Click on the property name to view the listing on Airbnb, and take note of the date of stay. The property would have probably changed since then!

Green Oasis in Casablanca, Morocco

Date of stay: October 2011

Our first Airbnb experience! It’s a gorgeous house — one of those kinds that you see in magazines, and it looks exactly like it. We were unable to meet Christina, our host, but she made sure that we were taken care of.

Eleanna’s in Mykonos, Greece

Date of stay: October 2013

A cozy room in the center of Chora, the center of Mykonos. There were three of us staying in this space, and it was a good fit for us. There is a small kitchenette so we were able to prepare meals while we were there.

Semi-one Bedroom apartment in Bangkok, Thailand

Date of stay: October 2015

Booked this when I attended the Travel Blogger Exchange in Bangkok, which was held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. The room is quite big, spacious for one or two people staying there.

Highlight ideal location studio in Taipei, Taiwan

Date of stay: November 2017

An apartment inside a mid-rise building in Zhongshan. Roomy for two, but can feel cramped if there are more of you in the room. It’s walking distance to the Huangshan 1916 Creative Park, which was the main purpose of our trip.

Central Park Modern Suite in Melbourne, Australia

Date of stay: May 2019

A private room inside a high rise condominium right smack in the middle of the Melbourne CBD. The host lives in the other room, and we have access to the kitchen and was able to put stuff in the fridge. Our room also has an ensuite toilet, and its own TV.

Have you tried staying at an Airbnb property yet? You can get $20 off your first qualified booking if you sign up using my invite code!

Sayuri with Treeson, Ren, Ringo, Kyoko, and Loki

Seven years later, my interest in dolls and toys have waned, but my thirst for travel still remain. I do not regret getting into to toy collecting, because it was through that hobby that I found friends who love travel as much as I do.

This trip to Bangkok was prompted by a casual conversation about Thai food. While Cla and I were fondly reminiscing about the great street food we’ve had, Khursten was frustrated because on her first and only trip to the country, she had two bouts of food poisoning. We encouraged her to try it again, with us guiding her to our favorite Bangkok haunts.

Plane fares were quickly searched, checking all possible airlines that can give us the best price. We chanced upon a good deal on Christmas day, and that night, we all gave ourselves an extra gift for the season.

I became a solo traveler because it can be a huge pain waiting for people to join you for a trip. Though I like the freedom solo travel brings, I also enjoy getting to spend time with friends and sharing the experience. I’m so happy that I found people who share the same passion, and would agree to go places for the silliest reasons.

And with the silliest people. Ohai, Prez David.

Anonymous model wants to remain anonymous

Suvarnabhumi International Airport is huge, but despite its size, it’s virtually impossible to get lost because there are plenty of signs to point you to the right direction. As soon as we exit the arrival hall, we only had to look a couple of times to see signs to the Airport Link station. Located at the airport’s basement, this station serves both the Express and City lines of the SARL. There’s a ticket booth right in the middle of the huge station, the right side for tickets on the City line, the left for the Express.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Express serves only two stations: the airport and Makkasan, which connects you to Bangkok’s MRT system. The train is similar to that of Hong Kong’s and Kuala Lumpur’s airport express trains: comfortable plush seats with racks for your luggage. The ride takes only 15 minutes and costs THB 100 (THB 150 starting January 1, 2011).

Inside the Suvarnabhumi Airport Link Express Train

The Suvarnabhumi Airport City Line terminates at Phaya Thai, stopping at 6 stations, including Makkasan. The train for this line is similar to the BTS, and as stated in the article above, can get crowded during peak hours. The ride from Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi takes 30 minutes and costs THB 15 (THB 45 starting January 1, 2011).

Cla and I rode the Express line when we arrived on Friday night. We were staying at Old Charm Guesthouse, which happens to be just one station away from Phaya Thai, so taking the train would be our best airport transfer option. The ride to Makkasan was smooth and fast. The train’s waiting time was longer than the entire ride. We alighted at Makkasan, and were impressed at how the train station looked like an extension of the Suvarnabhumi airport. On the ground level, check-in counters are waiting for future airlines to set up shop. The City Line station is at the 3rd floor of the station. Since the Express line terminates at Makkasan, we had to transfer to go all the way to Phaya Thai (at no additional cost). The ride from Makkasan to Phayathai on the City Line only took about 5 minutes, even with the stop at Rajprarop Station.

I took the City Line all the way back to the airport on my last day. From the Old Charm, I rode the BTS from Ratchatewi to Phaya Thai, going out through Exit 5 of the Phaya Thai station to connect to the Airport Link station. I queue up to buy a ticket, and was surprised that a trip to Suvarnabhumi would only cost me THB 15. Definitely the cheapest I’ve ever paid for airport transfer. Though the distance between Phaya Thai, Rajprarop and Makkasan were covered in 2 minutes or less, the stations gets farther apart past Makkasan. The ride took only 30 minutes, as promised.

Waiting for the City Line train at the Makkasan station

As written in the CNNGo article, the airport link be cheap and fast, but it can pose some inconvenient problems for some travelers. This option is not really recommended for those traveling with plenty of luggage if you’re taking the City Line. There are no lifts in the City Line’s stations, only escalators. There’s also that added inconvenience if you’re connecting via the BTS or MRT, since they usually don’t have lifts either.

