TRIP TO BANGKOK (20 TO 25 MAY 2008)

20 MAY 2008 (TUESDAY)

1600 hrs: Jumped into the car for our ride to the Budget Terminal. We were catching Tiger Airways Flight TR108, which was scheduled to depart at 1810 hrs.

1615 hrs: Suddenly realised that Ipa had left Su Ann's bottle of milk behind. Ipa has managed to leave something behind for every trip that we've gone with her. My green backpack in Cherating, Su Ann's thermal flask for our recent KL trip, and Su Ann's milk when we were on our way to Bangkok. Urgh!

1625 hrs: Arrived at the Budget Terminal. Ah Gong sped home to get Su Ann's milk, whilst we checked in for our flight. Seven of us were going, and we got all the seats in Row 9. Su Ann would be strapped to Mommy.

A playground has been added to the Budget Terminal, with a cleaner dedicated to cleaning just the equipment in the playground. She would wipe down the surfaces every few seconds. Could it be HFMD which prompted the Budget Terminal to do this? I was the only child playing at the playground. The cleaner followed me about and wiped everything I touched.

1730 hrs: Ah Gong was back at the Budget Terminal with Su Ann's milk. It was boarding time so we had to say goodbye to Ah Gong. Ah Gong wasn't coming with us. The seven of us going were Grandpa Eddy, Grandma Nancy, Daddy, Mommy, Ipa, Su Ann and I.

1810 hrs: TR108 was scheduled to take off at 1810 hrs, but the aircraft wasn't even on the tarmac yet. It had been delayed, so we went window shopping.

1850 hrs: We were finally on board and ready for take off. Shortly after take-off, the youngest passenger on board, Su Ann, bawled her eyes out. The cabin pressure must have caused her discomfort. She went on and on till everyone turned to look.

2020 hrs (Bangkok Time): Land was in sight and the captain announced that we were descending for the landing. Su Ann burst into tears again. Once again, everyone turned to look.

2030 hrs: Suddenly, just as we were about to land, the aircraft jerked upwards and started climbing instead. It was a turbulent ride. There was stunned silence in the aircraft, except for the sounds of Su Ann's wailing and the engines working really hard. Motion sickness got to Ipa and she threw up. After what seemed like eternity, the captain announced that the first attempt at landing had been aborted because of strong winds. There was a thunderstorm in Bangkok.

2045 hrs: We finally landed safely in Bangkok. The landing drew applause from the nervous passengers. I've never experienced anything quite like that before.

2115 hrs: We had cleared customs, collected our bags and were led to our van by our driver. The drive to the hotel was uneventful.

2155 hrs: Daddy's friend, Uncle Gilbert, was waiting for us in front of the hotel. Uncle Gilbert has been living in Bangkok for the past 4 years and he speaks Thai fluently. He had arranged for a driver for us for the next few days and would be showing us around the city.

2200 hrs: We checked into Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel (http://www.pullmanbangkokkingpower.com/), a brand new 5-star hotel. Mommy had read fantastic reviews of the hotel in Tripadvisor.com, and had found a really good grand opening promotion in http://www.asiatravel.com/. For an average of S$130.00 per room per night, the package included free airport transfer to the hotel, free welcome drink at any of the hotel's F&B outlets, fruit in the room, buffet breakfast each morning, and internet access. The hotel also offered a free tuktuk service to the nearest BTS Skytrain station, but we didn't need to use it. The hotel was beautifully furnished and had a very modern feel.

On our first night, we were allocated Rooms 829, 835 and 837. Mommy had requested for connecting rooms for 2 of the rooms when she made the booking so she could keep an eye on Su Ann and me, but the hotel seemed to have missed out on that detail when we checked in. The check-in took unusually long as the staff tried to sort out our request. Finally, it was agreed that we would have adjoining Superior-class rooms the first night, and move to connecting Deluxe-class rooms the next night.

2240 hrs: Whilst Mommy and Ipa unpacked our luggage, Daddy and Uncle Gilbert went to get dinner for all of us.

