Bangkok guide (part 1)

Here it is... my guide to visiting Bangkok.

First of all, most of you will be concerned about how to get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city.  There's a few options - taxis which will set you back about 350-500 baht if the traffic is bad, the airport express bus which costs 150 baht and the new airport rail link that costs 150 baht.

Since I wasn't too familiar with the new airport rail link and the websites didn't give much info, I decided to take my time and take the airport express bus.  This is where you can get your150 baht  tickets.  All you need to do is to tell them where you're heading and they'll recommend the route that you should take (fyi, there's 4 routes to various parts of Bangkok).  Then you wait outside for your bus to arrive.  Its kinda simple for tourists since the staff there will confirm your intended destination and work out the sequence for the bus stops and tell each passenger when they should alight.  The rest is up to you.

Unfortunately, I took 2 hours to get to the hotel because of Friday's rush hour traffic.  I literally got stuck in a spot and stayed there for 20 mins without moving.  Definitely not for the weak bladders.  So finally, after waiting in the bus for 2 hours, I suspected that I was near my hotel and checked with the bus driver.  I was right, so I alighted and carried on my journey on foot.  I took only 5 mins more to reach the hotel!  OMG... At the last of my Bangkok posts, I will share with you how I went to the airport. This is probably one of the fastest and cheapest way, so I'd recommend this for anyone anytime!  Go look for that segment later..

Centara Grand

The hotel I stayed at was Centara Grand, next to Central World.  Its quite convenient since its near the Siam and Chidlom BTS Stations.  Here's how the rooms look like.  Good yeah?  The only gripe I have is that there isn't much for you to sit.  There's a reclining chair and a desk chair but nothing else to sit on.  So if there's more than 1 in the room, its already a problem.  Good thing though, is that they have a pillow menu!  All hotels should have pillow menus to allow their guests to have a comfortable night's rest.  Don't we all deserve it?  

Kinky bathroom, with a window that opens into the room.  =)  But the bathroom is nice and spacious.  Has a shower area and a bathtub with SUPER HUGE mirrors.  Recommended for those who can't stop looking at themselves.

One of the shops in Central World is Naraya.  This shop is pretty big and is always packed with tourists.  Why?  Because the products here are locally made, are cheap and make perfect souvenirs for friends and family.  There's also a shop in VivoCity, but that's a lot more expensive.  

Mah Boon Krong

MBK - the must go place for tourists.  For me, I go there for43 things - pharmaceuticals, gadgets/accessories for electronics, foot massage and contact lenses.  There's lots of pharmacies in the building, but this one - April 27 is my favourite.  You can get your medication here at a very low price.  Make a list of all the medicine, creams, etc that you need and buy here.  Sometimes, they may even give you discount for buying in bulk.  

This place, Porntip Beauty Centre, is where I get my foot massages.  Located on the same level as the electronic gadgets, you need to make a pit stop for 1 hour and get a foot massage. Its only going to cost you 300 baht for 1 hour.  Shiokness!