Still, the Bangkok Airport Link is a very much welcome addition to Thailand’s extensive rail line. For solo travelers like me, this is currently the best option for traveling to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Fernando Gonzalez, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro and Ernests Gulbis at the PTT Thailand Open 2010

Unfortunately, similar to last year, we weren’t able to watch Rafa play tennis in Bangkok. Last year, Nadal had to pull out of the competition because of his injury. Things are turning out much better this year: he’s in top form, winning the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. Rafa was already in Thailand when we arrived last Friday night, but he was still vacationing in Hua Hin, a popular weekend haven for Thais just 5 hour’s drive from Bangkok. According to reports from the Thai newspapers, Rafa won’t be playing until September 30, when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will formally open the tournament.

Nadal or no Nadal, Cla and I headed to the Impact Arena. The Qualifier round has started, and we were just in time to watch her favorite Tennis Twitterer, Dmitry Tursunov playing against Marinko Matosevic. While Cla is a huge tennis fan, I’m just in it for the Fedal. Still, it was a pretty interesting experience feeling the buzz and excitement of the people walking around the grounds making their way to the arena to watch the players or milling around hoping to catch a glimpse of their tennis idols.

We bought tickets to watch the game, THB 300 for the highest balcony. Whenever I chance upon tennis tournaments on TV, I always wonder if the people sitting at the very top of the bleachers are still able to see the players. I was surprised when we went inside that the arena isn’t all that big, even with two tennis courts. While the view from Section G wasn’t the best, Dmitry and Marinko weren’t tiny specks running to and fro either. Since it was just the Qualifier, the arena was practically empty. I’m guessing that as the Main Draw start, people will start trickling in, specially if it’s Rafa playing.

How can you not buy that shirt?

Dmitry won after two tie breaks, and as the two tennis players walk off the court, Cla and I were out of our seats and went back to exploring the grounds. As expected, there’s a number of booths selling tennis and other sports apparel and equipment. What caught our attention though was this booth selling souvenir t-shirts. White shirts with a very simple “I &heart; Nadal” was all it took to get us pulling out our wallets and handing over hard earned cash.

Outside the arena, Cla and I (and Prez David) had a blast taking pictures with the player’s standees. We know it’s absolutely silly, posing with cardboard cut outs, but that made it so much more fun than it should be. As soon as we stopped snapping pictures, a teenage girl took her place beside cardboard Rafa to have her picture taken.

While it seemed like this was another failed attempt at watching Rafael Nadal play in the Thailand Open, the trip was still one of the most fun I’ve taken in 2010. In every failure lies a lesson to be learned. We learned that it’d be better if we arrive on Thursday and catch the games on Friday or Saturday for the Main Draw, Quarter Finals and Semi Finals. Next year, we’ll perfect you, Thailand Open 2011.

Impact Arena

Going to Bangkok this week and interested to watch the Thailand Open? Daily game schedule are posted on the PTT Thailand open website, while tickets can be bought online at Thai Ticket Major. You can also buy tickets on site. Watch out for scalpers though!

The Impact Arena is located in the Nonthaburi province of Thailand. The easiest way to get there is to ride the BTS Skytrain to Mo Chit station then ride the Impact Link shuttle. From the BTS, go down Exit 4. When you reach street level, make a U-turn and continue walking until you pass a gate that leads to a huge parking lot. Look for the Impact Link stop (I think it’s Number 1 — best to ask around as all the signs are in Thai). There’s a shuttle every 30 minutes. The drive to Impact takes approximately 30 minutes and costs THB 30 each. You will be dropped off in front of Impact Challenger. Just cross the street to the Impact Exhibition Hall then walk to the right to get to the Impact Arena.

I &heart; Nadal!

Love Nadal? Get a chance to win this I &heart; Nadal shirt! It comes with a matching pin and Thailand Open 2010 postcards featuring Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin del Potro and Ernests Gulbis. All you need to do is post a comment with your answer to this question: Who is your favorite tennis player of all time? Contest will run from September 28 – October 3, 2010. Winner will be picked through a random drawing through Random.org’s Randomizer. This contest is open to Philippine residents only.

Bangkok has gone back to normal. Save for the gutted buildings, there were no signs that this was a city that has been paralyzed by the red shirts a month ago. The malls are open again, the BTS taking people from one end of the city to another.

I originally planned to stay for the weekend, but when Air Asia had their zero-fare sale, the June 27 departure was cheaper than June 26. Of course, whatever amount I saved on the airfare and accommodation was used up to buy a several cute things, including the most awesome wedding gift for a friend *evil laugh*

I know of three more people who was at Bangkok the same time that I was, and all our updates were the same: shopping in BKK is simply the best. Bangkok is well on their way to economic recovery, I see.

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.

HI Sukhumvit is located in Sukhumvit Soi 38, a street of the main Sukhumvit road. It’s actually tucked in a smaller street, just 100 meters from the entrance of the street. The nearest BTS station is Thong Lo.

Room 205

The hostel has five floors, the fifth being the roof deck, where there’s a common lounge room, sun beds and the laundry facilities. The rooms range from female and mixed dorms, single and double rooms, and rooms with ensuite toilet and bath. There is no elevator in the hostel, so be sure that you can comfortably carry your luggage up a flight of stairs if you’re staying here. Each floor has a shared toilet and shower. The housekeeping staff are always around ensuring that the toilet is kept clean and there’s toilet paper available.