2330 hrs: Daddy and Uncle Gilbert were back with food from Kuang Seafood Restaurant, which was round the corner from our hotel. We had fried rice, fried tanghoon with crab, steamed fish, fried mussels, Thai-style oyster omelette, tom yam soup and fried vegetables. I was too excited to eat much.

0100 hrs: I went to bed, whilst Mommy and Ipa cleaned up.

21 MAY 2008 (WEDNESDAY)

0800 hrs: Rise and shine. Looked out of our window and saw people doing laps in the infinity pool below. The water looked so welcoming, but we had other plans for the day.


0900 hrs: Met Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy for breakfast. Grandma Nancy's good friend, Mrs Tan, happened to be in Bangkok as well with her family and they joined us for breakfast. The buffet spread for breakfast was enormous. Mommy was delighted to see sushi amongst the spread.

1100 hrs: We were ready to head out for our sightseeing. Mrs Tan came with us, whilst her husband and 2 sons went off to a trade fair. Uncle Gilbert and our driver, Nu, took us to the Grand Palace. Traffic was very bad in Bangkok. Travelling in a van meant getting stuck in a jam everywhere we went. Daddy was inappropriately dressed and was stopped at the entrance of the Grand Palace. Daddy didn't want to wear borrowed clothes and shoes to gain entry. We took a few pictures then crossed the road to have a look at the Chao Phraya River instead.

1200 hrs: Mommy had read about the River Boat Express, a form of public transport which was an excellent way of seeing the river cheaply. However, on seeing the strong current and choppy waters, Mommy didn't think it was a good idea to go on the river boat after all with Ipa so prone to motion sickness. We stood by the river bank to observe the activities. The river was muddy brown as a result of recent heavy rainfall in Bangkok and there was a lot of green, water hyacinth floating in the river. Boatmen steered their boats expertly in all sorts of directions. We saw young Thai boys jumping off the back of a boat fearlessly to swim in the muddy water, totally oblivious to the boat's propellers just beneath them and the strong current.

1220 hrs: The heat outdoors was unbearable, so we made our way to MahBoonKrong (MBK) Shopping Centre.

1300 hrs: We decided to stop for lunch at the food court in MBK. Su Ann was asleep and I was getting drowsy. Mommy found a perfect place for us in the food court. There was a long table next to a large bed, where Su Ann and I could rest. I was so excited to see the bed that I started jumping up and down on it, so much so that I didn't feel drowsy anymore.


I had rice, fish and spring rolls for lunch. Mommy had a bowl of tom yam soup and Thai-style fried chicken.

1345 hrs: After lunch, we went shopping. We looked at furniture, mobile phones, art galleries and clothing stores.
Many of the clothing stores imitation branded products. Ipa bought a pair of "Sevens" jeans for THB550 (about S$23). T-shirts were going for THB99 onwards, but we didn't buy any. Uncle Gilbert said that clothing was so cheap in Thailand that many Thais don't even bother to wash their clothes. They treat their clothes like disposables i.e. just wear and throw. What a waste of perfectly good resources!

1600 hrs: Our driver, Nu, took us back to our hotel.

1645 hrs: Finally arrived at the hotel, after being stuck in a jam. There was a note under our door telling us that we could move to connecting rooms when we were ready. We quickly packed our things, and the porter moved us to Rooms 1225 and 1226.

Our new rooms were Deluxe-class rooms, but the size of the rooms and furnishings were identical to the Superior-class rooms we had the night before. The difference was in the form of discount coupons for use in the duty-free shopping mall next to our hotel, more free internet access time, and 2 complimentary cans of soda or juice per day from the mini bar. Whilst the Superior-class rooms had gummy bears left on their pillows during the turn-down service, the Deluxe-class rooms had different things left in their rooms daily. We had cookies, chocolates and even Thai dessert left in our rooms during our stay. I love this place! Mommy reckons that once the grand opening promotion is over, the room rates will just skyrocket and we won't be able to afford rooms here the next time we visit Bangkok.

