THAILAND TRAVEL BLOG: SIAM CENTER, SIAM PARAGON, CENTRAL WORLD, BIG C SUPERMARKET AND MY FIRST STREET FOOD EXPERIENCE IN BANGKOK

_{So after settling and fixing our things in the hotel, we headed straight to Siam Center to eat lunch. From the hotel, take the BTS and get down in Siam. It costs 15 Baht each. The station has a link directly to the mall.}

_{NOTE:  Change your notes into coins because the train station here is not like in Manila. It is a self serve ticketing system like in Hongkong.}

BTS Ratchathewi

So organize and clean BTS system

BTS Station Guide

_{Siam Center has one of the nicest food courts I’ve ever seen. The standard of their so called “food court” is on a different level.} 

_{First, you need to buy a Food Debit Card then give it to whichever place you want to eat so they can debit the amount. If after eating you still have some money left, you can have it refunded.}

 

I'm excited to EAT!!!!

_{Let me show you guys our first meal in Bangkok.}

Tomyum Flat Noodle with Pork Bounce Ball and Soft Boiled Egg (55baht)

Fried Oyster Egg with Bean Sprouts (80baht)

Chicken Curry Rice (80baht)

Fresh Watermelon Shake (50baht)

_{After eating, we went back to our hotel to rest and take some nap.}

_{We woke up at around 6, and immediately we headed back to SIAM square for SHOPPING!}

_{We went to Siam Paragon and its adjacent malls, and walk all the way through Central World and Big C Supercenter.}

One of the many small praying shrines all over Bangkok

The king of all supermarkets - Big C 

_{We went crazy in Big C Supercenter. It’s similar to SM hypermarket. What is the difference? It is a 4 story building packed with so much grocery goodness.}

 

_{After grocery shopping, we walked back to go to the Siam night market, and it’s crazy! The only downside was that it is crowded and hot, the prices are kind of steep and you really can’t bargain that much but the energy in the atmosphere is so high; I didn’t mind all those things.}

Erawan Shrine

_{After all the shopping and walking, we decided to go back near our hotel to eat dinner. It was already past 10pm when we reached BTS Ratchathewi, and a few blocks away from our hotel is a massive line up of roadside street foods. (We actually did try out the entire line up during our stay)}


 

Line up of Street Food

_{Bangkok Street Food is ETHEREAL! The stores are close during the day and opens after 5pm till the wee hours of the night.  The type of street food near our hotel are all cook to order, though I’ve seen some stalls along Pratunam and near the Grand Palace with pre-prepared / already cooked meals.}

_{Let me show you guys our first dinner in Bangkok!}

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Sauce (80baht)

Crab Fried Rice (80baht)

Sea Bass cooked in Lime Juice sauce with garlic and chili (300baht)

_{After eating, we headed straight to our hotel to rest because we are going temple touring the following day!}

_NEXT: THE GRAND PALACE

THAILAND TRAVEL BLOG: ARRIVAL IN THAILAND & BANGKOK CITY HOTEL

_{Yasss! The first installment to my year end Thailand vacation. I know its 3 months delayed, but better late than never right?}

_{So let’s just fast forward everything from start to here. Basically, this is a 6 days impromptu trip with my boyfriend. I booked the flight ticket and hotel and that’s it. Everything else, from sightseeing to directions to other things were all researched and planned by yours truly – ME!}

_{Why? Simple! I don’t want to go through all the running and time constraint sightseeing that a usual tour package would provide.} 

 

  

_{After safely landing in Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, we immediately took our luggage, bought sim cards, change our money and off we went.}

 

_{To reach our hotel, we took the Airport Railway link found in the basement of the airport. You need to take the BLUE link which costs 45 baht each, and get down on Phaya Thai, which is the last station. (This is an affordable way to reach the city rather than taking a cab which will cost you around 500 Baht). Travel time from airport to Phaya Thai – 40 minutes.}

Airport Rail Link Token

Airport Rail Link Train

_{From Phaya Thai station, you can either walk to the hotel which will take 15-20 minutes or simply hop in a taxi. Since I am exhausted, sleepy and hungry – we rode a taxi to the hotel from Phaya Thai which only costs 50 Baht.} 

_{Moving on with the hotel ok? Out of all the many hotels sprouting like mushrooms in Bangkok, I chose Bangkok City Hotel in Petchburi Road. What were my qualifications? I only have 2.}

_{First, it should be affordable but still classy. I don’t want to sleep in bunk beds during our stay so I eliminated the backpacker style accommodation. I also don’t want to pay 4-5,000 Baht per night so I also eliminated the luxury hotels. Second, it should be near establishments and transportation. I’ve seen several hotels that fit these 2 qualifications but out of all of them, this hotel fit the category perfectly.}

                    

_{As soon as I saw the hotel, kinilig na ako! It’s exactly how it looks in the pictures.}

_{The lobby is simple and chic and the staffs were very accommodating and pleasant. Even though there was a minor language barrier, I still felt their hospitality. I just showed them my booking reservation and the rest happened very quickly. We arrived at the hotel at around 12 noon and even though the check in time is 2 pm, we were given a room immediately.}

_{I requested for a high floor since I’ve read that it can get pretty 
noisy on the lower floors – and high floor room we got! 14th!} 

_{The room is very nice. Basic but not “basic” like what you’ll get in Manila for the price. I mean, the hotel standard here is pretty amazing!}

_{The room has all the things that we need - Queen Size bed, Cable TV, Chairs, a Sofa, Mini Fridge, Water Heater, Cups, Cabinet with Hangers, and a Safety Box to keep your valuables.}

_{The bathroom on the other hand is very impressive as well. Hot and Cold Shower, a lot of towels (YASSS!, coz we didn’t bring any), Complete toiletries from soap to body wash, Hair dryer, Toilet with bidet and a Bath tub!}

_{The hotel also offers laundry service or you can just go to the 17th floor and they have a coin operated washing machine, which we used on our 3rd day. (konting damit lang ang dala namin para magaan sa baggage and I know mapapadami ang shopping naming and we only have 40kg allowance for check in bag). They also have an indoor pool on the 5th floor. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to go there.}

_{The room gets cleaned everyday by their staff. So every day, you have new supply of bottled waters, towels and toiletries and the bed sheet and pillowcases are changed too. (FRESHNESS araw araw)}

_{The hotel also provides tuktuk service to their guests going to Siam Area only for 80Baht from 9am-5pm. (I didn’t bother trying this kasi mas mura ang BTS)}

_{Another major point why I got this hotel? Free continental buffet breakfast offered from 7am – 10am. This is actually very convenient and economical because you don’t need to spend for breakfast anymore. During our stay I ate a lot in the morning so as not to spend any money on food in between until lunch time. (TIPID!)}

_{The location of the hotel is also perfect. It is a 10 minute walk from BTS Ratchathewi Station, and from there you can go to any part of the city. There are also a lot of street foods at night and two 7-11 nearby.} 

_{Also, for late checkout time, you just need to pay an additional 300 Baht and you can stay until 6pm.} 

_{BTW, this specific room we got is 1,290 Baht per night, roughly 1,800 Pesos - which I booked for 5 nights.}

_{OH! I’ve been raving about this hotel for too long. If you wish to find out more information about Bangkok City Hotel, click HERE and you will be redirected to their website.}

_{NextPost? Siam Center, Siam Paragon, Central World, Big C Supermarket and StreetFood}