During my first stay at HI Sukhumvit, I booked a single room. Due to the guest extending his stay, they gave me a double room for the price of the single room. The room was big enough for two people without bumping to each other. The bed was comfortable and the pillows were soft and fluffy. There was a clothes rack for drying wet towels or clothes and a small dresser for your toiletries. There’s also a side table and a lamp, which is great if you’re going to read before sleeping.

Rooftop lounge area

The second time I stayed there, I stayed for one night in a 4-bed dorm room that I shared with the tennis girls. It’s roughly the same size of the double room, with two bunk beds and four people. The beds are comfortable enough, but I’m glad that the pillows are the same soft and fluffy kind as they have in the double rooms.

One of the things you may not like about HI Sukhumvit is the aircon policy. There was a note at the door saying that air conditioning is only available between 6pm to 11am. The aircon is not centralized, so I’m not sure if they really monitor the usage of the air conditioning in every room. This can be terribly inconvenient if you’re staying the whole day at the hostel, but if you’re going to be out the whole day sightseeing and shopping, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Get a tan in the middle of the city

Wi-fi internet is available to guests for free THB100 for the entire duration of your stay. In the website, they said that wi-fi is only available on the ground floor, but from experience, the signal can reach up to certain rooms on the 3rd floor (the rooms on the left side of the stairs as you come up). I was able to access the internet on my rooms at the 2nd and 3rd floor (though signal is sometimes choppy and I had to resort to put my laptop on the floor for optimal signal strength), but I wasn’t able to get any signal on our dorm room on the 3rd floor. There are also desktop computers you can use if you don’t have a laptop, but they charge for usage. They turn off the Internet at midnight though, so better keep that in mind if you need go online.

On the ground floor, there’s a dining table where you can have your meals or work on your laptop. There’s a small area with a collection of books that other travelers have left and a variety of magazines and board games. There’s also a cable tv, and an outside seating area where you can smoke. Also on the ground floor is a small room under the stairs where you can leave your luggage before check-in or after check-out, and a kitchen where you can prepare and cook your meals. There’s also a huge map of Thailand and Bangkok to help you plan your trip within the country. There are also suggested itineraries, and the reception can help you book tours to popular tourist attractions around Bangkok.

Sukhumvit Soi 38 nightly food market

What endeared us the most with HI Sukhumvit was the nightly food market. Every day at 5pm, hawkers would set up their stalls along Sukhumvit Soi 38 and cook up some of the best Thai food at very cheap prices. The food served here aren’t the type that is made for tourists; these are Thai food cooked for Thais. Though HI Sukhumvit is just down the street, majority of the people who eat here are Thais who live and work near the area. Ming, my Thai friend who lives in Bangkok, says that after a long night of dancing and drinking at the clubs, Soi 38 is where Thailand’s partyphiles go. Everything that we ate at Sukhumvit Soi 38’s night market was good, but our favorite was the pad thai from the stall with the long lines (it’s at the first corner from Sukhumvit, on the right side of the road) and the mango with sticky rice on the opposite side of the road.

The high rating and glowing recommendations that HI-Sukhumvit has been getting were well deserved. The hostel is not perfect – it’s not wheelchair friendly, the reception is only open from 7am to 12 midnight, the aircon policy. However, it has a lot to offer that makes up for its shortcomings. Will I stay in HI Sukhumvit again? Definitely.

Hostelling International Sukhumvit
23, Soi Sukhumvit 38, Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2391 9338 to 9
Fax: +66 (0) 2391 9339
E-mail: info@hisukhumvit.com
Website: www.hisukhumvit.com

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!

Basically, if you want to meet other backpackers and party until sun up, you go to Khao San Road. Of course, the problem with party places is that it can get really noisy at night, which is bad if you need to get some sleep for your early flight to Krabi. That’s where Shambara is at an advantage. Since it’s in an alley, KSR is close enough that you’re literally just a few steps away from the party, yet far enough not to hear it in your room.

Shambara’s common area

Another great thing about staying in Khao San Road is that it’s near some of the main tourist attractions of Bangkok: The Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). The first three are just one bus ride away, while Wat Arun requires a ferry ride across the Chao Phraya River. For me, that’s another appeal of staying at Khao San: the Chao Phraya River express. When I’m feeling cheap and not too lazy to walk to the ferry stop, I’d take the river express down to Sathorn station, where I board the BTS going to the malls. Though it’s much easier and the route’s much direct if I take a cab, I like the novelty of riding the ferry down the river. Also, I don’t have to deal with the terrible Bangkok traffic.

Oh wait, I’m supposed to be writing about Shambara. The room I got on my last trip was so identical to the room I stayed in before. Actually, I think it IS the same room I had before: single room with aircon. As I said in my previous review, the room is just right for one person. There’s enough room for my mess, and I love that there was a small side table for my phones, medicine and bottled water (I was sick when I stayed there last June). There was a narrow ladder-like thing for hanging clothes and an electrical socket for electronics.

Save for that missing jalousie panel on my window, the room was still the same shape as the last time I slept there. Surprisingly, after 3 years, Shambara still looks and feel the same. I love it. There are places that seemed so different and depressing after just a year, so it was great to find out that Shambara has kept the quality of their boutique hostel.