1900 hrs: Nu picked us up from our hotel and drove us to Somboon Seafood Restaurant. Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy were not joining us for dinner tonight. They were out with Mrs Tan.

2000 hrs: Arrived at Somboon Seafood Restaurant after a bad jam. We drove past the infamous red light district of Patpong on the way to the restaurant. There's a branch nearer to our hotel, but Uncle Gilbert said the food at the outlet he took us to was better. He ordered fried curry crab (signature dish of Somboon), a super spicy sotong soup, tom yam soup, deep-fried fish, stir-fried vegetables with chilli, and fried rice.

Somboon had been picked as one of Bangkok's best seafood restaurants in various websites, but it didn't live up to Daddy and Mommy's expectations. Daddy found their signature dish too oily, eggy and not very tasty. Mommy found the food mediocre.

What I remembered most of Somboon was the puppeteer outside the restaurant, who was selling home-made puppets at the entrance. We were seated next to the big glass windows of the restaurant, and he entertained me with his puppet to encourage me to eat. After a while, he came inside and gave me the puppet as a present. Daddy tried to pay him for the puppet, but he refused to accept the cash. Daddy was insistent, so the puppeteer took it and gave Su Ann a puppet as well. Something like that would never happen in Singapore. The Thais were such friendly people. They were always smiling.

2115 hrs: We had finished our meal and were on our way to Suan Lum Night Bazaar. The word on the net was that the bazaar was about to be shut down any minute now because of an eviction order which had been granted by the court, so Mommy felt we should visit it at the first opportunity.

Uncle Gilbert said the night bazaar was similar to the far larger Chatuchak Weekend Market, except it was open at night and therefore cooler and that the prices were a little higher because the vendors would have bought their wares wholesale from Chatuchak as well. We looked at the stalls selling furniture and paintings before calling it a day.

2300 hrs: Good night!

22 MAY 2008 (THURSDAY)

0800 hrs: Rise and shine. After moving rooms, we no longer had a view of the hotel's pool. We had the view of the surrounding buildings, and we could see that Bangkok's infamous traffic jams had already started.

0900 hrs: Breakfast time at the hotel.

1000 hrs: Uncle Gilbert and Nu met us at the lobby, and took us to Pattaya. It's a beach resort which is also the world's capital for sex tourism. The drive to Pattaya took about 2 hrs, with a brief rest stop along the way. At the rest-stop, many of the stalls were selling braised pig's trotters and duck's eggs sunny side up. We didn't try any of those dishes, opting to buy deep-fried taro chips and black sesame biscuits instead.

1200 hrs: We had arrived at the heart of Pattaya. Su Ann was crying hard, so we quickly stopped the van at a random spot. There were 2 art galleries nearby, and we went inside to take a look at the art pieces. Nothing which Daddy and Mommy fancied.

We walked along the street, going past one go-go bar after another. We saw groups of transvestites with heavy make-up and disproportionately large breasts taking a breather from the busy night before. They could have looked attractive late at night, but in broad daylight, they looked ... erm ... We didn't see anyone remotely attractive in Pattaya. Most of the people on the streets were either obese, elderly Caucasian men or super-skinny, dried-up-looking Caucasian men. It wouldn't surprising if many of these people were either drug addicts or HIV-positive. It was a depressing town.


1330 hrs: We walked to the end of the street to find Nu waiting for us in his van. We couldn't wait to get on to drive to Hat Jomtien, which according to the Lonely Planet, had a beach "relatively removed from Pattaya's sex scene". The pictures online of Hat Jomtien looked quite appealing as well, but it turned out to be a disappointment as well. We looked for a restaurant to have our lunch instead.

1400 hrs: Right at the end of Hat Jomtien was a seafood restaurant by the beach. Uncle Gilbert said it was our best option, so we got off and ordered our food. We had fried rice, fried vegetables, steamed fish, spicy prawns, crab and tom yam soup. None of it was tasty and dozens of flies buzzed around us and threatened to settle on our food. It was frustrating eating there.

