Bangkok, Thailand (thread 9)

[missroitee]

^ yung personally naka-book ako ng tours, sa Bangkok.com. then nung 8pax kami, sa Absolute Bangkok kami nagbook ng van + guide.

Sis, I checked Bangkok.com for the Ayuthaya tour. Initially we plan to go there on our own but I heard ang transpo within Ayuthaya pa lang costs around 1k THB na. While checking the package tour thru the site you mentioned is 1.5k THB. Is this all-in na ba? That's the Ayuthaya by River Cruise.

May mapapayo ka ba sa amin? Our hotel is My Hotel Pratunam

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ sis, madami sila iba-ibang package. Merong roundtrip by bus, merong bus papunta then cruise pabalik ng Bangkok, meron naman me kasamang BangPaIn Palace, etc. Nilalagay naman nila kung ano kasama, usually kasama na ang lunch basta whole day tour.

[entwife]

I am in Bangkok right now. We did the border crossing from Cambodia and it all went well. Ang layo ng byahe but the bus was good naman so nakatulog rin sa kami. We arrived 4pm kanina. Ang nagawa lang namin is magpunta ng Asiatique. I am loving Bangkok food! haha ang sarap kumain dito.

Hindi mainit sa Bangkok ngayon. Ang hirap lang talaga ng communication.

Tomorrow, we'll be in Grand Palace then Khao San and Terminal 21.

[Crystalpenelope]

hello, sisses tanong ko lang ang list ng temple na pwede ko puntahan this afternoon before mag-shopping sa platinum mall at chatuchak..Sa pratunam area ang hotel ko..gusto ko sana malapit sa pratunam area..help pls..thanks.

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ late reply.. but just in case naghahanap ka pa ng pampalipas oras sa ibang araw. Sa pagkakaalam ko, wala temples talaga jan sa may Pratunam. Mainly shopping area kasi yan. But, nearby sa may tapat/diagonal ng Central World, you'll see Erawan Shrine. Sa may gilid/labas ng Central World, me couple of shrines din where locals frequently drop by to pay respects. Sa shrines, ok to spend a few minutes to observe how the Thais pay respect to their gods. Sa Erawan Shrine, minsan me nagpeperform ng cultural song and dance. Then sa may MBK naman, malapit ang Jim Thompson House Museum. Guided tour takes about 45mins to an hour, then you can also spend time roaming around the garden area and the souvenir shop. Lahat naman to kaya lakarin to/from Platinum Mall.

[Crystalpenelope]

^hi...thanks..andito na ko pero puro shopping lang nagawa ko..I tried sa temples sana kaso gahol na sa oras..I like to come back here again.

[pinky_twinkee]

mga sis, kakayanin ba ng whole day ang Temple Tour and Floating Market tour? or Ayutthaya and Floating Market? Thank You!

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ I think kaya naman kasi floating markets open early, so you can be there ng kahit 7am pa lang. Tapos an hour or two lang naman usually nagsi-stay dun. So by 10am, pwedeng either balik-BKK na for the temples tour or nasa Ayutthaya na.

[kittycat228]

may floating market ba malapit sa pratunam?

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ most floating markets are about 30mins travel from central Bangkok.

[falsabraga]

hi sisses! which is a better place for dinner in bkk? chocoville or sa baiyoke sky na buffet?
and di ba pahirapan maghanap ng taxi pag mga 8-9PM na uuwi from chocoville? sa lemontea hotel kami and iniisip ko kung kaya kaya grand palace morning til 2PM tas chocoville na by 4pm onwards. 

[entwife]

A not so good review of Bangkok.  Hindi kami kumuha ng tour sa mga temples. And with much faith na dadalhin lami ng taxi sa grand palace, well inikot kami nung una and ininsist na gawin namin syang service. Bumaba kami and eto tuktuk naman. Aware ako na hustler ang mga tuktuk, anyway nakipagtawaran sa presyo para dalhin nya kami sa grand palace then binaba nya kami after saglit lang kasi one way daw pero malpit na daw so walk na lang. Well in then end, 3hrs ata kami palakad lakad para hanapin yun. Walang mapagtanungan, and dahil sa hind magabdang experience namin sa taxi, sige lakad na lang sinve ang instruction naman is malapit na.

More comments later.