Al fresco dining at Shambara

Since I stayed longer last June, I was able to try eating at Shambara’s restaurant. They had an outdoor and indoor dining area. While al fresco dining seemed like such a quaint idea in the late afternoon or in the evening when there’s mood lighting, there are mosquito and other insects that come from the trees and plants. They put mosquito coils, but if your blood’s really tasty to them bloodsuckers, be sure to slather a healthy amount of repellent before heading there for dinner. The food was good, though not spectacular. It’s pretty pricey, specially since there are plenty of cheaper and better alternatives in Bangkok. If you love pulp though, I suggest you try their fresh orange juice. It’s like 90% pulp, 10% juice.

If you want to stay in the Khao San Road area, I highly recommend staying at Shambara. However, if you ask me where to stay in Bangkok without specifying a locale, I would recommend a different place.

Edited January 19, 2010 (forgot to write about Shambara’s services)

Shambara advertises that they have wi-fi in the guesthouse. When I was there, however, I was told the hostel’s Internet was in the fritz, therefore no-wifi for the guests. It was just as well, because it turns out, there’s an additional fee for wi-fi access (and only for a limited time).

They also offer a laundry service — THB 150 for a load of laundry. I find that this is too pricey, specially if you don’t have that many clothes. Better to take your laundry to the laundry shops.

Shambara Boutique Hostel and Restaurant
138 Khao San Road
Bangkok
+66-2-282-7968
+66-1-839-5155
+66-1-828-2970
Website: www.shambarabangkok.com

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.

Yesterday was epic. Among the four of us, Cla was the only first timer in Bangkok, and she wasn’t in the mood for temple-hopping. That leaves the tennis and the shopping, and since Nadal pulled out, we were all for dollie shopping.

We woke up relatively early, and since they already packed their bags the night before, we took our time getting ready. We did not have breakfast at the hostel; instead we went up to the rooftop to take pictures of our dolls. Of course, what’s a trip with dollie friend without taking time to take photos of our toys? Like me, Rotch and Rael brought Pinky Street dolls — Makoto (The Girl Who Leapt through Time) and Pucci (Kira Kira DS Game). Cla brought her pink Baby Treeson and Addie, a Dal. As always, I have Sayuri (Sumire) with me, along with Caine (Range Murata).

Group pic! In the instax: Rael, me, Rotch and Cla

After checking out of HI-Sukhumvit, we headed to MBK for brunch, and for the girls to leave their bags before we head out for some major shopping. Our main destination was Chatuchak, to go back to the doll stores we stumbled upon last Saturday and to look for the shop we initially set out to find (but didn’t because I forgot to check the address of the store). However, we knew Chatuchak would be too hot during the early afternoon, so we arranged our itinerary so it would be our last stop before heading back to MBK.

We headed to Chinatown first. I took them to the doll shop I discovered last June, and Cla went crazy buying stuff that we don’t easily get in Manila. I already had my fill of this store from my last trip, and I was content to just stand back and watch them shop. I was actually saving my money for the stores in Chatuchak. From Chinatown, we headed back to the city center by taxi. The great thing about traveling with a group is that you get to split the cost of the taxi. Depending on the time of day, it is much cheaper to travel by taxi in Bangkok if you’re traveling with friends. Taking the BTS Skytrain from Thong Lor (where the hostel is) to National Stadium (where MBK is) would have cost us 30 baht each. The same distance cost 73 baht in light traffic in the taxi, and when divided by four, only cost us 17.50 baht each.

Shooting with Instax at HI-Sukhumvit’s rooftop

We had the taxi driver take us to Central World, where Rotch bought her Liverpool training bag. We savored the airconditioning inside the mall, and took advantage of the clean restrooms. We had some cool drinks at the central food hall before heading back out to the street. We walked to the Siam BTS station, where we took the train to Morchit. It was past 3 o’clock in the afternoon when we arrived at Chatuchak, and it was still pretty hot and very crowded. We pretty much cut through the huge weekend market to get to the Chatuchak Plaza, where the doll store is. Armed with our Chatuchak map and the address of the store, we found Monae Glow without much problem. They had two stores in Zone A, Soi 7, right across each other. One is where most of the doll accessories are sold, the other where the actual dolls are on display and for sale, along with more clothes and their area for making custom dolls. The prices in the shops at Chatuchak are more expensive than in Chinatown, but they offer more choices, more brands and generally better clothes.

After paying for the clothes, we continued walking down Soi 7 until we emerged in the street fronting the JJ Mall. We entered the mall, going up to the 2nd floor where the Bambino shop is. Aside from selling rare and regular release Pullips, Dals and Taeyangs, they also sell Momokos, J-dolls and Obitsu bodies, a great replacement body for doll’s stock bodies. What’s great about these stores in Chatuchak is that they are run by collectors, so they really know their dolls and they know which clothes sell, and which clothes fit a particular doll. We left the mall satisfied, and walked back to the Chatucak weekend market for some souvenir shopping. It was past 5 o’clock already, and the sun was setting. It wasn’t as hot as when we arrived, making the walk back to the train station much more pleasant. Rotch, Rael and Cla ended up shopping again, this time for human clothes. We were all impressed by the range of clothing found at the market, and they all walked off with a shirt or two.

Because sometimes, you just have to do the touristy stuff. Forget Ronald McDonald, it’s Geoffrey the Giraffe for me.

We were quiet in the train back to the city, all of us exhausted. They had one more shopping to do at MBK, for Thai snacks to give to family and friends in Manila. Another round of packing was done, rearranging their things to fit everything into their bags. We had one last dinner together at the MBK food court, with Rotch and Cla facing one of the many TV scattered around the food court, engrossed with the football game. It seems they weren’t the only fans around — when Arsenal scored a goal, one section of the food court let out a loud cheer.

