Bangkok | lifeisacelebration

Tag Archive: Bangkok

Let’s Fruitify! (Thai Series)

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

October 1, 2023

Whenever I get an invite from friends to go on a trip to Bangkok, it’s almost always a “food trip” or more aptly, a “fruit trip” in our minds. I’ve tried going in summer so there are more fruits in season, but the heat and humidity is nearly a curse so I promised myself I’d never go in summer. To welcome October, my niece and I flew into Bangkok on our way to catch a connecting flight to Phuket the next morning. Just time enough to check in our bags at an airport hotel and gorge ourselves on all the fruits we fancy (many we stuffed into our bags flying into Phuket) before calling it a day. Half of our OZ family is waiting for us in a beach resort in Phuket and we are dripping in so much excitement. My niece-in-law who is Thai, her family and ours, are waiting. But first, we “fruitify”. Got that word from my apo’s friend with whom my apo shared the fruit box I prepped whenever I fetched her from school then.

Custard or Sugar Apple, Strawberries, Guapple, Jackfruit, Grapes of all kinds and sizes, Watermelon, And More

My All-Time Favourite along with Persimmons

We also found the time — rather failed to resist — trying Thai curry and seafood pot rice in the mall a short cab ride from our airport hotel. (Incidentally, the spartan but spotty clean airport hotel is one I’d recommend. Nothing fancy but value-for-money for just a night to rest your bodies before an early morning flight. No rush means no anxieties!) Not to forget, have you tried fish flakes with your watermelon? Ours was served that way and it’s an interesting combo.

From Amari Don Muang Airport to Rangsit Future Park Mall is around 100-120 baht by taxi. There, you can buy as much fruit as you can HARDLY muster. I wanted to try all of them! And the food court offers both cheap and delish samples of Thai cuisine. We tried S&P, which had a good display of bread and pastries we could buy for next day’s breakfast in our room, but ended up sitting for a proper meal. Just be warned: my chicken curry was smoking hot. Even the papaya salad served with it was so spicy. But really good. I’m just warning you to have a glass — or a pitcher — of water ready. 😝

Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice and Papaya Salad

Bellies full, bodies rested, we walked from our airport hotel to Terminal 2 of the domestic airport. In under 15 minutes, we’ve checked in and walked with the robot-sweeper towards our gate. Did I tell you we had a cute-sy budget airplane flying into Phuket? Lookee…..

Tags: Bangkok, Exotic Fruits, Family Travel, Food Trip, Fruits, Musings and Ramblings, Phuket, Thailand, Travel, Travels

Comment

Around The World at Terminal 21 (Bangkok)

Standard

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Travel, travels — 3 Comments

February 2, 2012

Bangkok. Think Grand Palace. Wat Po. Vimanmek Palace. Chao Phraya River. Floating Market. MBK. Jim Thomson. Oriental Hotel. Wat Arun. Pat Pong. Khao San. Chatuchak.

Wat Po. Just one temple this time. We skipped the rest!

After as many as 7 trips or so here, I have yet to venture out of the capital. Well, I have visited Ayutthaya if that counts. But that was just a day trip from the city. I’m thinking Chiang Mai. Or even Phuket. Ko Phi Phi. Hua Hin. Kanchanaburi. Chiang Rai. Not this time. Another time, is what I keep repeating to myself.

Golden Gate Bridge Crossing Terminal 21's Atrium : Impressive!

Inside Terminal 21

So what else is new in Bangkok? Stuck in the city, we checked out the newest shopping mall in the capital. (Thanks to Bing who brought us here) Terminal 21. No, it is not within the airport complex. But it does look like one. Located at Sukhumvit 21 (hence, Terminal 21) this shopping mall is connected with the BTS Asoke and MRT Sukhumvit Stations.

Carribean-themed floor is all about the beach and lighthouse!

