Bangkok

I've been to Bangkok 3 times. The recent 2 times, I stayed at Asia hotel (mid July 06 & end December 07).

If you are going there to shop, Asia hotel is a good place to stay at. It's connected to a BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Skytrain station and is walking distance from BMK and a few other shopping places.

Food wise, there's a little seafood restaurant located just next to the hotel that serves pretty good food at a pretty affordable prices. Eg. about SGD50 for a group of 5 adults. We ordered rice, 5 dishes (fish/prawn/scallop and vegetable/tomyam/green curry) and 1 bowl of bird's nest each.

I love shopping at Bangkok, but I hate the traffic. Their traffic's quite bad, so normally I just either take the skytrain or walk.

The one thing I don't like about Bangkok, it's the airport. Their staffs are quite "racist" giving different kind of service for different people. We were at this sports bar, ordered 5 set meals. After serving 2 set meals, an "angmo" couple came in. They took their orders and served their food first!

When we asked if our food were ready, they told us the chef is still fixing our food (salmon salad and 2 mango sticky rice). We waited another 30mins for our other 3 sets but it never came. (By the way, there were no other customers.) We have a flight to catch and knew we couldn't wait endlessly, so we wanted to cancel our order and they say we cannot cancel even though they have not even started fixing our food??? I was like thinking WTH, they told us 30mins ago they were fixing the food and then they come and tell us they have not fixed the food and want us to wait some more. By that time we were really late so we said we'll pay of the food but we wouldn't be eating there. My boyfriend stayed to pay up while the rest of us rushed to catch the plane. End up, they felt bad and decide to pack the food for us, and the crew were kind enough to let us bring the food inboard. (Which I thought was funny because they only took a few mins to pack the food yet take so long to serve us?) -.-

The other thing about the airport is that almost all the toilets are "under-construction". Look at the photo I've uploaded. It says "Ready in service in this December". When I was there it was already end of December yet almost all the toilets are still under construction.

When we where at Bangkok, many shopping centres closes around 8plus, so if you want to shop more, you should try walking around and explore. There are many shops nearby the shopping centres (night market). We were not the street smart, took a tuktuk and went all the way to the Bangkok Night Bazaar. Those who doesn't really know how to bargain, try not to go to the Bangkok Night Bazaar. Everything there is expensive and well, I see more "angmos" then their own people. hahas. End up wasting my boyfriend's sis and my time.

So yeah, I feel like I've ranted a lot. Hope that helps? :p

Bangkok is affectionately known as "The Land of Smiles" and..it's somewhat true. People do greet you with a smile at some places and it's nice to just feel that sense warmth in a foreign country. :)

Life in Bangkok bustles with activities, especially at night. Do visit the night/weekend markets while you are there, as those places are really good for shopping~ It also gives you a look of how the locals live and get to know some of their cultures as well. Don't worry if you don't speak Thai, as most shop owners either know Mandarin, a dialect or some English, well enough for you to bargain and make your purchases. :)

However, the air there is quite bad. So..if you happen to be just as curious as I was, to experience their culture first-hand by hopping onto a 'tuk tuk', be sure to take a good bath when you get back to the hotel. =P

Getting onto cabs would be a good choice, if not for the drivers' preference to settle a lump sum of cab fare, instead of following the meter. Some cab drivers can be quite adamant to not follow the meter, which puts you at a disadvantage as you'll never know if he's overcharging you.

The BTS (Bangkok Transit System) Skytrain would be a good choice if your destinations are within walking distances of the station, as it's really convenient and clean. :)

Oh, be sure to be careful when you leave your hotel at night. Some private vehicles may be waiting nearby, and offer to bring you to a certain restaurant for a good dinner etc. Though my family and I were fine after following that guy..but the restaurant's food turned out to be just average yet a little expensive. And..thinking back, it was really kind of dangerous. So..do beware of these people~

A good destination for a short trip to relax and just soak in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. :)