[kittycat228]

^ most floating markets are about 30mins travel from central Bangkok.

thanks sis, medyo malayo pala. ano pa bang pwedeng puntahan sa pratunam except mall and shopping centers?

[missroitee]

Mga sis question naman. I had my nickname in my ticket (and I have my company ID showing the same full nick name and last name as a proof) kasi my passport shows of course my real name. I have a flight later going to Thailand. Mahirapan kaya ako? Now ko lang napansin nickname ko nagamit ng friend ko when she booked us. It usually works pag  domestic.

[bagaholic_chewy]

hi sisses! which is a better place for dinner in bkk? chocoville or sa baiyoke sky na buffet?
and di ba pahirapan maghanap ng taxi pag mga 8-9PM na uuwi from chocoville? sa lemontea hotel kami and iniisip ko kung kaya kaya grand palace morning til 2PM tas chocoville na by 4pm onwards. 

Sis, I haven't personally been to Chocoville pero feedback ng friend ko na medyo mahirap nga sa transpo kasi malayo at hindi usual daanan ng taxi. Me taxi naman daw, pero matagal maghihintay. What they did was kinontrata nila yung sinakyan nilang taxi papunta na balikan sila at a certain time. I just read recently na me GrabTaxi app service na din sa BKK, perhaps you can download the app and book for a taxi through the app. Me addl lang sa meter, php70 dito sa atin, I'm not sure how much addl sa BKK. Sa next balik ng friend ko, nagdala na sila ng car.

As for Baiyoke Sky dinner buffet, naka-ilang beses na din ako dito. Ang gusto ko naman dito is yung revolving roofdeck, pag maganda ang weather. Then pwede pa mag-shopping sa Pratunam after, me mga tiangge stalls paglabas mismo ng Baiyoke Sky.

As for the Grand Palace, etc, yes kaya naman until 2pm. Start na kayo sa Grand Palace  ng say 9am, if until 2pm, kaya nyo pa puntahan ang W.at Po (reclining buddha) since magkalapit lang naman sila. The thing is, medyo maarte ang mga taxi sa may temples area, either mangongontrata or namimili ng isasakay. So be prepared to haggle.

Sis entwife, sayang naman naka-experience kayo ng di masyadong maganda sa BKK..

thanks sis, medyo malayo pala. ano pa bang pwedeng puntahan sa pratunam except mall and shopping centers?

sis, namention ko na sa previous post ko yung medyo kayang lakarin from Pratunam area. Idagdag ko na lang din yung Madame Tussauds sa Siam, nalalakad na din yun. But basically, Pratunam talaga is for shopping, not much on other touristy stuff. Well, maybe you can check out the revolving roofdeck in Baiyoke Sky. Although for me, namamahalan ako kung roofdeck entrance lang babayaran kaya we usually go up pag nag buffet dinner sa hotel kasi me free access na sa roofdeck.

Sis missroitee, the IOs might question you kasi the name on your ticket must match the name on your passport. Sa domestic walang problema kasi any ID naman pwede, minsan nga di na naghahanap ng ID. As kung papayagan ka, my initial gut tells me "no", but I guess it'll depend on the check-in attendant and the IO. Siguro kung di naman ganun kalayo sa real name mo, baka, BAKA lang, payagan ka. Try mo kaya tawagan yung airline? Baka they can change pa your name sa booking.

[leelou]

Matagumpay naman ang first ever trip nmin sa bangkok because of our sisses here in gt 😊