Working on the theme of travel, Terminal 21 allows you to “travel” from San Francisco, USA to Istanbul, which is just an escalator away. As we entered the complex, we were greeted by this red and white lighthouse right smack in the middle of the atrium. This ground floor is where the supermarket is, replete with its Carribean beach decor. The signature shops are largely on the Paris and Rome-themed floors. Higher up, one finds the London-themed floor. You can’t mistake it, what with the lifesize red bus parked at some corner there. The Tokyo section is also quite popular. Many ladies had fun posing beside the sumo wrestler statues you find on that floor. 😉

A London Bus Parked in Terminal 21?

And then there’s Istanbul. And the fancy restrooms! No visit is complete without stopping by the modern restrooms. Think bidet, heated seat cover, air blower, etc. Cool! What’s more, there’s wifi all around the complex. So bring your laptop and check out the many food outlets here. Grab some lunch. Just take time to decide what to have. With all these different themes, it can be a chore choosing what to have for lunch. Happy time, happy thoughts to all!

Be warned. Old hags can have fun too!

An Array of Dining Choices Inside Terminal 21

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tags: Bangkok, Shopping, Terminal 21, Thailand

Comment

Food Porn in Bangkok

Standard

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Travel, travels — 10 Comments

January 19, 2012

Following a week in Bhutan, we chose to spend 3 nights in Bangkok. Stubborn us, we were hoping to visit Ayutthaya. No luck. After the floods, we decided against it and instead concentrated on this lively city. And its food 😉

I can't get enough of this mango salad!

Served at Novotel's Airport Hotel.

I’ve been to Bangkok several times in the past when I was still working. I have been to Ayutthaya myself, not too long ago. But my friend is visiting for the first time and she longed to see the old capital. Perhaps another time. After Bhutan, we were just too happy (and tired?) to be with old friends to relax and indulge ourselves. And how we did! On our way to Bhutan, we slept a night at Novotel Airport Hotel as we needed to be up early for the next day’s flight to Shangrila. Homeward bound, we broke our journey with 3 nights at the Pullman Hotel where we found our Manila travel buddies waiting for us.

With good old and not so old friends 😉

Reunited with Old Friends, Meeting New Ones

Our couple-friends and a niece with her 3 friends from Manila joined up with us in Bangkok. An ex-secretary now based in Bangkok hooked up with us too. The ex-sec I haven’t seen in over 20 years! Happy to see her after all this time. And very proud of her too!

Hot Pot Dinner With Fellow TravelBloggers Peter and Mari

It was also a chance to meet up with fellow bloggers Peter and Mari from my TravelBlog community. Peter and I are both Moderators in TravelBlog and feel we’re “old friends” after reading so much into our lives and the adventures we blogged about.

Those Thais Truly Excel in Food Presentation, don't they?

The Fish Is A Pretense At Eating Healthy 😉

Food Pornography

What a party. Which makes dining such serious business for this group. After all, Bhutanese cuisine pales miserably in comparison with Thai food. Well, come to think of it, I never complained about food in Bhutan — perhaps I even found it insignificant to deserve any mention — and that’s saying a lot coming from me. Looking back, my friend and I survived on mountain rice, Emma datse (chilis cooked with cheese, very spicy!) and momos or dumplings with cabbage and cheese fillings. I surprised myself (and my friend) when I ordered a burger and pasta at our hotel on the eve of our departure from Bhutan. You can guess what happened to that plate of spaghetti, right?

Bhutan's Momos or Dumplings Filled with Cabbage and Cheese Dipped in Chili Sauce! We survived on these!

Having convinced ourselves that we were “starved” in Bhutan, we looked at every Thai dish on the table as our well-deserved reward. Let the photos speak for themselves. But really, more than that, this last leg of my recent rip was a celebration of friendship.

You may also want to check out our visit of the famous Oriental Hotel by the banks of the Chao Phraya River where we tried Pierce Brosnan’s favorite Thaijito. Just click on this link.