Bangkok Trip Itinerary ( 4 days 3 night)

puchongian
posted on October 19, 2024October 19, 2024
No Comment

Last week, I went on my first trip to Bangkok with my cousins.

Our flight was at 10:40 AM. I usually get insomnia before a flight, but not this time. I woke up at 5 AM and started packing the rest of my half-finished luggage.

I ordered an Americano at KLIA 2, at kids’ temperature—it tasted like water.

One cousin arrived half an hour later, and the other an hour after that. The two of them looked stunning, full makeup on, so I quickly applied some eyeliner to not feel too left out.

The arrival section of the airport looked dull. A few stores, and after a short walk, we were at the pick-up entrance. When I stepped outside, I thought it didn’t look much different from Malaysia—the bridge structures, the road signs. Apart from the language and messier electric cables, it felt familiar.

Then came the traffic jam. We call it that in Malaysia too, but this one was next-level. It took us nearly an hour to reach our first stop: Phed Mark.

Bangkok Itinerary Day 1: Phed Mark, mango sticky rice, Emsphere Mall, Tribe Sky beach

Thai milk tea @ 7 elevel

Thai milk tea—it’s good, even though I usually order everything “kurang manis” (less sweet). Over the next few days, I realized Thai food isn’t as sweet as people claim, though I agree their savory dishes do have sugar in them.

Phed Mark was amazing. We waited about 30 minutes and then sat upstairs in the tiny shop. Strangely, I couldn’t find a dustbin anywhere, yet there wasn’t any litter in the shop or on the streets—no used tissues, no greasy tables.

We ordered three levels of spiciness, all minced pork. I’ve been into crazy spicy food lately—Samyang noodles, 鞋底诱惑, even biting bird’s eye chilies at midnight. The third level of spice excited me. I saw there was a fourth level, and I’m glad we didn’t try it.

Later, I discovered Thai chefs make the best sunny-side-up eggs—crispy edges, perfectly runny center.

After lunch, we walked to a stall for sticky mango rice. It was delicious. When asian said delicious, means its fragrant and not overly sweet.

We took another hour-long ride to our hotel, though it was only 10 kilometers away. The traffic was intense. But that was the worst we experienced during the trip. Either that or we just got used to it.

After checking in, it was time to dress up.

I wore a sparkly dress and used a foundation I didn’t fully trust—Tirtir. I also brought the Nars compact my friend FangLing gifted me last Christmas. I never travel without my Shu Uemura, but this time I did, for the first time in ten years.

Bangkok’s mall experience amazed me. Before that, we took a TukTuk ride, which I enjoyed, though a bit nervously, after all the horror stories I’d heard. It wasn’t my first TukTuk, but I don’t remember the previous rides being so nerve-wracking.

TRIBE Sky Beach (Bring your swim wear)

We got dropped off at the wrong mall, but it was fine since they were all connected by elevated walkways. I loved those walkways—like Christmas Eve with all the lights and the crowd.

Quickly, I realized that in Bangkok, it’s Christmas Eve all year round.

The mall was massive, endless rows of shops. My youngest cousin, Samantha, dashed off to see her idol Faye, who was celebrating her birthday at the same mall. But you needed tickets to get in. So we opted for something else—TRIBE Sky Beach.

I’ve been to bars and clubs all over, but this one? The best, by far. I’ll explain why in a moment.

I made my first Bangkok purchase: a bikini via Grab mart, ordered at 9:40 PM, arrived at 11:00PM

t could’ve been the quality of the drinks, or maybe it was the atmosphere, but everything felt perfect, like a second honeymoon. We ended up spending 4,000 Baht, when the minimum required only 3000.

Dinner: at Emsphere mall

Hmmm, most food is not worth the price.

Bangkok Itinerary Day 2: Yogatique, Erawan Shrine, Siam Paragon/Square/Center, Chatuchak Weekend market, Massage

I took my first Grab bike ride. We’ve ridden without helmets before, but this was different—doing it in a bustling city, crammed with more cars than people, riding behind a stranger.

I met my second Chinese speaker that day, the first being the Grab driver who took us to the hotel—a woman from Chengdu who had been living in Bangkok for three months. Our small talk felt surprisingly soulful. After we arrived on our bikes, we grabbed coffee and talked about food, yoga, and our teacher training.