We ordered Coke and it was served in a 1.5 litre glass bottle, something which none of us had seen before. At the next table was a Caucasian lady with 2 of her Thai friends and her one-eye-and-one-legged dog. I made friends with Tommy the Dog. The Caucasian lady explained to me that she had rescued Tommy from naughty children who had tortured him till he lost an eye and a leg. It was such a mean thing for the naughty children to do.

1530 hrs: After lunch, we got into our van and headed back to Bangkok. Pattaya was a disppointment, but it was an experience nonetheless.

1730 hrs: We were back at our hotel, after jostling with Bangkok's rush-hour traffic.

1900 hrs: It was time to head out for dinner once more. Uncle Gilbert was going to take us to a restaurant which served Bangkok's best chicken. It was called Sbuy Jai Kai Yang and only locals ate there. We sat in the air-conditioned portion of the restaurant, which was cool, clean and pleasant. Uncle Gilbert ordered papaya salad, grilled chicken, steamed fish, deep-fried fish, spicy sotong and cabbage soup, tom yam soup, Thai-style otah and fried vegetables. As a sweet ending, we sampled some Thai dessert. We had taro balls in coconut cream, Thai-style cheng tng, and coconut slices in coconut cream and milk. There was more than enough food for 9 of us (including Uncle Gilbert and Nu) and the bill was under THB1,500 (i.e. about S$65). What a steal and the meal hit all the right spots!


2030 hrs: After dinner, we drove around to see the Sukhumvit and Banglumphu districts of Bangkok. Drizzle turned to thunderstorm, so we didn't get out of the van. We went past fancy cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and malls. Daddy and Mommy wanted to see Khao San Road, but the heavy rain wouldn't let us.

2200 hrs: We were back at the hotel. Our plan was to go to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market the next morning, so we had to have an early night.

23 MAY 2008 (FRIDAY - GRANDPA EDDY & DADDY'S BIRTHDAYS)

0530 hrs: Mommy was trying to figure out how to rouse me from my deep slumber when I rolled off the bed and landed on the carpet floor with a thud. Naturally, I burst into tears from the shock and pain.

0630 hrs: We were ready for breakfast.

0700 hrs: Nu was waiting for us at the lobby, but he said he hadn't been able to contact Uncle Gilbert. Daddy tried to ring Uncle Gilbert, but he was probably too sound asleep to pick up the call.

0730 hrs: We waited for half an hour then decided to drive to Damnoen Saduak without Uncle Gilbert. Enroute, we passed lots of padi fields and farmers had set up little stalls along the expressway to sell bags of rice. There were also little stalls along the centre-divider of the expressways with fruits on sale. The fruit sellers risked their lives in crossing the expressway to get to their stalls, braved dust and fumes as they sat there the whole day, just to make a few Baht. It was a stark contrast to the mega-malls in Bangkok with brand names oozing wealth.

0915 hrs: We had arrived at Damnoen Saduak. A lady rushed up to our van and tried to sell us her boat services. She wanted THB300 per person for the boat ride on the floating market. Grandpa Eddy was about to pay the lady when Mommy stopped him so we could shop for prices at the riverbank. Eventually, we got a sampan for THB500 for 8 of us. Nu came along. The price was higher than the recommended price in guidebooks, but Daddy didn't care to bargain as we were a little late in getting to the market and we were concerned that the stalls would start closing soon.

0930 hrs: We joined the rush hour traffic of boats on the floating market. The whole thing was a joke. Most of the stalls sold souvenirs, with a few selling fruits, food, drinks. There were too many flies settling on the food for anyone to want to buy anything to eat. All the boats carried tourists, so it was basically tourists sitting in a boat gawking at other tourists, as the boats knocked against each other in the narrow khlong. We had a good laugh on our wobbly sampan, especially when a cockroach ran through it and none of us could move to avoid it without causing the sampan to capsize.