At 8 o’clock, we parted ways. Them walking to the taxi stand, me back to the BTS. I had one last stop before heading back to the hostel — Kinokuniya at Siam Paragon. After years of refusing to read The Beach by Alex Garland, I finally gave in and picked up a copy. It was ironic because throughout my travels, I’ve been seeing this book in stores and hostels, but when I wanted to buy it, there weren’t any copies in Manila. I’ve already started reading the book last night and I was quickly engrossed. The story started in Bangkok, and it was rather fitting that I also started reading it in Bangkok.

Waiting for the next flight out

Richard, the main character of the book left Bangkok almost as soon as he arrived, and it felt the same for us in this trip. He left Bangkok in search for a beach. And I’m… well, I’m just leaving.

P.S. Thank you British Airways first class lounge for leaving your wi-fi unsecured.

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.

Good food is plentiful in Thailand, and for as low as 50 baht, you can get a plate of the best pad thai with 5 plump shrimp. For 30 baht more, you can get a plate of 10 chicken satay. For dessert, how about a plate of the most amazing mango and sticky rice for only 60 baht?

What pwns us in Bangkok is the shopping. Many would rave about the cheap clothes and accessories in Bangkok, but for Rotch, Cla and I, it’s all about the dolls. Last June, I stumbled upon dollie heaven in Yaowarat (Chinatown). This time, we found utopia in Chatuchak Mall.

Super realistic looking doll shoes for Taeyangs. They’re pretty expensive, but they’re very detailed.

It was funny, really. We headed out to this huge weekend market and surrounding shopping areas, without any clue as to where this dolly shop that Cla was able to find on Flickr. With Rotch leading the way, we went through the weekend market to the Chatuchak Plaza and eventually into Chatuchak Mall, where we found this store specializing in Pullips, Dals and Taeyangs — a rarity in a city so enamored with Blythe.

With mouths agape, we looked over their collection, many of which are rares that we only read about online, never seen in person. Right next to the store is another shop specializing in different doll accessories. There are clothes not only for Blythes, but also for Pullips, Dals and Taeyangs as well. There are even Momokos for sale for a fraction of the cost, and even a Ru Paul doll (99% plastic, 1% woman).

Best mango and sticky rice ever! This is from the stall in Sukhumvit Soi 38’s night market.

Tomorrow we’re going on another mission. I’m taking the girls to Chinatown, to that store with doll clothes (though the selection isn’t as huge, the price is lower there), and we’re headed back to Chatuchak to look for the store we initially intended to visit.

Bangkok may have pwned our budget, but if it’s anything to do with dollies, we welcome this pwnage.

For five days and four nights in a major city, this is a pretty cheap trip.

The path that leads to the ITF Market

After lunch, I walked down the length of Silom road towards Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road to look for the street that leads to the ITF Market. I took photos of the landmarks for future reference. If you want to go to this market, it’s on Silom Soi 10. Photos taken, I walk towards the intersection and crossed the road to get on a taxi that will take me to Yaowarat, or Chinatown.

I was back in Mangkorn street, buying up some dollie stuff. It’s rather unfortunate that I found this doll shop, because after discovering the store, I’ve no interest in exploring Bangkok’s Chinatown more. After making my purchase, I went back out to Yaowarat Road and hailed a taxi to Central World. I initially wanted to walk towards the Chao Phraya River and take the river express to Thong Sala, but it started drizzling, and I don’t want to get soaked while lost in the middle of Chinatown.

Just how big is Blythe in Thailand? They have hair product boxes featuring the dolls. And they don’t even grow hair.

Of course, taking the taxi meant enduring the traffic. This is the second taxi ride I’ve had since I arrived from Vientiane. The taxi ride then was fast, as the roads were pretty much deserted. Though the ride from Silom to Chinatown was fairly good, traffic was quite heavy when we reached Yaowarat Road. It was traffic going out as well, and even more so when we were nearing the Siam area.

The reason I wanted to go back to Central World is to check out the doll items they have for sale and to look for a pad thai mix. My sister-in-law is requesting that I cook pad thai while I’m staying with them in Singapore. I did find a mix, but the only one available is in a bottle. I can secure the bottle inside my backpack with some clothes to protect it from getting smashed, but I don’t want to risk it. Seems like I’ll just have to find the mix in Singapore. I didn’t buy any doll stuff in Zen world either. The prices of the things they have for sale are much more expensive than the ones being sold in Chinatown. However, they also have items that I didn’t see in Chinatown, so if you’re in the lookout for Blythe clothes in Bangkok, Zen World is a good place to start.

Soi Philippines

I went back to the hostel, and after dropping my things and changing into more comfortable clothes, I headed back down to the street for an early dinner. However, before I sat down to eat, I walked around the neighborhood first. Well, I just wanted to see the Philippine Embassy, actually. It was a fair walk to the embassy, and I was tickled to see it in the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Soi Philippines. I crossed the road to walk back to Soi 38. At one crossing, I was wondering why people are all standing up at attention, and why one side of the road was completely empty. A patrol car drove past, followed by a black car with very dark tint, and a couple more cars. As soon as the last car passed, everybody started moving again. Must be somebody very very important.

