8 Places to Visit in Bangkok

Bangkok has two sides. Both of which I was able to see and experience on separate trips. This blog should have been written earlier as this is about the first trip to Bangkok and how I got to see the "hustle-bustle" of the city.

1. Sukhumvit Road

Bangkok is girl's paradise being well known for its numerous stores of fashionable and cheap clothing, shoes and accessories.  Sukhumvit Road is where you would want to be for air-conditioned shopping. Malls are lined up waiting to be explored. And because of the nearing Christmas holiday then, most of the big malls were embroidered with elaborate decorations which I found more cheerful at night when they are all lit up. Some of these malls are Siam Center, MBK, and Amarin.

2. Chao Phraya River

If you want to see Bangkok from another angle, you can do this by a boat ride. The Chao Phraya River almost flows within the center of the city. Aside from the good view, it's also a way to get some wind blowing in your face. Ticket costs 150 baht. (Back in 2011)

3. Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha

Was not able to get in because of the pricey entrance fees (500 baht for the grand palace and 150 for the Emerald Buddha) but they say you should not miss these. The Grand Palace was built in the 1700s and known for its grand architecture. The Emerald Buddha is also one to behold with its garments made of gold.

4. Wat Pho Temple (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Very unusual to see a Buddha reclining but this gold plated statue is also engraved with mother-of-pearl. One of the memorable items here are the bronze bowls opposite the statue. You can pay for a handful of special coins that if you have enough to drop in all the bowls (one each) will give you good fortune.

gold-plated buddhas

 

5. Dusit Zoo

Famous for their white Tigers, the Zoo also has other charming animals such as the dwarf horse and the naughty elephants who are the ones I saw was not in cages but can freely walk around (with a trainer of course!) At one place near the elephant show area, the elephants are fenced in by a low metals bars which they can easily cross over. But because they were trained, they kept within the quarters just walking around and waiting for people to feed them. Nearby is a counter where you can buy food for the elephant such as a basket of bread or banana and you can feed them yourselves. We wanted to feed the small ones but one of the big elephants keep getting the food we held out. We were even caught off guard when he/she took the whole basket while we were concentrating on the smaller elephant. But we did saw the big elephant give some of the food to the small one. So he/she wasn't so greedy after all.

looks like Burnham Lake :)

that's the naughty elephant

white tigers who are camera-shy

6. Chatuchak Weekend Market

Opens only on weekends, this place has a diverse wares for sale. This was the only place we got to visit on our second trip. To read more about that adventure, see First Stop: A Day in Bangkok.

7. Platinum Fashion Mall

This mall gets special mention as this has one of the cheapest clothes on sale. It is an indoor version of the Chatuchak market with 7 floors of numerous stalls. Their shirts and blouses cost from US$2.3 to $3.00. One day is not enough to go thru all the stalls.

8. Night market

When we were walking around the malls in Sukhumvit, we asked one vendor where the night market was. He just laughed and pointed to the street. "At night, all of these becomes the night market. "
He was right. You will be greeted by makeshift clothes stalls in the streets once you step out from the malls at night. And it's even far more cheaper than the ones sold inside the malls. But there are "permanent" night markets such as one found in On Nut, Patpong and many others.

On Nut Night Market

As a side note, we stayed at this clean and cozy place called Madee Hostel. It was not exactly at the city center but Ben, the friendly owner, would drive us in his golf cart to the Lotus Tesco near On Nut station everyday whenever we needed to.

And there were one surprising find which I wish was in the Phils.. egg tart as a side dish for KFC!

Good Food in Baguio

Finally doing a food blog for Baguio, my hometown. Being the summer capital of the Philippines, there has been a huge influx of restaurants and fastfood both local and international in the past recent years. I will not be able to mention all of them, just some that I particularly go to and some I go to often. So expect this to be the first and definitely not the last of the food blog I'll be making for Baguio.

1. 50's Diner

UPDATE: (As of 2017, they have moved to 4th floor Porta Vaga Mall, Upper Session Road)

I have got to say this place never runs out of customers. Its not hard to see why due to its affordable prices, numerous array of choices and large servings. There's meat, there's seafood, there's a combination of western and local food to choose from. I love their brewed coffee and their fruit plate.

50's pancake tower

2. Little John's

Location: Convenience Outpost, Mile-Hi, Camp John Hay (Near The Manor)
Baby Back Ribs! 'Nuff said.

little john's famed baby back ribs

fondue for dessert

lemon tea

3. Rancho Norte

Location: Ketchup Community, Mines View
They serve different kinds of tapa: kabayong tapa (horse), beef tapa, tapang usa (deer), and even tapang baboy damo (wild pig). But their bestseller I would say is their pinakbet with crispy pata.

prices may have changed

beef tapa

sit anywhere, order anywhere

Crispy pata on top of pinakbet and beef tapa

4. Rumah Sate

Location: Ketchup Community, Mines View
Still one of the food stalls within the Ketchup community, this place serve Indonesian and Malaysian food. From their tagline "House of Satay" you definitely have to try their satay.

tea and milk tea

beef on a stick

spring rolls

5. Happy Tummy

Location: Ketchup Community, Mines View
If you're up for Thai food, this is the place to crash. Their tom yum soup I would say is a must-try.

tom yum soup

6. Volante

Location: Session Road and Mines View near Ketchup Community
This is one place where I can eat waffles with eggs and bacon anytime of the day. They also serve a lot of pasta and pizza dishes.

All-day breakfast of waffles and bacon

7. Zio's Pizzeria

Location: Leonard Wood Road and #168 Military Cut-Off
A good place to get stuffed. They have good-tasting pesto, pizza overloaded with toppings and oh-so-cheesy calzone! Like I said, this place is a place to get your tummy filled.

8. Pearl Meat Shop

Location: 10 Cariño Street (Rizal Monument Area) beside Paladin Hotel
Korean food? Here is one place where you can get a taste of real Korean food and Korean cooking. You can cook your own meat without the fat thanks to their cooking plate which drains all the oil. And the meat comes with vegetables and chili paste. And yes, they do sell raw meat too!

Eat healthy without the fat

9.  Seafood Island

Location: Technohub Camp John Hay
Here's a place for the gang. Boodle fight!

Seafood boodle fight!

10. Secret Garden

Location: Pedro Paterno
Located a bit far from the busy streets, this place is a great place to have a nice conversation with a friend over coffee. They also serve meals and pizza and pasta too.

11.Kalei's Grill and Restaurant

Location: Km 4, La Trinidad, Benguet
This is not exactly within Baguio but it is along the way to the Strawberry fields in La Trinidad. This is one spot to get a nice cold drink and meal after a hot day in the fields (if you did harvest, that is). Harvest or not, they also have bands playing at night so its one place to chill and unwind.

That's not even half of the good places to eat in Baguio. Stay tuned for upcoming related posts soon. :)