1015 hrs: The scorching hot sun beat its rays down mercilessly on us. Su Ann was crying. All of us couldn't wait to get off the sampan to have a drink. We got off the sampan and Daddy bought coconuts for all of us. The juice was ice-cold, sweet and the flesh delicious.

1100 hrs: We walked around the market a little before heading back to Bangkok. Grandpa Eddy bought a hammock at the market.

1230 hrs: We were back in Bangkok and we went in search of the famous fried chicken with garlic bits place along Soi Polo in Lumphini district. Nu didn't know where Soi Polo was, so we had to stop to ask for directions twice.

1300 hrs: Finally found the eatery. Daddy and Nu got down to buy food. Daddy told Nu in English what he wanted to order, so Nu could tell the waitress in Thai. Trouble was Nu's English was quite poor and he couldn't understand half of what Daddy was trying to tell him. Daddy and Nu stood in front of the waitress trying to communicate with each other for a good 10 mins, before the waitress interrupted them and spoke to Daddy in flawless English. The eatery is listed in the Lonely Planet, so they get a sizeable number of English-speaking tourists eating there. Daddy bought two whole chicken fried golden brown with all the garlic bits, one fried fish and rice for everyone.

1400 hrs: We were back at the hotel to try the takeaway food. Honestly, we didn't know what the fuss was all about. The chicken was dry, and the garlic bits were so-so. If you're into deep-fried chicken with garlic bits, there's an Ayam Penyet Ria Indonesian Restaurant at Square Two in Novena which does it really well. The chicken is juicy and they dish up a very generous portion of crispy garlic bits.

1530 hrs: After lunch, Daddy went off to meet Uncle Gilbert, whilst the rest of us hopped into Nu's van to go sightseeing. Nu drove us to Wat Pho, the temple which housed the giant reclining Buddha. I fell asleep in Su Ann's pram, so didn't get to see the Buddha.

1645 hrs: After visiting Wat Pho, Nu took us to Erawan Shrine, so Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy could make their offerings to the four-faced Buddha. There were girls dressed in traditional Thai wear at the shrine, and for THB700, you could get 8 of them to do a dance for the Buddha whilst you said your prayers. It was very crowded at the shrine, as it's well-known for granting wishes relating to money matters.

1745 hrs: Nu dropped us off at the King Power Duty-Free Shopping Centre next to our hotel. Ramayana Buffet Restaurant was there, and Mommy wanted to see if the food was any good. The restaurant charged THB600 per person for buffet dinner, with a 10% discount for guests of Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel. The restaurant was crowded with packaged tour groups. Food was plentiful, but quality seemed lacking. We decided to return to our hotel instead.

1830 hrs: Our hotel's coffee house was having its Thai Buffet Night. It cost THB800 per person, with a 30% discount for hotel guests. We had dinner there instead. The spread was superb and the food was of good quality. Mommy said that the coconut ice cream was particularly memorable.

2100 hrs: After stuffing ourselves silly, we went upstairs to find that the hotel had surprised us with two birthday cakes for Grandpa Eddy and Daddy. We gathered around one of the cakes and sang the birthday song for the birthday men. We forced ourselves to swallow a bit of cake (one crumb each!), before retiring for the night. It had been a long day, and we were all exhausted.


24 MAY 2008 (SATURDAY)

0800 hrs: Rise and shine. This morning, we walked around the botanic garden of the hotel and took some pictures. There was a koi pond here as well.

0900 hrs: We had been at the hotel for several days now, and the staff in the coffee house recognised us. One waiter got the pancake chef to make a pancake in the shape of a heart and with the word "LOVE" dribbled in maple syrup just for me! Wow! I love this place!

1000 hrs: We hopped onto Nu's van for the ride to Chatuchak Weekend Market. The market is probably the world's largest market, and it was well-known to be as hot as a furnace. We went in search of original art pieces by Thai painters and didn't find as many as anticipated.

1330 hrs: After identifying the art pieces they were interested in, Daddy and Mommy sent the rest of us off to the hotel, so they could haggle without the rest of us feeling hot, hungry and bothered. Uncle Gilbert stayed with them so he could help with the haggling in Thai.

