Ok, this post is long long overdue....Procrastination bug bit me. :P

I went to Bangkok on 19.2.06, a week before Chinese New Year. It was my mom's incentive trip for 2 persons, so I was lucky enough to be the "chosen one" to accompany my mom there! Hahahaha. May I add that my main objective was to go on a shopping spree, so I don't have any pictures of BKK scenery. Perhaps another time then.

Enough of the preliminaries... here goes:

Day 1:

The trip was almost thwarted thanks to the no frills, no fuss and no guarantee of flights local budget airline who decided to cancel our flights to KL the night before we were scheduled to take our flight. Trust me, its times like these you feel grateful that there is still MAS. We managed to secure our reservations via MAS and arrived in KL within time to board our connecting flight to Bangkok.

I managed to snap some photos while on the way to the boarding gate in KL:

Estee Lauder was doing a promotion on their latest fragrance, Estee Lauder Pleasures. I love pink...

Starry night....I kind of like the architecture in this part of KLIA.

We arrived at Bangkok at about 7pm and were whisked off to our hotel. This is our hotel room:

First stop- Rachadapisek night market. I noticed that all Bangkok taxis are Toyota Camrys. nice....

Here's a view of the night market:

The stalls on the left are dominated by authentic Thai food, whereas the shops and stalls on the right predominantly house accessories, shoes, bags and clothes. Prices are surprisingly steep for clothes. I'd recommend buying make-up from this night market though. MAC eyeshadows cost RM10 each, whereas Christian Dior lipgloss only costs RM13. O_O The makeup on display were looking at me and screaming: "Buy me, buy me!"

Taxis are relatively cheap in Bangkok, and if you are travelling with friends, it is advisable to share a cab to your destination. Taxi drivers are generally gentle and helpful, and would stick to their taxi meter (with the exception of rush hours where bargaining is again required). As a rule of thumb you should not pay more than 200 THB for your fare.

This is called a "Tuk-Tuk", a trishaw converted into a taxi. Tuk-tuk drivers are very aggressive and rides on these taxis can be a nerve-wracking experience. Bargaining is a must-make sure you don't pay more than 200 Thai Baht (approx. RM20) for your fare.

There is also another alternative mode of transport called a motorcycle taxi. You literally flag down motorcyclists clad in orange vests who will take you to your destination on their bikes. I noticed that most locals resort to this mode of transport during rush hours. It is something unique to Thailand, you don't see it anywhere else.

In Thailand, traditional thai massage parlours like these are a common sight in the streets of Bangkok. These are fully legalised parlours with no s*xual elements involved. The patrons from our tour group told me that it only costs RM40 for a two hour body massage.

That pretty much ended my first day in BKK-after a whole day at the airport and in the aircraft, I slumped into my bed for much needed rest.

Day 2: Shopping!

Mom and I discussed on our options for the day...and know this folks-when you put two ladies together only one thing can happen-we attack the shopping centres.

First Stop: Mah Bu Khong Centre. This is one of BKK's largest shopping mall which can rival KL's Mid Valley Megamall. MBK consists of 6 floors (with Bureau de Change on every floor), and trendy merchandise from clothing, accessories, bags, make-up, jewellery, to souvenirs, local delicacies etc. There is something for everyone.

A view of Bangkok from our hotel room.

A view of MBK centre, 6th floor which houses bargain items and food courts.

Some Thai local delicacies-the chef was a Chinese Thai who conversed in Teochew. (phew... a language I understand at last)

This is called "Lok Chub", a delicacy prepared using sweet mung bean paste and dipped into coloured gelatin to form different shapes of fruits and vegetables. It tasted great! :)

The rest of the day was spent attacking the stores, so I did not take any pictures after that. :P

Day 3- Chatuchak weekend Market and Pratunam Wholesale area

A shopping trip to BKK would not be complete without a visit to the infamous Chatuchak weekend market. Located near the Bangkok Bus Terminal (Mo Chit II), this enormous weekend market, hugely popular with local and foreign shoppers is open every weekend from 7 am to 6 pm. You can buy just about everything here- from clothing to pets and antiques. Bargaining is a must in Chatuchak market- its part of the fun of the shopping experience.

A view of Chatuchak market

A very tired and sweaty me (yucks) after exploring the hot and stuffy Chatuchak market. It was seriously hot...

But of course, my purchase of fashion watches at rock bottom price justified it. :D

We took a cab from Chatuchak to BKK's wholesale area, Pratunam. Pratunam houses some of BKK's best range of clothing, available at wholesale price if you purchase in bulk (read: three items and above of the same item). You can expect to get up to half price off for items bought in bulk. Isn't that a steal?

Note: Tell the taxi driver that you want to go to Indra Square Wholesale Supermarket. In general, the command of English in the city is below par so do pick up a bit of Thai before you go.

I found a shop selling antiques inside Indra Square:

Those masks reminded me of the 1965 production of "The King and I" (starring the late Yul Brynner and Elizabeth Kerr).

We were quite pressed for time since there was a grand dinner organised by my mom's bosses that evening. The dinner was held at a riverfront restaurant called "Suan Thip."

On the way to Suan Thip, I saw this:

A night market inside a temple (Wat).

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Thai dancers who performed a welcome dance. I took the opportunity to take a picture with one of the dancers.

Some miniature pink roses on the way...

A close up of the roses...

We had some finger food and beer before the dinner commenced.

Thai-style chicken tartlets-it had birds-eye chilli in it. Yummy!

Golden wrap, prepared on the spot. See below:

Followed by sweet pork in glutinous rice:

Pardon the blur image-I had too much beer :P

We had Tom Yam for the first course. It wasn't too hot, thank goodness..

The remaining dishes were ok... I didn't bother taking any pictures because, well the dishes were just plain normal. :)

And for entertainment, we had the resident "Ah Kua" performing for us:

I have to admit, the shim has a hot body...

We had a live band too. The performers were having a ciggie break...

It was a nice evening, surrounded by flowers, music, ah kuas etc... hehhe

Day 4:

Nothing much to add here except that we had to rush out to buy an extra suitcase for all that stuff we'd bought. And also tasted some Kao Phat (Thai fried rice). Yum!

Well, thats it for my BKK trip. Sorry about the lack of narratives in this post, its getting rather late now....

Enjoy the pics!