We aarived bkk sun at around 8am, nagtrain kami 45 baht then taxi to our bangkok city hotel 50 baht (divided by 3). After checking in derecho agad kami sa chatuchak which was not the best idea since nakakadisorient dami ng tao tapos mainit pa. You have to realize na sobrang laki ng chatuchak. Nag-ayutthaya kami ng 2nd day, DIY lang. Rode a van sa vitory monument tapos nagrent kami ng tuktuk para makapaglibot, 200baht per hour, we paid 800 baht (again divided by 3). Medyo nagtagal kasi talaga kami dun sa elephants! hehe. 3rd day nag grand palace kami, bawal sa mga lalake ang naka shorts! Pants lang talaga for boys! Sobrang daming tourists dito, wala namang scammer lumapit samen, after nun nag [textspeak!] pho kami, di na kinaya ng powers namin [textspeak!] arun dahil na rin siguro sa init. 4th day nag avail kami ng early bird promo ng madame tussauds, nagmalling sa platinum and mbk. On our last day, nag floating market kami, dito lang kami nagavail ng tour, nakuha namin is 500 per pax, tapos addtl 150 para dun sa paddle boat. Wala naman kami binili, gusto lang talaga namin maexperience. Grand total is 15k inclusive of RT tix c/o cebpacs promo, hotel accom, activies, food, onting pasalubong. Medyo kinapos lang talaga akong time for shopping kasi inuna ko talaga activities. Hehe. Sna kahit papano nakatulong sa mga papuntang bkk. Unlike ng nababasa ko b4, safe naman sa bkk. Madali yung train system nila, tsaka maayos namn taxi nakuha namin. Pati tuktuk. Ang tip ko lang is you settle first kung magkano bago ka sumakay. Ang talagang challenge lang samin is yung language barrier. Enjoy bkk guys!

thanks for your kwento sis. we're staying at Bangkok City Hotel too

since dalawa lang kami ni hubby, we're thinking of getting a package tour na for Ayutthaya with river cruise. From Asiawebdirect, it will cost THB1,553/pax. ok na kaya yun mga sis?

here's our itinerary so far:

Day 1:
Arrive Suvarnabhumi Airport at 8:55 AM, check in hotel
Grand Palace
Siam Paragon

Day 2:
Ayutthaya by River Sun Cruise
Terminal 21
Dinner at either Baiyoke or other rooftop bars

Day 3:
Check out at 7:30AM; Don Muang Airport for 10:50 AM flight to Phuket - by taxi, mga how much kaya fare?

pa-comment naman sis if ok ba and if may maidagdag pa ako places to see

[falsabraga]

super thank you sis bagaholic_chewy! yun nga din prob s chocoville pahirapan nga daw ng taxi pero sige sundin ko advice mo sa taxi app download ko yan. by the way, ano kaya mas okay na itinerary-- grand palace sa morning then chocoville or asiatique sa hapon? and also may marerecommend ba kayo nice restos or any place for a romantic dinner? sa baiyoke sky ano cuisine dinner nila? sana di lang puro thai hehe. excited nako next week na! mon-wed krabi muna kami then wed-sat bkk na. planning to tour sa grand palace lang, chocoville and asiatique lang. the rest mall hopping na. sa khao san worth it ba or food trip lang dito?

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ personally, I'd choose Asiatique over Chocoville, although di pa nga din ako nakakapunta ng Chocoville. Based kasi sa feedback ng friends, Chocoville is more for families or group of friends. Sa Asiatique kasi mas madami options for food, madami din ibang magagawa.

As for romantic dinner, you can try a dinner cruise along Chao Phraya. Meron din kami na-try before ni hubby, sa taas ng Central World, Zense yata name nung resto. Maganda din, me outdoor tables. Resto-bar sya. Me view of Bangkok skyline din.

Sa Baiyoke, buffet dinner kami usually dun, latest na-try namin na resto was Balcony yata yun name (pero sa indoor table kami). Yung first two kain namin dun, sa Bangkok Sky resto kami ng Baiyoke Sky (if tama pagkaalala ko sa name). Ok naman ang buffet spread - me seafood, other asian (non-thai), me japanese din. Of course, me thai spread din. Sulit sya for me, tapos me free access na din sa revolving roofdeck.

[carla27]

mga sis can you suggest reputable travel agency for floating market/ tiger temple and elephant ride tour? andami ko na search pero baka scam yung iba

[kittycat228]

sis, namention ko na sa previous post ko yung medyo kayang lakarin from Pratunam area. Idagdag ko na lang din yung Madame Tussauds sa Siam, nalalakad na din yun. But basically, Pratunam talaga is for shopping, not much on other touristy stuff. Well, maybe you can check out the revolving roofdeck in Baiyoke Sky. Although for me, namamahalan ako kung roofdeck entrance lang babayaran kaya we usually go up pag nag buffet dinner sa hotel kasi me free access na sa roofdeck.
[/quote] thanks sis. Sa area na lang kami malamang sa pratunam at yung mga kayang lakarin. First time kasi namin sa bkk this july.