Thirty minutes later, we practiced together. We didn’t exchange another word, just Instagram accounts, and with a quiet goodbye, we parted ways. I’ll always remember her smile.

The yoga session was already one of the best I’ve ever had, but I knew something even better was coming.

That morning, after exploring the city on my own, I felt energized, as if I’d become one with the neighborhood. After three bike rides, I understood what people meant when they said, “The world is your oyster.”

My spirits soared as I prayed at 四面佛. Only two of us did because of our beliefs, but it was a peaceful moment.

40 baht ice cream they has full five scoops.

Next stop: the malls. And I realized something—I hate them. What I really can’t stand is aimlessly wandering through shops with no plans, no goals, and ending up buying nothing. I guess that’s what they call “dry shopping,” and it irritates me to no end.

Right, the 1,600 words above were written on a plane. Now I continue, three days in.

On the second night, we had street food. I was starving after going all day without much appetite—just a latte and an endless walk. To make things worse, the soreness from yoga had started to kick in.

We found a random food stall outside the Chatuchak night market. Finally, I had my first Pad Thai. I’ve always liked Pad Thai at home, especially with the crunchy bean sprouts.

Only the tom yum soup taste lesser than others.

Bangkok Itinerary Day 3: Yogatique, Yen-ta-fo noodle, Icon Siam, Charge Spot, Bangkok Shooting Range, Jodd fair, Coin laundry

On the third day, I went back to yoga. After a day of shopping, which honestly didn’t bring me any joy, I decided to return to the peace of practice.

I’ve never done prana (breathing practice) or group meditation in Malaysia before. I usually practice on my own, but never with others. The teacher’s cues were so precise, and when she adjusted my asana with just a light touch, my whole body responded to the correction.

Yen-Ta-Fo noodle

As we head towards IconSiam, we walked past a narrow alley, my cousin halted suddenly and I almost hit her back. She has the nose of a dog, she can tell good food distance away.

We stopped for this pink bowl of noddle.

We found a cozy spot and ordered a bowl of yen ta fo noodles. The pink-tinted broth stood out, its tangy flavor a delightful mix of fermented tofu and fresh seafood. The chewy noodles paired perfectly with the soft fish balls, crunchy vegetables, and tofu puffs.

A huge thumbs up to pork blood tofu in Bangkok. Their blood pudding is no stingy story. Always cut in huge chunks, not the pity thin sliced thing they serve in HaiDiLao. And you’ll always find at least three slices of them in each bowl of noodles. I will never get iron deficiency here.

IconSiam

After grabbing a coffee, I decided to skip the shopping altogether. I sat down at the first restaurant I saw that served beer.

The Italian beer, Peroni, tasted like water. The waitress had even warned me, but I didn’t listen.

Charge spot

After my beer and a glass of wine, my phone’s battery was nearly dead. I needed to charge it to stay in touch with my cousins, but the restaurant didn’t have a lightning cable. So, I headed to the directory and found a charging station—an amazing, foreigner-friendly system.

All I had to do was download an app, enter my card details, and a power bank popped out.

By the time my phone reached 40% charge, my cousins had joined me. I decided to take the power bank with me to my next stop—the shooting range.

It felt just as terrifying as my first Grab bike ride.

When I arrived, the place was full of men—two African and a white man covered in tattoos. They were all turned away because they didn’t have their passports. Tattoos and no passport—should I just leave?

After five tense minutes, they bundled me into a car that would take me to the military base, five minutes away. My friend reassured me that this was normal, so I got in.

Without my contact lenses, I was sure I hadn’t hit anything.

But I almost shouted when the coach showed me my results—I hit 20 out of 25! Not on the figure, but on the paper at least. If I ever wanted to shoot someone, I’d just need them to step a little to the right. My husband made some jokes.

“If you ever want to shoot me,” he said, “I’ll just stand still. I’ll be safe.”

I laughed. “I was so worried immigration would stop me for firearms training in Bangkok!”

“Nah,” he said, “they only detain the good ones. You’re no threat.”

Funny. Ha. Ha.

But hey, 20 out of 25 is pretty good! I even hit one in the head and one right at the penis.

The shooting experience cost 2,000 baht for 25 shots.

Afterward, I returned the power bank to the 7-Eleven next door. Why aren’t these charging spots more available in Malaysia? It only cost 20 baht per hour, plus 1 baht for registration.