me. It’s just like how some couldn’t stand the smell and taste of durian. We had youtiao dipped in condensed milk as dessert and it was surprisingly good! Recommended if you visit the land of smiles, go try the youtiao!
Token as MRT train ticket
In Bangkok, they have MRT and BTS. It is like our MRT and LRT, same same but different. Head off to their MRT station at the airport, used their ticket machine to purchase our tickets. Apparently, the amount we put in didn’t reflect on the screen and it cheated us some money. However, the staff that helped us didn’t understand English and we couldn’t really communicate so we decided to just let it go. The journey to the hotel required us to change from MRT to BTS. It’s quite convenient in my opinion and fast. I guess taking the train is much faster in Bangkok if you want to beat the horrendous traffic, especially when we arrived in the morning where most locals are heading off to work.
Holiday Inn Bangkok
We will be staying at Holiday Inn which is right next to Chit Lom BTS station. It is also within walking distance to Big C and Central World. It’s a very good location if you want a more central area for your shopping needs. We forgot to bring our credit cards, but thankfully they allowed us to put a 1000baht deposit in cash. When we arrived, our room wasn’t ready yet and so we left our luggage with them and head out for quick shopping.
Karun tea comes in a nice paper bag
We stopped by Gaysorn Village which is just next to Holiday Inn to buy us Thai tea that my sister-in-law recommended. It’s called Karun and it’s located at level 2. You get to choose how sweet you want your tea to be. It is already pre-brewed and bottled. But the option for sweetness is, 100%, less sweet and not sweet. We bought two bottles of less sweet, a milk tea and a red tea to try.
Visited Big C and of course, it’s filled with humans! Tourists are busy buying goodies in bulk to bring home, either for their own consumption or to distribute to colleagues and friends. They do prepare masking tapes and scissors to pack in carton boxes that were provided near the cashier. We did buy a few stuff for our own consumption while we were in the country. Queues were extremely long and it does really test your patience and endurance for the legs.
The tea comes in glass bottles.
At 3 pm, we started to make our way back and check into our room. Finally, get to rest after all the traveling and walking. Drank the tea we bought from Karun and we think it was nice. Personally prefers milk tea more than red tea. Sweetness-wise is just right for their less sweet version. But if you are someone that has a sweet tooth, you can try their 100% sweetness and let us know how they taste.
We decided to head towards Central World for dinner. It is within walking distance from Holiday Inn! The best way to get across without crossing their road is to head up to the BTS station and use their overhead bridge/walkway. It will take you directly to Central World. Crossing their road with heavy traffic requires courage. It can get scary!
Dinner at Somtamnua
Dear decided to have dinner at Somtamnua, located at Central World level 3. Ordered a few dishes that were highly recommended online after reading the reviews. I think the food is good but a bit on the high side for Thai food as it’s located in a mall. The staff doesn’t know English, so communication can be difficult for us.
While walking around Central World after dinner, we came across Uniqlo and decided to enter and have a look at their jackets. We didn’t bring our jackets as we planned to get ourselves new ones. I let Dear choose as I know I can only shop in the kids’ section. Somehow, the adult jackets were a little too big for Dear and we both ended up getting our jackets in the kids’ section instead. After trying out the different colours available, we both decided to get the same coloured jackets. Finally a better fitting jackets for us.
I’ve been having craving for mango sticky rice and Dear decided to bring me to another place for dessert. Mr. Mango Tango is located about 900m away from Central World. Although it’s a 900m walk, we were tired from all the walking. The path wasn’t even which makes walking a little tiring. We’re spoilt by the nice pathway that Singapore has. Thankful for what our government did to make life easier for us.
The dessert was amazingly delicious. We ordered a plate to share which consist of fresh mango, sticky rice, mango pudding, and mango ice cream. Basically, everything mango. It was good! The ambiance of the store makes it enjoyable to have our dessert. Craving is definitely satisfied. Mango sticky rice has always been my favourite Thai dessert and a must-have when we’re in Thailand.
After dessert, we head back to our hotel and called it a day. Although it was tiring from all the traveling since our flight, it was an enjoyable first day of the holiday since the pandemic. A long waited holiday that we both definitely needed to get recharged physically and mentally.
More blog entries about our trip will be coming soon. Still new to journaling down our travels and hopefully I’m doing good so far.
