Urban Escape at Bangkok

  Bangkok, Thailand
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

This I am so proud of...
It's the first time I left the country, which I spent for with my very own hard, earned money. It's loooong overdue by the way.
 
Behold... Thailand.

 
So what's so special about Thailand? It's soooo Thai? What do I mean? It's just so Thai!

From the moment we landed at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, we felt it. From the art work, the statues, the text all around us... it was simply screaming Thai... and it was a good feeling. 
 

Me At the Suvarnabhumi Airport


To be somewhere foreign but feel their culture rubbing in you.
 
My travel buddy / good friend Michiko was saying she feels like being so immersed, she's learning their accent in less than a day.
 
After getting out of the airport, I dug into my file in search of my "how to get out of the airport" printouts. We then went to one of the exits to get a ride in the airport express. And we saw an Assumption College bus.... How cute is that?!
 
While waiting, we got hold of some helpful maps that we got from the airport arrivals and we tried to look for a place to stay.... We weren't booked in any hotel in Bangkok btw. Talk about being adventurous.

After getting on the airport express bound for Siam - the city center - we then got off at Phaya Thai station. And right there, we found our home for the next 24 hours.

 
It's a very affordable hotel, not even in a single map that we looked up. But service was good and they had a decent room. It is near the great malls in Siam (Paragon, Discovery, MBK). And for 40 US Dollars, it was certainly a bargain!
 
After settling down and making friends with the bell service, Mr Samlong, we discovered that the best way out of Bangkok to Huahin - a lovely city down south and is our next destination - was via minivan in the Century Mall station. This is for 180 ThB only.

 
So we did our urban escape for a day in the malls. For real bargain, I recommend the MBK mall, and they have this really interesting restaurant, The Fifth Food Escape, with all kinds of food you can think of: Greek, Italian, German, you name it. Of course we got Thai.