Hostelling International Sukhumvit is one of the hostels in Bangkok getting high ratings from travelers who have stayed there. I’ve stayed there twice in 2009, and it’s getting high rating from me as well.

Watch out for this sign on Soi 38

The Sukhumvit area is called the embassy row — almost all of the embassies are located there (including the Philippine embassy). It’s also said that Sukhumvit is where backpackers go when they tire of Khao San Road. Sukhumvit is a very quiet neighborhood, and you can walk for a kilometer without anybody asking you if you want to go on a tuktuk ride or buy a fake Rolex. Though Sukhumvit is not exactly a central station, the BTS run along the main road, so it’s easy to get around without having to deal with Bangkok’s infamous traffic jams.
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I’ve no trips until the end of the month, so in order to have something to blog about, I’ll be writing reviews of accommodations, airlines and services that I’ve used in my travels last year. I figured now’s the time to do it, as people are making plans for their trips in the coming months. I hope you find these posts useful

This was my second stay at Shambara. I stayed there before, on my first trip to Thailand in 2006. Not a lot has changed: there are still only 9 rooms, the bathroom is still shared, footwear is still strictly not allowed inside, and it’s still always full.

Room 3

Shambara’s biggest appeal is its location: it’s in an alley off Khao San Road. If you’ve been to Bangkok or have researched about the city, you’d know that KSR is the backpacker’s hub. This is where most of the young and first time backpackers go to stay in Bangkok, because everything a traveler needs is in Khao San Road. Cheap accommodation? Check. Clothes and accessories? Check. Bootleg CDs and DVDs? Check. Foreign exchange and ATMs? Check. Pharmacy and convenience stores? Check. Travel agents offering cheap tour packages to Thailand’s islands and beaches? Check. Restaurants and bars serving Western food and cheap booze? Check. Thai street food? Check. McDonald’s, Starbucks and Apple Store? Check, check, check!
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You know I’m out of topics to blog about when I start posting my travel budget. This one is from my one-week trip to Thailand and Malaysia at the beginning of the month. The main purpose of the trip was for the tennis, but we ended up dollie shopping in Bangkok instead. I extended my trip to include a week in Penang, just because.

This trip is expensive, compared to my month-long trip back in June spanning five countries. However, it still came out cheaper than the budget I drew up when I was still planning for the trip. And this is the moment when I admit that I really cannot be a hardcore backpacker (that sounds sooo wrong). Haggling will never be my forte, and I will splurge whenever I can. And I will never stop buying doll clothes and books.

Shopping aside, the biggest expense in this trip was my 4-day stay at the Sunway Hotel in Georgetown. I needed to work during those four days, so I splurged on a hotel to ensure that I have a stable Internet connection. Ironically, the Internet at the guesthouse where I transfered to was much better. Hmp.
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I’m sitting here at Mango Tree at the Bangkok Airport, waiting for the overpriced Thai food that I ordered. Cheap food at Suvarnabhumi meant fast food, and I’m in no mood for Burger King today.

Pretty but overpriced airport food

I am leaving Bangkok today, alone once more. The girls took the red eye flight from Bangkok to Manila last night, giving them one whole day to spend in Bangkok and just enough time to shower before heading to work.
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Bangkok is evil. This is my third time in Thailand and I still can’t seem to leave unscathed. My wallet cries every time.

We love our toys so much, we take them with us when we travel. That’s my Sayuri and Caine with Cla’s Addie and Baby Treeson and Rotch’s Makoto.

Mind you, Bangkok isn’t an expensive place to travel in. In fact, it’s quite cheap. Public transport in Bangkok is pretty efficient, and if you opt to take a taxi, the fare isn’t all that expensive, especially if you’re traveling with a group.
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Continuing on with my post-trip series, here’s my travel expenses for Bangkok, Thailand. Like the previous post-trip accounting posts, this only include the land transfer coming into the country. Also, I did not include the costs for the doll things I hoarded in BKK.

For five days and four nights in a major city, this is a pretty cheap trip.
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I am writing this from within my sleeping berth inside train 35 — the international express train from Bangkok to Butterworth. We pulled out of Bangkok just a couple of minutes past 2:45pm, its scheduled departure time. Estimated time of arrival is 12:55pm, Malaysian time.

My THB 135 meal at MBK Food Court

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Bangkok is starting to become all too familiar now, and I can tell because aside from memorizing the BTS stations (and the train announcement spiel for each station), I’m not taking as much picture as I used to.
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