I'm trying to lay out everything here while I'm still in the mood to write! 😄 Last year, my friends and I travelled to Thailand. We visited just last month, December, for four days! It was a short trip and we wanted to do so much more (shopping 😁) but had so little time.
DAY 0
PAGSS Lounge + MBK Center + Jodd Fairs
Before boarding the plane, we had to experience and stay at PAGSS lounge at Terminal 3 where we had our breakfast buffet style! The siomai is to die for! It's ze bomb! Selections weren't a lot but the food were all good. We made sure we were full for the trip. 😄 Plus, everything is free! You just have to be a principal card holder from certain banks. We used my friend's SB Platinum MC and my UB Gold Visa cards for our entry.
We arrived at 10 in the morning in Bangkok. We availed a transport service via Klook (do this to avoid hassle!) since our accommodation is about an hour away from the airport. The traffic was good. It was just a smooth long drive. We kind of got lost for a bit because our hotel was located in a small alley.
We stayed at Happy 3 Hotel which we booked in Agoda. Our place was soooo cute! It was clean and modern. The space was enough for the 3 us. It had 1 queen-sized bed and 1 twin bed. Our stay was so comfy. ♥
After we settled down, we headed to MBK center to have dinner. You have to purchase a card there worth 500 Baht. It's consumable and refundable, so don't worry! 😊
We ordered Shrimp Pad Thai (of course!), some drinks (I accidentally ordered a whole Watermelon because the seller wasn't able to understand my order), and Hainanese chicken rice. It was okay for our first meal of the trip.
We roamed around MBK and there's so much to see! A lot of stalls, food chains, and there's even a Don Don Donki branch! There's so much Kuromi stuff (for my daughter) but didn't buy any since I find them too pricey.
After MBK, we headed to Jodd Fairs for food and night market! I love their stalls! There are a lot of things to browse, mostly clothes and souvenirs. I compared them to the other shops from our trip and Jodd Fairs has the cheapest stuff, IMO.
DAY 1
Ayutthaya, Thailand
The highlight of our trip! We took a train ride to Ayutthaya from Bangkok. We availed the special express pass (airconditioned) at the train station itself. Ticket is priced at 261 Baht. There were other options but we had to board the earliest one.
It was a very sunny and humid day at Ayutthaya so we availed a Tuktuk service to drive us around (instead of renting a bicycle which we considered). We paid for 700 Baht to visit a total of 3 to 4 temples. It was still pricey but the guy was initially selling the tour for 900 Baht. I think if we still haggled a little, then we would be able to get it at a much cheaper rate. 😅 I read somewhere that some people were able to book a Tuktuk service for around 400-600 Baht.
We all enjoyed the temples but it was a very hot day! Good thing we wore comfy clothes! After our tour, we were about to head back to Bangkok. Unfortunately, the airconditioned train will only arrive later that day so we had no choice but to board on the fan train (not airconditioned) priced at 20 Baht. It was even full so we had to stand the entire trip back. I had breakouts the next day due to heat, pollution, and oiliness! 😓
We freshened up ourselves at the hotel when we arrived. Our day didn't end there because we went to Siam Square afterwards to start our night shopping! First stop —Beautrium for makeup!!!! I love Thailand's 4u2 brand, especially their lippies! I bought a couple for me, my sister, and my daughter. I controlled myself not to hoard much. 😁
Second stop, of course, Gentlewoman! I got my mom a tote bag she asked for, and my sister a green cap that I gifted her for her birthday. I didn't buy anything for myself! *proud* We compiled our purchases and asked for GST refund receipt (with minimum amount) —always do this when you travel abroad.
DAY 2
HOLB + Terminal 21 + CentralwOrld + BigC
Shopping officially starts today! We were supposed to visit the temples around Bangkok but we decided to just shop instead. 😂 First stop was House of Little Bunny (HOLB). I wasn't planning to buy anything at all but my friends are certified buduleras. No regrets though, since I loved the one that I bought! And it was so much cheaper than buying here in the Philippines.
Second stop was Terminal 21 —to hunt for my friend's Hoka shoes that we couldn't find even locally (either they run out of her size, or the style is already oos). We also had our lunch here. They had so much selections in their food court —from local to international dishes. I ordered a chicken rice meal (sorry, I forgot what it's called). And one of my friends ordered Pad Thai and Tomyum and they were SO GOOOOOOD. 😭
Third stop was CentralwOrld. Maaaan, it was a huge mall. It's even bigger than the malls we have here combined. 😁 This is where I finally got myself the super trending Sambas. I was hesitant at first but it was so much cheaper than buying from online resellers. Colorways are limited though. I wanted Halo Blue but it was also out of stock, so I just got the Green one instead. ♥
Fourth and final stop was Big C supermarket. This was where we bought most of our pasalubongs. I bought snacks, coffee, Thai milktea, and inhalers. Stuff there are cheap. I paid 1,200 Baht for everything I checked out.
DAY 3
Platinum Mall + Pratunam Market
Our last day and final hurrah for shopping! We shopped for clothes this time. I controlled myself not to buy too much because I didn't want to have overbaggage. But mehhhh, I should've bought more. Clothes and bags are so cheap! EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED WANT WAS THERE. I also bought pasabuys and a couple more pasalubongs.
We went to Pratunam Market afterwards but didn't have the energy to still roam around because shopping at Platinum Mall was already tiring (but super fun). We just bought candies (the milktea one that I loved!) and another round of snacks!
We took a Grab car back to MBK Center to have dinner and to consume our remaining balance. We had Coconut ice cream for dessert first! 😁 As for me, I still had Baht left so I just refunded them. We just ordered a takeout at Eat Am Are Good Steak because the waiting list was long! And we couldn't afford to stay much longer since we had to leave for airport at 11 in the evening. Anyway, the food was good! Not that special but worth a try!
DAY 4
Departure + Flight back to Manila
Our flight was at 3 in the morning so we had to leave our hotel at around 11 in the evening the night before. Since we had a transfer service, it was not a hassle to rush to the airport. Had breakfast with our tax refund money and boarded the plane back home.
It was really a shopping spree trip! Next time I'd bring two luggage just for my stuff. 😂 There were so many malls and outlets in Bangkok where we didn't get the chance to go to. Plus, body massages! Their street food were also goooooooood. Next time, we'll have to go back complete with all the beshies! ♥
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