My third day in Thailand was the day to explore deeper into the beauty of Bangkok, or the ugly side of it. After our breakfast, we headed to Saphan Taksin and took a ferry ride (30Baht) to Pier 5, Ratchawongse Pier. Our main objective was to have some great local food in Chinatown, eventhough we filled our stomach almost to its brim from the buffet breakfast.
I used up most of my Baht, so I exchanged another two thousands Baht in a nearby bank. On our way to Chinatown from the pier, there were many stalls and shops selling reasonably but still bargain-able price goods such as handbags and wallets! Ladies would love it! However, Chinatown was a disappointed, perhaps it's merrier after daytime? There were not as many food stalls as we expected and I only spotted food such as BBQ corns and bananas among all of the stalls.
Opposite of Chinatown there was a bird nest shop which offers, well, bird nests in the form of raw and cooked dessert to its customers. Depending on the quality of bird nest, customers can enjoy bird nest drink from as low as 100 Baht!
Frankly I would say I like the way Thais eat their bird nest very much! It can be offered in burnt coconut, which will blend the taste of the bird nest with the refreshing coconut juice! Then, honey can be used to increase the sweetness of the bird nest. Lastly, sweetened gingko and half-boiled egg can be added into the bird nest to make it a more filling dessert!
After that sweet bowl of bird nest dessert, we saw the ugly side of Bangkok. Some tut-tut drivers couldn't earn much from their daily customers, thus cooperated with some shops selling souvenirs and jewellery so that they can send the customers to the shops and gain some commission from their purchase.
We wanted to go from Chinatown to Siam Square by tut-tut because we never tried it before, and it seems like a must-do when visiting Bangkok. So we hopped on a tut-tut eventhough the driver sounds ridiculously absurd by quoting us a fee of 40 Baht for the trip. The first place he dropped us was a jewellery shop, but all the items were too expensive for us, we ended up empty handed leaving the shop. Then the driver took us to a normal souvenir shop, then beg us to buy something in order he can earn a bit of fuel money. Bought a 70 Baht fridge magnet from there since a friend of mine asked me to buy a magnet for her. What I don't like is the driver will ask how much the item you bought cost, because he want to know roughly how much commission he can get from that purchase.
After the tut-tut driver dropped us off at Siam Square, we paid a visit to the... err... Hello Kitty Cafe in Siam Square. Everywhere is pink and with Hello Kitty pictures!
Then I finally have a chance to try out Thailand's McD! Tried its pork burger but it was not as amazing as some claimed.
After the filling lunch, we walked for 15mins to reach Platinum Mall. It's a heaven for people who doesn't care about brand but price. Most of the items can be bargained and dirt cheap! The only downside is the mall is situated quite far from the nearest BTS station, so you'll have a tough time walking back to the BTS station with a handful of bags!
It was Bangkok's rush hour, a very familiar scene if you think KL...
Lucky we don't have to endure the bumper-to-bumper traffic by hopping onto BTS. We then headed to Unicorn Cafe, located in a quiet corner of Silom. The desserts here were nothing to shout about, but the decoration was certainly something especially for those who are in loved with unicorns! Unicorns were everywhere!
After lots of walking in the streets of Bangkok, it was time to have a relaxing and cooling bath in the bath tub of my hotel room - with the view of the outside world! Don't turn on the lights though, or people from the far opposite will be able to see through the window!
Later at night, a scrumptious dinner was waiting for us on the roof top. The Roof @ 38, like its name suggests, it's located at the top floor 38, with 360 degrees view at the city of Bangkok. While we were halfway enjoying the delicious food, it was drizzling and we have to literally run for cover! Luckily the bar has a roof-covered section where can still continue to enjoy the night!
Managed to capture this beautiful view before the sky pours!
Will certainly give Bangkok another visit in the future, to explore what I have yet to explore. There are just so many!!!
