Bangkok Day5 - Floating market

Day5 was easy - booked a tour for the Railway and Floating markets.  All we had to do was make it to the pickup point on time.  Then a comfortable bus with informative and entertaining local guides.  Ahhh nice change from all the walking around!   Reached the Railway market in 1.5 hours.  First observation - they were making good money just from toilets!  After the journey, many headed for the simple toilets at the first cafe despite it costing THB100/RM1.30 to enter.

An actual market is literally a step away from the train tracks.  The vendors quickly pull in their wares and overhead canvas right before the trains arrive.  Despite there being 2 trains during our visit, I didn't manage to get a good picture with the train as it was too crowded and the trains do not linger.  

After the first train

The ground was uneven and hubby opted to wait in the cafe.  The guide had explained that prices at this market were controlled by the government and sure enough, things were pretty cheap.  Coconuts were only THB20 when we saw them at THB50 in Chatuchak the day before.  Most of the things on sale were wet market items though - fresh meat, seafood, salted fish etc.  I wished there were more things for tourists.

We shall explore

Some souvenirs here?

Anyway not much time before we had to re-board the bus for the next destination.  The floating market wasn't far.  Hubby had some trouble getting on/off the long-tailed boats, luckily no mishaps.  Sitting on a boat which brings you to stalls would have been such a nice way to shop!  The guide had already informed it was tourist prices here. So we desisted appearing interested even though we noticed some things we hadn't seen before.  

Relaxing

After the short boat ride, lunch was at this cafe.  Not bad in terms of service, price and taste - even an orchid to decorate the coconut!

Lunch

Floating market is below

To my surprise, there was a third destination after lunch - Buffalo cafe.  This place had a pair of white buffalos with their calf.  Some photo ops too with the landscaping.  And a cafe with very decent offerings.

Now this here, my friends, is not a real buffalo

Coffee, ice cream and cake

We headed back to Bangkok after this stop.  A good day indeed!  Of course with these tours, it helps to have a positive mindset and not have sky-high expectations.  Being the chief tour planner, I do enjoy getting a break and letting professionals take over. 

Reached Bangkok with time to walk around CentraWorld mall.  Spoilt for choice, we finally picked a place for dinner.   

Who wants some crab?

This shaved ice dessert we ordered came with 4 generous portions of toppings on the side.  Only thing hubby had ordered TWO desserts which weren't easy to finish!  The first one came with multiple pieces of bread some more.

Dessert 

Bangkok Day4 - Malls

Started the day with the hotel buffet breakfast.  We found it average and didn't justify the many good reviews (these people must be unused to better buffets hmmff) on the booking site.   Oh well, still managed to fill our tummies to the brim.  

Buffet for breakfast

Plan for this day was just shopping malls.  JE had a few things in mind so off we headed to Siam Paragon.  She found the Smiskis hippers (glow-in-the-dark figures which sticks on phones) she'd been looking for.

Happy JE

Check out the pretty cakes!

We try the Sunny Orange and the Banoffee

We ended up walking around the shopping area - so huge!  If I'd been alone with hubby, he'd have been complaining non-stop haha.  As it was, he continued to struggle with walking so we didn't cover that much ground.   Checked out the GENTLEWOMAN store... I hadn't heard of this Thai brand earlier.  Encountered two Malay-speaking groups while in the store.

Might as well check it out

Steep stairs

Not everything was expensive but we didn't find anything suitable.

Just take a picture 

Back at the hotel, JE happily unboxed the Smiskis which are sold in a 'blind box' format.  I don't get this... why can't customers be allowed to pick the one they want?  It's not a cheap thing.  *grumble

Now which did we get?

 It was a tiring day but looking back at the photos now, I wouldn't mind doing the same thing again. :)

Bangkok Day3 - Chatuchak market

Next day, off to Chatuchak market!  Took Grab to accommodate hubby's mobility issues.  Sigh... when my top criteria in hotel selection included a nearby BTS Skytrain station to avoid traffic jams and save on costs, also to experience a little more of Thailand.  Well, what to do.

Arrived at Chatuchak!

Many stalls

Of many kinds

The place was huge!  I had no idea how much of the market we were covering.  However my target food/snack section was nowhere to be found.  Lunch was at a random stall with available seats, but food turned out to be excellent.  My simple seafood Pad thai was yummy with tons of squid pieces - good value at THB150/RM19. 