I stopped by the chicken rice stall I had dinner at the other night and had it with fried chicken. The whole day I’ve been wondering about my plans for Malaysia. I’ve initially planned on staying until the end of June, but as my trip progresses, the date to go back to Singapore has been moving backwards. First I thought I’d go back on the 29th, so I can rest on the 30th before going back to work on July 1st. Then I thought 27th might be better, so I’d also have time to go to the places I planned to visit on Day 1. Now, I’m currently settled on June 26th. It’s my sister-in-law’s birthday, and to celebrate, the family will be spending the weekend at a hotel. I figured that’s the best time for me to go back to Singapore, so I can quarantine myself while they’re away. The problem now is.. how to I cram a trip to Malaysia in just 7 days?

My 115 baht brunch

Eating noodles and rice at the same time is hardly ever a good idea, since it can be very filling. I walked around the mall for a bit to somehow ease my very full tummy. After some aimless wandering, I decided to head out back to the BTS to go to Siam Paragon to watch a movie. As I was walking on the bridge that connects the mall to the station, I ran into Dino of Columbia Sportswear. He was vacationing in Thailand with his wife and they highly recommend going to Ayutthaya. Hrm. Too bad I scrapped that idea since I’ve decided to go with a tour, but it turns out the travel agent don’t offer the day tour at this time. Now I’m too lazy to go on my own.

The great thing about Siam Paragon is that it’s located right next to the BTS station. Like MBK, they have their own bridge that connect the station to the mall. I head to the fifth level, where the cineplex is and headed straight to the ticket booth. I got there just past 1:30pm, just as the movie was starting. It was too late to go in, and the next screening was for VIP. So I was stuck with nothing to do until the 3:30 show.

Jenny clothes and voodoo doll

I go down to the third floor to Kinukuniya. Afterwards, I headed into the department store, and quickly regretted it. It was full of cute things that you just want to buy everything. I was able to successfully restrain myself, until I got to the toy section, where I saw some Takara Jenny dolls and clothes for sale. There wasn’t many, but the fact that there’s Takara Jenny right there in the department store was very impressive. They also have other Japanese toy brands like Tomy (they have different variations of the Kurohige kikiipatsu game, except the limited Hard Gay version). I pick up one Jenny costume set and went off to look for more things. Just a few steps away from the toys, I came upon another great find: a voodoo doll. I’ve been itching to buy one of these, mostly because when I saw one being sold in Manila, I didn’t buy it, but when I was ready to buy, it was gone. It was a cute ex-lover version, and it’d make a great gift for a friend who’s very bitter about love.

Paragon Cineplex popcorn and soda

I make my way down to the supermarket to look for some snacks. There were plenty to choose from, and the range of products available is really impressive. I ended up with just one box of Pocky though, and made my way back up to the 5th level. On my way up, I came upon some car showrooms. Sports cars from BMW, Jaguar, Porche and even Lamborghini are on display right there on the 2nd floor. Wow.

Paragon Cineplex lobby

Back on the 5th floor, I sat in one of the many comfy seats outside the cineplex to wait for 3:30pm. At the strike of 3pm, I buy a bucket of popcorn and a huge tumbler of soda and made my way to the theatre. However, when I got there, the attendant told me that we can’t come in for another 30 minutes. As it turns out, the time on the schedule isn’t the time of the start of the movie, but the time when the doors open. The movie didn’t really start until almost 4pm. There were a couple of movie previews, and just before the movie starts, a music video-ish thing featuring life in the Thai countryside starts, with a painter painting a portrait of the king showing every so often. After that, there was a someting written in Thai, and people around me stood up. I stood up as well, and it seems like it was a music video of a hymn of some sort for the King of Thailand.

Plush theatre seats

Up, Disney and Pixar’s latest collaboration, was a lovely movie. It’s made even better with the plush chairs inside the Siam Pavalai or the Grand Royal Theatre of the Paragon Cineplex. The chairs were a deep red, and reclines a bit when you lean back. The theatre was huge and beautifully decorated. It was cold inside, but it’s not the arctic-like temperature we have inside the theatres in Manila. This was another 160 baht well spent.

Sukhumvit Soi 38 nightly food market

After the movie, I head back to the BTS to go back to the hostel. I wanted to catch the nightly food market while there’s still light out and before it starts to rain again. The stalls are already set up when I arrived around 6pm. After leaving my things in my room, I head back down for an early dinner. I passed a stall advertising Japanese pizza (okonomiyaki), and though I miss eating okonomiyaki, I went for the stall selling crispy fried pork instead.

Thai orange juice

There was a printed menu posted on the stall’s window with a picture of the dish, the price, and the name in both Thai and English. I point to the dish I wanted, and settled down on a table right on the road. The shop owner delivered my food, and asked if I was Filipino. I said yes and asked how he knew. “Filipino and Thai, same same,” he said. “But Filipino no speak Thai.” I guess there must have been plenty of other Filipinos who has eaten here, specially since the Philippine Embassy is nearby.

Crispy fried pork with egg over rice

The pork was fried perfectly: the skin is crispy, yet the meat is tender enough. It comes slathered with sauce that went pretty good with the pork and the rice, though you can also try the other condiments available. I had my simple dinner with a bottle of fresh Thai orange juice that I bought from a stall at the BTS station, and my left over bottle of water from my brunch at MBK. What more can I say? It was another great dinner for only 50 baht. I love this place.