1415 hrs: Grandpa Eddy, Grandma Nancy, Ipa, Su Ann and I were back at the hotel. After food was delivered to us by Room Service, Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy went off to continue shopping at MBK.

1530 hrs: Daddy and Mommy were back with their haul. A grand total of one painting. It's an original piece by a Thai painter named Thatree. It was a picture of the artist himself with his tongue sticking out. Thatree had wanted THB20,000 to part with the painting, but Daddy managed to get the price down.

1630 hrs: Mommy took me swimming in the hotel pool, whilst Daddy went out with Uncle Gilbert. Ipa redeemed a coconut with her free welcome drink coupon, and she sat under the shade with Su Ann to watch us swim. I've been attending lessons at Marsden Swim School since the beginning of the year, and Mommy observed that I've progressed quite a bit. I enjoyed myself thoroughly in the pool.

1830 hrs: Everyone hopped into Nu's van for the drive to Suan Lum Night Bazaar. The last time we were at the bazaar, we only spent a short time here because Daddy had the runs and we had to rush back to the hotel. Moreover, Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy hadn't visited the bazaar yet. Mommy had read online that there was a large beer garden which served food at the bazaar, and suggested that we have our dinner there.

There was a stage at the beer garden, and Thai singers were belting out Thai rock songs very loudly. Lots of Caucasian tourists were drinking beer by the towers. Beer is a lot cheaper in Thailand than in Singapore.

We ordered some food from the food stalls and settled down to eat out dinner. The food was expensive and not great.

2000 hrs: We walked around the bazaar and bought some t-shirts.

2200 hrs: We called it a night.


25 MAY 2008 (SUNDAY)

0930 hrs: We sprung out of bed upon realising that breakfast was ending in half an hour. Everyone had been too tired to wake up any earlier.

1000 hrs: We made it just in time for breakfast. The coffee house was very crowded. The Miss Universe Thailand Pagaent was being hosted in the King Power building next door, and the contestants were housed in our hotel.

1100 hrs: After breakfast, we watched as the coffee house crew got the place ready for their weekly Sunday brunch. Helium was being pumped into balloons, and Su Ann and I were given one each. Shortly thereafter, a man in a giant rabbit suit appeared. The giant rabbit entertained Su Ann and I.
1200 hrs: We had paid for late checkout for Room 1226, so everyone shifted their things into my room.

1230 hrs: Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy went for their massage, whilst my parents took me swimming in the hotel pool. Most guests were out sightseeing or shopping, so the pool was very quiet.

1330: We had lunch by the pool and redeemed more drinks with our welcome drinks coupons. The burger patties were thick and juicy. The pineapple and watermelon shakes were heavenly.

1500 hrs: Took a quick shower and packed up our barang barang. Nu was sending us to the airport at 1700 hrs.

1700 hrs: Everyone was on board Nu's van. He gave Su Ann and I each a small toy. What a sweet guy!

1730 hrs: Traffic on a Sunday was smooth, and we were at the airport in half an hour. We checked in and got Rows 5D-F and Rows 6D-F on Tiger Airways Flight TR109. Mommy had requested for seats at the front of the plane, so that Su Ann would cause less disturbance to the rest of the passengers.

1830 hrs: We passed through customs and were in the transit area. Daddy picked a coffee house by the name of Mango Tree for dinner. It was Mommy's last chance for a bowl of authentic tom yam soup, and boy was she glad that Daddy had chosen the Mango Tree. It had the best tom yam soup Mommy had tasted on this trip.

1945 hrs: We were at Gate F5 for boarding.

2020 hrs: We were up in the air and Su Ann was wailing away. Luckily, we had very understanding passengers near us this time.

2350 hrs (Singapore Time): We had landed in Singapore. Ah Gong and Ah Ma were waiting for us at the Budget Terminal's Arrival Hall. I bounced towards them, and they were very happy to see me!