Cheap and good

Walked around more after lunch but didn't actually find much to buy.

The huge avocado smoothie SE was holding below, cost only THB95/RM12.  Good marketing to give a complimentary skewer of fruit with each drink.

Some smoothies first

Weather was initially hot but it started to rain and we didn't pack umbrellas.

Sky turning gloomy

Called a Grab and had to wait pretty long.  When the app alerted the driver had arrived, it was quite the experience having to dash aorund in the pouring rain trying to spot the car - didn't want the driver to cancel and having to wait again for another!  Eventually made it back to the hotel albeit rather wet.  

Bangkok Day2 - Wat Arun

Day2 sightseeing day!  Our hotel was near both the river ferry pier and BTS station.  It was the former we headed to.

JE and SE with a tuk-tuk

Hit our first problem... I had planned this holiday after hubby had completed his radiotherapy sessions and was physically fine.  However since then he had taken a turn for the worse, feeling bad stiffness in his right arm and leg.  He was unsteady despite walking very slowly.  Hence he was totally unprepared for usage of ferries with floating piers, where there was urgency to board and disembark.  Fortunately there happened to be people (either operators or other passengers) available to help.  There were various points he could have had a bad fall.

Come, we help you

The fare was cheap, only 16THB or RM2 each.  But if lesson #1 was not to get scammed at the airport, lesson #2 was this:   You had to go and stand at the desembarkation part of the boat before it reached your destination pier, else it wouldn't stop.  With hubby so shaky on his feet, no way we were thinking of moving around a moving boat!  And that's how we ended up watching our pier go by hahaha.

Managed to find another boat albeit paying extra to get to where we should be, which was Wat Arun-The Temple of Dawn.   

With THB200 tickets  

Hello from Wat Arun!

Then we hit our second problem - the steep stairs to the temple.  Hubby could only manage the short flight up to take the photo below.  Even then he had to descend on his bottom, one step at a time, as there were no stair railings.

Hubby at his closest proximity to temple

Having paid RM100+ admission, we proceeded without hubby.

 

Up!

Wat Arun was beautiful, so intricately set with individual pieces of pottery.

Pretty huh?

Moomin wuz here

We loitered around (getting our money's worth) then headed to the opposite side of the river.  We then walked to Wat Pho, which was another major attraction, but kids weren't interested in visiting another temple.  Well, it was hot and hubby wasn't interested either so... we walked back to the pier.  

  

Heading back

A total of 3 boat journeys with 6 embarkation/disembarkation without any mishaps for hubby.  Phew. Rested in our luxurious digs then headed to 'our' restaurant (name is Nalin's Kitchen) for dinner.

Yums

Bangkok Trip 2025

Just realised it has been a month since my last post.  Work-wise I had been insanely busy as multiple independent things kept popping up for attention.  Plus had to attend to the household as we are still without a maid.  I couldn't wait for.... our holiday in Bangkok!  :)   

Throwback to a month ago when we were planning where to go for the school holiday: Melaka? Traffic jam. Ipoh?  Went there recently.  Genting?  Nothing much to do there.  How about Bangkok?  Heyyy.. why not?  Hubby and me had actually bought air tickets when I discovered JE was on the way.  Fast-forward to the present, JE is already 15 and we could now all go together.  Perfect. 

Arrived!

Then first thing we did was get scammed by the taxi from the airport haha.  While I was still puzzling the THB-MYR conversion rate, agreed to a rate over double what it should be.  Oh well.  Reached our home for 7D6N, Centre Point Plus Silom which was lovely and huge (183m2) with 2 rooms.  

Happily shopped for snacks at the supermarket below. 

Snacks!

We found a dinner place opposite the hotel and would return for the next few nights.  Even with dessert and drink, the bill would come up to less than RM120.

Let's eat

Our first day was as usual a designated "chill day".  :)

'Crybaby' Pop Mart

JE has been interested in Pop Mart since it arrived.  I don't get it... I find the products not nice, not cheap at RM50 for a small figure, comes in a blind box so you can't even choose the one you like.  Yet there is always a queue of people trying to get in.  And it's not a 'look-see only' type of queue as I see many people coming out with purchases.  Luckily for JE, hubby is more indulgent and thus she has acquired 3 'skullpanda' figures.