Cooking pad thai

The first order of the day, is to go online. It was lucky that I did because I got an e-mail from Ming, inviting me to lunch near his office in Silom. I quickly replied back and we made plans to meet outside his building at 11:30am. I dilly-dallied online some more, before finally prying myself in front of the computer to get ready for lunch.

Silom was about thirty minutes on the BTS. From Sukhuvit, I boarded the train at Thong Lo station in the Sukhumvit line, got off at Siam station to change to the Silom line, and got off at the Saladaeng station. I underestimated my travel time, and I was 10 minutes late. Lunch don’t really start until 12 noon, but there was a reason Ming wanted to meet up early.

The finished product: YUM

We walked down Silom and crossed the street, going into this small street lined with stalls selling food and other items an office worker might need. We came upon a market that has stalls selling clothes and other goods in one section, and great Thai food in the other. This market is one of the places frequented by office workers from around the Silom are. Like most food courts in Thailand, each stall has its own specialties. Some specializes in noodles soups, chicken rice, roast duck, and of course, pad thai. After checking out the food offered by the stalls, we settled on pad thai and oyster cake.

Oyster/seafood cake

It was a joy watching the guy cooking the pad thai and the oyster cake. He had this big gridle and a pair of spatulas with long handles. Ming ordered pad thai with shrimp, and the guy put a bit of batter in the griddle, then put the shrimp on top. To cook the pad thai, he cracks open an egg, and in one fluid motion, he has the egg on the griddle and with a flick off the wrist, the shell goes flying into the waste bucket on the floor. He breaks the yolk and swirls it around a bit, then put the noodles on top of the egg. Then, he folds the egg, like it was an omelet, scoops it up to put in a plate and places the shrimp on top. The ingredients for the garnish are on the side table, and you just pick whatever you want to go with your noodles. It was the same with the oyster cake. He’d put a batter on the griddle, then add the seafood. Let it cook for a bit before flipping, then brown it just enough before scooping it out to put to a plate.

Bagoong Fried Rice

Both the pad thai and the oyster/seafood cake was divine. It was seasoned just rigth, and it was a great meal for someone who’s not really into spicy food. To go with the meal, I had a very cold glass of Thai milk tea, perfect for the venue, since it can get pretty warm inside. Lunch wasn’t over yet though, and Ming ordered two more plate, this time, two kinds of rice. I said I wanted to try the shrimp paste rice, since it’s reminiscent of home, so Ming got one plate of that. He also bought a plate of curry rice that comes with chicken and this yummy jelly-like sauce. Both items were another hit.

Curry rice with chicken

Still, lunch wasn’t over, and we headed to the market’s annex where Ming’s favorite noodle shop was. I was already full, but I’m interested to try this noodle that a lot of other Thais seem to be so fond of. Ordering can be a bit tricky though, as you’re supposed to write down your order in a piece of paper provided in each table. It has to be written not just in the Thai language, but also in their script. There’s a bit of a wait for our soup, as the shop’s area was crowdeed. The first to come to our table though, was this unimpressive bowl of pork bones and shredded meat. One sip of the broth and I was hooked. It was just a simple broth made of pork spine, boiled for several hours and seasoned only with a bit of salt and pepper. The taste is purely meat. The bits of pork that was in the broth were all so tender and packed with flavor.

Yummiest broth ever

Soon, the bowls of noodle soup arrived. In this shop, Ming said, you can customize your bowl: you can choose what kind of noodles you want (or none if you prefer), what kinds of fishballs to put in, the kind of soup. The soup base was the delicious broth. The other variation to this was the red soup, which has some ingredient that turned it red and gives it a different flavor. The fishballs were also quite good. Each one was different, and each has its distinct flavor.

Red soup without noodles, so it gets more veggies.

The best thing about this lunch? Each plate only cost around 40 baht.

I was so full from lunch that I wanted to do nothing more but to take a nap. I scrapped the plan to watch a movie, and headed back to the hostel. I didn’t nap, though. I went up to the 5th floor, and loaded my laundry in the hostel’s coin operated washing machine. The receptionist said a load usually takes 40 minutes, so I set my phone’s alarm clock and went down to go online. Of course, the problem when I go online is that when my alarm goes off, I just press snooze. I eventually made it back up to the laundry area after an hour, and was surprised that one of the housekeepers hanged up my now clean clothes to dry. That was really sweet. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was going to rain. I let my clothes dry some more, before taking it off the clothes rack and bringing it down to my room to dry.

Soup with noodles and fish ball

The wind was blowing pretty hard at the rooftop, though you can hardly feel it inside the hostel. Soon, rain started pouring in earnest, which ruined my plans of going to the street’s night food market to take photos. Every evening, various food stalls set up at the entrance of Soi 38. They offer good and cheap food for those living and working in the area. This is a great perk for staying at HI-Sukhumvit. The rain didn’t let up until past 8, and it was only until 9pm that I was finally able to get out of the hostel for dinner. For only 50 baht, I had a great chicken rice meal and a bottle of water. I’m so happy I found this hostel!

