Before Australia

One last coffee before take-off. Next stop : Australia....

   

                                                      Photo Credit : Safeena Joshua

Bangkok

That lady..

Sawadee ka Bangkok...

    Be sure to check my previous posts :
Wat Pho & Wat Arun , Grand Palace , The Golden Mount, Chatuchak Market , Khao San Road and D&D Inn, Happy Birthday G !

    Everyone knows Bangkok has been a a popular tourists destination. Great place to party, eat, shop, with some amazing temples, few hours beaches getaway , just a good start to begin your South East Asia big tour. It is no surprises things are pretty cheap there, from the street food, transportation, accommodation, until shopping paradise. Spend  around $20 – 30 a day, you can get delicious Thai food and beers, stay in a clean and comfy backpackers hostel, sightseeing to Grand Palace, etc. While the living cost in Bangkok almost similar with Jakarta, I still find it “wowww” to find summer dresses under $10 and Mango sticky rice and pad thai for only 30 THB. So yeah, overall I was very happy to choose Bangkok as a weekend getaway / birthday trip.

     Speaking about budget, I brought $180 or 5454 THB for 4 days 3 nights in Bangkok.Spent one night in D & D Inn Khao San Road, then the next day moved to Mode Sathorn Hotel in Surasak area with my friend. ( PS : Thanks Yasmin and all the great staff in Mode Sathorn Hotel for a sweet birthday treat )
     My heart melted when I walked into Mode Sathorn Hotel managed by Siam@Siam located in front of Surasak BTS Station. A very chic and modern hotel , with fashionable rooms, rooftop pool, but what I love best from that new hotel definitely the excellent service and great hotel staff. They’re my all time favorite Thai people, very friendly, care and  helpful. Been to many hotels, and seriously Mode Sathorn Hotel has the best staff ! I mean I used to work in hotels too and as people who’s responsible to provide excellent customer service, all the staffs in Mode Sathorn Hotel do a very great job. Was good staying there with Yasmin for couple of days, chill by the pool watching the hustle bustle of Bangkok after a busy Saturday morning shopping at Chatuchak market – even had a big sandwich at 4 am after my birthday party.   Recommend you to stay at Mode Sathorn Hotel, the room fare starts from 3000 THB, strategically located in the heart of Bangkok.

Budget :
Tiger Airways buy 1 get 2 promo Jakarta - Bangkok - Jakarta : $200 for 2 persons
D&D Inn = 600 baht / night
White mini van number 551 from public transportation near airport to Victory Monument : 40 baht
Bus number 59 to Khao San Road :  20 baht
Chao Phraya Express Boat : 40baht / single trip
Yellow flagged boat : 15 baht / single trip
Bangkok mass transit system : 20 - 43 baht / single trip . Click  BTS Skytrain route & fare
BTS Phaya Thai station - Suvarnabhumi airport : 50 baht / single trip
Food : 50 - 120 baht for street food / meals
Grand Palace : 500 THB, while sarong is available for rental with deposit of 200 THB.
The Golden Mount : 20 THB
Wat Arun : 50 THB

Gyschyyy by Safeena

"Hello... ?!"

Mode Sathorn Hotel

The view from The Golden Mount, Bangkok

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Oh hello August…

How many days left til my departure to Australia ? Can't wait to pack, check in the airport, maybe one or two cups of green tea latte, blogging a bit, Kuala Lumpur for one night, then sit on a plane again for a few hours to Sydney. Well, still a long journey to go, but it's going to be a good break early winter holidays. Feel free to drop me a message if you have some recommendations where to go and eat, things to experience in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra.

Meanwhile, I'm so happy starting from today I'll be contributing for Travelers Daily . A great travel website, especially for women out there, we encourage you to book flight tickets and travel the world. It's amazing how new opportunities keep coming since last September I started my own travel blog, it's just like bringing you all with me in my suitcase, going to places I've never been before. And speaking about traveling to new places, so much excitement to see new people, culture, languages, eat the local food, even get to  try what locals do…something unique, unusual…Imagine how your trip can be even more interesting when you can get your own 'local tour guide', not those tourist guides from travel agents, but local people who actually will get you with them to experience the real things, without having to pay a lot of course. Thank to creative and amazing team from WithLocals that will bring a new way of traveling. WithLocals connects travelers with locals through food and experiences, stay tuned and subscribe for the first launch in September !

Now back in Bangkok, to continue my previous post about Wat Pho & Wat Arun, here's some photos I took from a half day tour to Grand Palace. Like what everyone else will recommend you, Grand Palace is a  must visit when in Bangkok. It's all about tourists, elementary school kids on study tour, gold and blue details.

Chao Phraya Express Boat ( 40 THB / single trip ) from Saphan Taksin Pier / Saphan Taksin BTS is a great transportation option you can take to Tha Tien Pier, where from there you can easily find Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun.

The admission fee to Grand Palace is 500 THB, while sarong is available for rental with deposit of 200 THB.

Study tour to Grand Palace

Blue and gold