She started asking for a 'crybaby' figure.  Errm to me, a 'crybaby' is even worse than a 'skullpanda' in the esthetic area.  Also what's the point of getting these figurines when you keep wanting more??  She offered a deal - if she gets top 3 in class she gets one.  She got first. I suppose that in the grand scheme of things, yes, I'd much rather shell out for this than have her meandering lost somewhere near the bottom of the class.

Oo it's one of those I like!

Isn't it cute?

Erm no.  These 'crybabies' have weird 'tears' which are fat pieces of plastic. And I think this one looks like an old lady with its white hair.  But JE likes it so... oh fine. 

Fridays after Radiotherapy

Hubby had 30 sessions of radiotherapy at UMSC which worked out to 6 weeks minus weekends.  I would leave early from work on weekdays to pick him up, then we brave the traffic to get there, wait for his turn and then return to my parents' place where my amazing mum would have dinner waiting.  On Fridays the kids would come along so we could go back to our house directly from the hospital.  First, dinner .  :)  Checked out a different place nearby each week:

Week 1 - The Ship at PJ Centrestage for Western food.  Easy to get to but expensive parking at RM12.

Week 2 - Oishi at Plaza 33 for Korean food.  Even more expensive parking at RM15 

Week 3 - Malgudi's to expose the kids to Indian food. As expected they did not like. But I did :)

Week 4 - Pokok cafe for local-ish food.  Found Mahsa uni accomodation deco interesting.

Week 5 - Bueno Brasa at The Sphere for Spanish food. Enjoyed because haven't had these for a while.

Week 6 - The Farm at The Sphere. The best for food as well as deco. 

Bueno Brasa - Chilli prawns, paella, ribs

At The Farm

My big girl

OK, enough of hanging around PJ now that the sessions are done.

Ah Kong’s birthday

Ah Kong is 83!  This year thankfully we were able to dine out which is an improvement from last year.  Dinner was at Extra Super Tanker - sis took pictures of the dishes so I didn't.  Generally the venue and presentation were nicer than the taste of the food itself.

I took pictures after dinner....

All together!

Grandparents and grandkids

Happy birthday to Ah Kong

While he continues to have health issues, may this improve in the coming days.  Happy birthday to my father! 

Badminton cousins

My brother took the GenZ-s for badminton recently.  Putting the group photo here.  I'm glad my kiddos have had their cousins around since birth and they are growing up meeting each other all the time.

6 out of 7

Rackets up!

 

All done!

Right, we are all done with the radiotherapy!  Picture of the warrior coming out with his 'mask' worn during the session to ensure his head doesn't move too much.  Yep, lost the hair on the radiation site - the neurologist says it will grow back after 6 months.

The neuro had informed he would feel progressively worse as the sessions went on, then improve 2-3 weeks after.  So I had been very anxious, hardly daring to think how bad it would be.  As it turned out, hubby fared really well. He did get seizures twice which were expected and controlled by additional medication. 

Survived!

After having to drive to the hospital daily for 1.5 months, it had become a routine already!  

Praying that hubby's health will be rosy from now on. 

First in class

JE was an average student at her primary Chinese school.  Hence she was streamed into an average class in secondary school.  However, she has since pulled up her socks, worked harder at her studies and steadily moved up.  Then finally for Form2 last year, FIRST in class!

Certificate and plaque

Mummy is so proud. :)

Drinks

I'm generally more willing to spend on the kids than on myself.  But I draw the line at things which aren't worth it.  Such as overpriced drinks at restaurants.  Say RM40 on food, fine.  When it comes to RM16 on a drink... we can buy half a meal already, this doesn't even fill the tummy, here I have brought water from home if you are thirsty HAHAHA.  Which doesn't sit well with JE as somehow drinks are the first thing she looks for on the menu.

Went out without hubby recently to a relatively-expensive place.  JE pointed to drinks, I said no.  Cue JE being moody for rest of meal.  Sigh.  I did consider giving in, but really didn't want her to take things like overpriced drinks for granted.  Maybe as a treat then ok.

*Grumpy

Anyway she can always order a drink if hubby is around - hubby would order them himself anyway.

Heh heh me gots a drink

Sip sip sip heh heh

Told her we can make 10 drinks like this at home for the same price. HAHAHA.

EDIT: Realised JE is wearing the same shirt on both occasions!