Sawasdee - Hello in Thai

The last unforgettable incident was in 2006 when my wallet was pickpocketed in Chatcuchat. That ruined my entire trip with no cash and no card to use. Anyway since the airfare was pretty cheap ($247 with check in luggage fee included) and I had some leave to clear, why not?

Exchange rate for $500 ($250 Karmun and $250 myself) was 23.38 = 11,640 Baht

2nd exchange rate for $100 ($50 Karmuin and $50 myself) was 22.8 = 2,280 Baht

Flight - 6.30am Tiger Airways (Budget Terminal)
Flight back - 11.30pm

I had high recommendations for Suk11 backpackers' inn. Since it was so highly recommended and a low budget one, I thought no harm giving it a try. Suk 11 is a very cosy and small hostel. No frills. Simple and cost with many foreigners checking in. It's quite well known. The only gripe I had was mozzies and cob webs. Yeeks!

This was the entrance

Main reception.

It was a long and narrow corridor.. quite difficult if you are carrying trolley luggages.

Spider webs around the front yard where you can take your breakfast

We left our luggages at Suk 11 upon arrival and left off for makan. Actually I was more tired than hungry. Anyhow, we settled for Pad Thai in a nearby Thai restaurant. Not too bad but could be better. It cost me $3.90. Can't complain much :)

First stop for the day was Platinum Mall! It's a wholesale retailing mall where you can get really cheap stuff if you buy in 3 or more pieces. Some stores offer 2 pieces for wholesale price. We practically shopped from 11am till 3pm without lunch and stopping, it was a non stop marathon! Why isn't there an award for this? It was lots of bargaining, shopping, walking, trying, talking and more bargaining. Fun it was, but definitely tiring. We explored about 5 floors of Platinum and I got myself lots of clothes, pouches, bags and more. One piece of top was practically SGD $6!! Darn cheap. We both ran out of cash.. had to withdraw from the ATM machine. Thank God for that. It saved our trip! We continued to shop again before heading back to Suk 11 to offload our stuff.

Accessories mannequin stand at Platinum. Only $$8.60 per stand

Headed to MBK after that to get contact lens for Jaime. It's relatively cheaper there compared to Sg. After shopping in Platinum, there's hardly anything to purchase at MBK other than some food stuff and tidbits. We were so tired that we didn't have any energy nor mood left to walk around. It was a torturous painful stroll. We left pretty early. Took the BTS back to Na Na station and back to shower and bed.

Breakfast was a simple affair at Suk 11. The main reception/lobby/dining area is simple but nicely done up. Thai ornaments, antiques donned the whole area and sometimes you really wonder what those stuff are, where they are from and how old they really are!

Breakfast spread with the DJ console behind. Music played: Bossa Nova

Breakfast was simply sliced bread, croissant, fruits, banana muffin, jam/butter and coffee/tea.

Day 2 was a tiring day for us. It was pouring in the early morning... we were terribly worried that if the rain persists, our trip to Chatuchat would be ruined. We got down to the lobby to have our breakfast at 9am. Luckily the rain began to stop. Took a train from Na Na station to Mo Chit that cost us only 40 baht. ($1.70). Our spree started from about 11am. We tried to organise our trip by referring to the map. But it somehow couldn't work. We were practically clueless where we were. The Chatuchat market was a labyrinth! You will never know where you have it, missed or looking for. It's totally incredible. The stores were small and look pretty similar. It's either you purchase something when you see it, or miss it altogether. The probability of looking for that same shop again 40min later is close to nil. It was quite stuffy and wet due to the rain in the morning. Nevertheless, we walk and prowled the market from 11 - 6pm! We only managed to take our lunch at 3pm at this small food stall in the market. Minced chicken with onions and nuts. It was delicious! We continued walking and practically buying something from every shop we visited. Items are so cheap and irresistible. Mainly because it's cheap. Good for birthdays and X'mas. I bought leather keychain straps that can be customsied to your name, bags, accessories, soap and aromatherapy stuff as well as slippers! They are horribly cheap. When we walked out of the market then only we realised many stores were closing and it was dark! Yes, at 6pm. We had to head back to Suk 11 to offload, and prepare our next journey.

Next was Central World (formerly known as World Trade Center). Lingeries are a steal in Thailand. We got our stuff at Isetan. Shopped and walked a little and it was late. End of day 2.

The third day was our last day in Thailand. We had a quick breakfast (yes same things again) and checked out at 11am. Left our luggage behind and took a train to Siam Paragon - Paragon Department Store. Loaded on more lingeries again. This time we had more time to walk around. And what was cool about this mall was it is big, posh and spacious. Of course, since it's posh, everything is pricey. But I like the very cool touch-screen shopper directory.

After Paragon, we proceeded to Siam Square, akin to our Holland Village in Singapore. It had a whole area of small boutiques with the latest fashion in store. Of course, prices here were more expensive compared to Platinum or Chatuchat. Some items were the same. but some slightly better I would say. We didn't eat our lunch again as we were saving our stomach for a 2 hr full body massage at 3pm. Our last stop was Siam Center. We bought shoes again. $8 per pair. Came across this toilet sign that was so interesting I had to snap it.

The massage was refreshing at only $20 - head to toe massage where you could experience the crackling sounds of your bones. Our dinner was Tom Yam Soup and Pineapple Fried Rice at Suk 11.

It started drizzling again. It was 6pm. We quickly got a cab to Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport. There was a terrible horrible jam outside our hostel, which is usually the case in Bangkok city. Our flight was 810pm and we were very worried of missing the flight. I had to report back to work on Tues morning 830am! We kept harassing the cab driver how long the jam would take, and if we could really get to the airport in time. He assured us.. jam would be an hour, and we would reach the airport by 715pm. I felt a little relieved as this was coming from the native. Tried to relax a little.. talked to Karmun about our overall spending trip and before we knew it, we were out of the jam. Passed 2 toll stations (70 baht) in total and the cab fare came to about 270 baht ($11.70) excld. the toll. We reached the airport surprisingly and coindentally at 715pm! We hurried to check in our luggages. Mine was about 6.8kg, from 5.7kg when we first checked in. We felt sooo relieved after checking in. We walked a bit at the airport and did our 7% VAT refund. (yes for overspending!) Goods must be purchased from stores displaying the 'VAT Refund For Tourists' sign. VAT refunds only apply to goods taken out of Thailand within 60 days from the date of purchase. Goods must have a value of at least 5,000 baht (including VAT), and single purchases must have a value of at least 2,000 baht per day.

I was dead tired by the time we were on the plane. And fortunately, the late check in gave us a row 1 seat. More leg room :) My comments for this trip? Bring more cash!