Day 8. Leaving Bangkok and Arriving in Clark

August 26, 2012
Day 8.


Its the FINAL day. It simply means we would be stuck to our 9am-6pm work when we get back to the Philippines. However, it also signifies that we have another few months to plan for our next getaway.

GETTING IN and STAYING AT SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT

Good thing we decided to stay in Khao San Road because tourist offices are everywhere and they provide your options on how to get to the airport. Rates are between 100 to 150 Baht, but I believe they give almost the same service.

Although our flight is 7:00 in the evening, we decided to book a pick up schedule of 1:00 in the afternoon, to have time for the traffic or many other circumstances that we may encounter on our way to the airport. The service picked us up at the hotel and by 1:10, we are bound for the airport.

Suvarnabhumi airport is about an hour (or an hour and a half) away for Khao San Road, depends on how fast your driver is. The trip was smooth and you will not feel that it was an hour drive.

The service van will drop you off at the departure area and you will have to fine which gate your airline is. We appreciated this very much, since gate was not indicated in our flight itinerary. We saw where Tiger Airways (Seair) is and we entered the boarding gate.

Departure area

Airport Floors

After having our bags checked, we looked for our flight lanes. We arrived pretty much early and check in gates are not open yet, so we decided to walk around and buy dinner for us (with the last Baht that we have on hand). Food centers are located at the second floor, wherein the departure area is at the third floor. First floor is for the arrivals.

Check In Gate for Tiger Airways - Seair

Our favorite: Walkalator!

Suvarnabhumi is huge... really huge. Call counters are located everywhere, where you can make international calls. Though wifi is not free, we were still amused on how big the airport is. After checking in and passing through the immigration counters, we walked for almost 20 minutes before we finally arrive at our boarding gate.You'll pass by the Duty Free shops and the main airport lobby before you get to the boarding gates. Second floor is reserved for the waiting passengers, while the lower floor is for the boarding passengers. I simply hoped we have the same for our airports. But I still love ours, since we offer FREE WIFI.

The little Girl we met at the airport

Airport landscaping

A lady backpacker doing Yoga while waiting for her trip

ARRIVING IN CLARK (DMIA Airport)

The flight is quite rough, since we had ITCZ in the Philippines when we arrived. Coming from an convenient airport and experiencing several immigration points, long immigration lines greeted us back. Well, they simply made sure that we are in the Philippines. Only two counters were open and there were 3 flights arrived then.

Since it was late at night, we decided to check in at a Clark Hotel (TUNE HOTEL) and spend the night over just to be safe. After staying for almost 12 hours in Clark, we spent the same budget as our Ho Chi Minh trip for 2 days. Sad but we learned a lesson. Do not take a late night trip arriving in Clark, or else. :)

Food Trip in Bangkok, Thailand

Food is always a part of our itinerary. For the past 6 days, we have tasted the best of the Indochine cuisine - from Viet to Khmer to Thai.

These three countries offered food much like what the Filipinos have, what we have, but more tasteful in their own way. Thai food is not an exception. Though I am not a fan of spicy food, I really had the best time of being a street foodie in Khao San Road.


FOOD IN KHAO SAN ROAD

Food is everywhere. Most of our remaining money was spent on food alone, because we can't simply avoid it. And because we are in Bangkok, PAD THAI should be tasted.

Let me show you what we had.

The famous MANGO STICKY RICE

Their Crepes

Noodle selection for PAD THAI

PAD THAI again

Barbeque everywhere

ROTI (IS LOVE)

adding bananas in your roti

Then, "frying" it.

Add chocolate - LOTS OF IT

FOOD IN MBK

Though MBK offer the Taste of Asia food center, we decided to visit another food store because we wanted to try authentic Thai food.

Stir fried Pork

Fish cakes

Chicken with Apple Rice

Very Spicy Thai Noodles

Thailand may not have the best restaurant food, but we really enjoyed what its street offered to us. For sure, when we get back, we will come back to Khao San just for the food alone.

Day 7. Getting Lost (and Poor) in Bangkok

August 25, 2012
Day 7

After seeing the Reclining Buddha, we decided to either visit Chatuchak market or MBK mall for our souvenir hunting. Armed with the Bangkok map, we checked locations of both areas and since Chatuchak is a bit far off from Khao San Road, we decided on MBK.


THE LEGENDARY BUS No. 47
Exiting from Wat Arun, we asked around what bus to take to MBK. A good vendor mentioned that we would take Bus no. 47 when we crossed the street on the far end. Good thing, bus stops have the list of bus that take the said stop so we waited (and waited and waited some more) for the legendary bus no.47.

Though we have options of taking the tuktuk or taxi, we are afraid to take it since we have read blog posts of how these drivers take much out of foreigners money and charged you ten-fold of what locals pay. We have confirmed this as we wait for Bus no. 47, as we hear a tuktuk driver offering a group of tourists for a Bangkok tour for a whooping 4,000 Baht. Though they are 4 in the group, a 1,000 Baht is weirdly high for a tour.

Vietnam and Cambodia still have the friendliest tuktuk drivers. 

It took us about an hour before we eventually hop on board Bus no.47.  One, it not airconditioned so prepare yourself to sweat (if it is too hot) or be squeezed since bus no.47 seemed to be once in a blue moon. However, because of the good highways Bangkok has, the travel is a breeze. The streets are lovely, too, passing by art after art.