A lovely welcome at HI Sukhumvit

He drove and drove, and we started joking that this songthaew is our ride all the way to Bangkok. It turns out that it would just drive us to the border, where the bus is waiting. We alighted at passport control, and there were signs that we had to pay the exit fee. Most of us in the group didn’t know about it, and we were all wondering how much it is, since there are none written in the signs. The Canadian girl who was ahead of me in line paid 20 baht, since she’s out of kip. When my turn came, I asked how much, and was shown the 2,500 kip printed in the ticket. I did a quick math, and something doesn’t seem right…

We were guided to the place where the bus was parked. It was the standard double decker bus, but this had the uhm, most interesting design. Santa Claus and his reindeers were painted along the side of the bus. Things got even more interesting when it got dark and red and green lights flooded the interiors. There were even lights under the bus.

View from the top

We waited for 30 minutes for other passengers. Once they have settled in their seats, we drove over the Friendship bridge towards the border in Nong Khai. We were in Nong Khai for another 30 minutes or so, waiting for everybody to clear immigration (including the bus crew who seem to have taken a lot of time there). We boarded the bus again, and by 7:30pm, we are back on the road. We had yet another stop for dinner. Dinner was included in the bus ticket, and it was pretty much just an eat-all-you-can fried rice. Drinks are not included, so you’d need to buy your own from the restaurant. The dinner stop was only for 30 minutes, and as soon as that 30 minute was up, we were headed south.

Like most long-distance buses, the VIP bus had a TV on board. It had a 30+ inch LCD TV. The movie for the night was Fast and the Furious and the Star Trek movie. The FF movie was in English with terrible English subtitles, while the Star Trek was one of the better quality shot-from-inside-the-cinema videos. I’m not sure if that’s how the actual movie was, but the dialogues during the first part doesn’t seem to be English at all. I got frustrated and tuned it out by listening to my happy music on my Walkman phone. Oddly enough, the dialogues of the movie became English after a while.

It was so ironic that the one time that I had to take the night bus, I hardly got any sleep. The bus was really comfortable though, and I had two seats to myself, but I for some reason, sleep eluded me (even if I hardly slept the night before). I kept turning around in my seat, finding a comfortable position, but failed miserably. I was able to doze off little by little, but by 4am, I looked out the window and was surprised to see that we were nearly in Bangkok. The poster for the VIP bus said that the arrival in Khao San Road is at 6am, and I was counting on that since my hostel’s reception doesn’t open until 7am.

It’s traffic in Bangkok any day of the week

We arrived at Khao San just a few minutes before 5am. Walking down the lenght of the street, there were still plenty of people in the streets, drinking. I walk past them, towards Centre Point Plaza, where I go for Internet in the area. I knew it was open 24-hours, so I figured it’d be a good place to pass the time. Two hours and 80 baht poorer later, I make my way out into the sunshine to grab a cab that would take me to Sukhumvit.

There were plenty of taxis waiting along Khao San road. One driver asked where I was going, and I showed him my map to Hostelling International Sukhumvit. He said 300 baht, and I quickly said no and walked away. I heard him muttering, mocking me and saying “Too much? How much do you want? One baht?” I’ve been here several times, mister. For that price, I can already go all the way to the airport. I walk to Tanao road, where I know I can hail taxis that would use the meter. True enough, I get one with a driver that automatically turns on the meter, even if it was evident that I was a tourist. I showed him the directions given by the hostel, and we were off. Since it was early morning on a Sunday, there were hardly any traffic, save for some areas. We were averaging at 70 km/h, and 30 minutes later, we were at Sukhumvit Soi 38. The meter reads 115 baht, less than half of the 300 baht the other taxi driver was asking.

The hostel was already open, but my room wasn’t available yet. They let me stow my luggage in the storage and I was directed to the 5th floor rooftop common area where I can take a nap while waiting for the guest who is using the room I booked to check out. The rooftop had a view of the Bangkok skyline, and there are plenty of seats so you can hang around, as well as a couple of mats for sleeping or lounging. Unfortunately, this is also where the washing machines are, so there are some guests who go up here to use the machines or the staff who are doing the housekeeping. There’s also the din from the traffic below, but it wasn’t as loud as the daily traffic noise that I had to sleep through back at home. I was able to get a couple of hour’s nap before I headed down to check the status of my room, and to freshen up before heading out to meet Mikoy and his friends.

Rainbow over Bangkok

Mikoy is one of the Couchsurfers I met at the walking tour of the Chinese and La Loma Cemetery. That time, we had been talking about our plans on visiting Cambodia and Thailand. Luckily, he read my entry yesterday about heading back to Bangkok, and left a comment that they’re also in BKK and would love to meet up. I quickly sent a text, and got a prompt reply, even at six in the morning. After a couple of misses, we were finally able to meet up at Central World. It was so great to see some familiar faces and hear stories about their own travel. I swear, Mikoy should get the best haggler award.

Today was a particularly good day, even if I was feeling a bit sluggish due to lack of sleep. It was great to reconnect, and meet new people. Plus, I love my current hostel. My room is lovely. The single room I booked was re-booked again by its current occupant, so I got a double room for the price of a single room. It’s the most expensive room I’ve had so far, but it’s worth it. The room is clean, the toilet and bath are shared, but they’re also spic and span. There’s a kitchen where you can cook simple meals or just keep take away food in the fridge. And, it’s a comfortable walking distance from the BTS station. Sukhumvit is a place I haven’t really explored in Bangkok, so it’s great to have a new place to discover. After all, I’m stuck here in Bangkok until Thursday.

Still, it was a weekend well spent. I spent Friday night going to where the locals go, thanks to Ming, and Sunday, I discovered where to buy dollie clothes and accessories in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Damnit, it’s hard not to shop in Bangkok!