MBK

Since it was around 2 in the afternoon when we arrived at MBK (after missing the stop in front of it) so we decided to look for a restaurant before the actual shopping (see Food trip here).

MBK is much like 168 in Divisoria or the St. Francis Square in Mandaluyong (about 5 times more). Souvenirs are located at the third floor, while restaurants are located at the 6th floor, called Flavors of Asia. Electronics are at the fourth floor while boutiques can be found at the 5th floor. It would definitely take you a whole day to see the whole of MBK, but since it was late then and we wanted to get a good rest before our flight back to Manila, we just proceeded with our mission of buying souvenir shirts for our family. T-shirts cost about 99Baht, with different designs and sizes.

Inside MBK

MBK Marker

Colorful taxi

TAKING THE BUS BACK TO KHAO SAN ROAD

We decided to head back to Khao San Road by 6:00pm. However, we did not anticipate our previous experience with Bus no. 47 and it took us about 2 hours waiting for it. :( We were dead tired, poor (because of the shopping) and hungry since we would like to grab food in Khao San. Squirting our eyes every time we see a bus coming our way, just to check if it bus no. 47 because we are agitated in waiting for it and finally resting. Though taxis and tuktuk are all over, we still opted to wait for the bus since we are too afraid to be bankrupt upon reaching Khao San.

After few minutes, we saw ourselves crossing the street and finally reaching our last destination, Khao San. We looked around and found ourselves munching street food, trying out the roti (again) and walking around Khao San for the last time. We also managed to set the airport pick up from one of the tourist offices.

To end up the day, we treated ourselves with the biggest YAKULT we can ever find. :)

YAKULT!!!!

Next: Food Trip in Bangkok

Day 7. Wat Pho: A Lengthy Experience

August 25, 2012

Day 7.

After a not-so-good start in Bangkok and sleeping over it, another day has come to wander around the city. Since we are on a tight budget, we cannot make more mistakes, thus, we exchanged our dollars to baht in these legit banks along Khao San Road. 

Exchanging Dollar (or Peso) to Thai Baht

There are many money exchangers (Pinoy term for foreign currency exchange) along Khao San Road and they have roughly almost the same exchange rate for dollars to baht. Also, there are several exchange stalls that turns your Philippine Peso to Thai Baht. During our visit, the exchange rate from dollar to Thai baht is 30, while Peso to Thai Baht is 0.50. 

I managed to take some pictures of the exchange stores during our trip and you may look for them along Khao San Road. 

Walking Tour starts

From Sawasdee Bangkok Inn, or any hotels along Khao San Road, you may walk towards the major tourist spots in Bangkok - The Royal Palace, The Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Though we would like to visit Wat Arun, which you can reach by crossing a river by ferry, we decided to diss it, instead, go to MBK mall to get souvenirs. 

We did not enter the Royal Palace since we find it a little less interesting after we see the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and we decided to visit the Temple of the Reclining Buddha - Wat Pho. 

From Khao San Road, you need to take the Chakkapong Road, near the police station. Turn on your left and walk towards the monument. Cross the street and you will see the park. Walking further along, you will pass by the National Library, Independence Monument, several government building and the Royal Palace. Wat Arun is basically located at the "back" of the Royal Palace, if you would take the road we took. Cross the street and turn on your right and you will see the entrance to Wat Arun. 

View of the Royal Palace from the Park

TIP: Do not entertain the tuktuk driver that will offer you a tour. One, its too pricey and two, they will drop you on a jewelry store because they will have commissions on your purchase. Lastly, they will make stories of the tourist spots being closed because its holiday and thus, they will take you on a different trip. (This is based on what we hear while walking along the National Road). 

WAT PHO: GIGANTIC RECLINING BUDDHA

Based from the blogs that I have read, proper clothing must be exercised when visiting the Royal Palace and Wat Pho. However, when we arrived there, we saw some people in shorts and slippers. Upon entrance, you need to pay 100 Baht before you can actually roam around the grounds.

Ticket Booth

Footwear are taken off when you enter Wat Pho temple, just like the many temples we have visited for the past days. No worries, bags will be given to you, where you can put your footwear inside and carry them (for those who are afraid to lose their footwear).

No joke, the reclining buddha is really looooonnnnggggg. I have to find a good spot at its end so I can emphasize its length. The whole room is wall painted - with stories after stories of Thai families, love stories and many other. I believed it described the Thai traditions. At the back of the reclining buddha, you will be metal pots which were believe to be givers of good luck if you are able to finish it and complete each one with the coins. Coins are "bought" for 20 Baht, and if my memory serves me right, it has 150+ of them. You must put coins for each pot and make sure you empty your coin bowl upon reaching the end.

Focused on the feet, then focus on the Face

ROAMING AROUND THE WAT PHO GROUNDS

There were a lot to cover in Wat Pho. You may visit the school inside the complex or proceed to the Temple of Buddhas located at the far end of the complex. Do not worry about the sounds you hear, as many of Buddhists come to Wat Pho to pray, meditate and meet.

After few hours, we decided to proceed to our next itinerary which is MBK Mall.


To be continued.. MBK Mall.