Me at Suvarnabhumi Airport

True to my promise, I did not use Cebu Pacific when I went to Bangkok for a client meeting and took Philippine Airlines.  The flight went well anyway, although I was pretty curious about the new airport, I decided to take the more reliable airline- Philippine Airlines.

The bought the ticket online a month early so I got a better deal.  The price difference with Cebu Pacific– the airline that suck, was only P900.  Since this is a client paid trip, my itinerary was short and this was also my first trip without any of my children.  It was pretty weird waiting in the departure lounge alone.    It sucked and I resisted calling my kids since I know this transition is necessary for all of us.

So how did my trip go?  It was good.

This was my first trip after 2 years.  My first trip out to anywhere without my children.  With quick planning and ardent budgeting, I made it to Bangkok with hefty shopping money and in one piece.

I booked myself at a small family run hotel, Bangkok Loft Inn.  The location of the hotel was great and convenient as it was on the Thaksin Ave, and close to the Bangkok Skytrain.  To check out how I found the Bangkok Loft Inn, click here. I used my internet savviness to find a budget hotel.  What made Bangkok Loft Inn ideal is its size.  Their Superior Room is ideal for a lone traveler, as well as a couple.  The bedding is great and true to their ad, the room boasted with a Samsung Flat Screen Television, free and robust wifi connection and good bathroom features. Its not crowded, and the location great.  The Inn was only a Skytrain ride away from Siam! Fantastic!

My room at the Bangkok Loft Inn

The hotel’s car picked me up from Savurnabhumni Airport and the ride to the hotel was 45 minutes.  The hotel staff were all accommodating.

FIRST DAY.  My cousin Elvir came and we headed to Siam Paragon for dinner.  I took him to a Japanese Restaurant and had ebi tempura, salad, makis and some beef dish.  It was great and service was perfect.  The Siam Paragon was a HUGE upscale mall in Bangkok.  Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, you name it is in this mall.  It was crawling with expats and backpackers.  I bought myself a Havaianas flipflops and headed out to check out their children’s section and found everything expensive.    Until I reached Central World and found it a haven for budget shoppers.  They have alot of items on sale and the children section was great!  I eyed the Barbie, Sanrio and Disney clothing for my scheduled shopping day.

SECOND DAY.  I met my client and his girlfriend today.  They were on their way to check out since they were off to some island off Bangkok.  Our one hour meeting went great. It was fast but full of details.  As a long time odesk provider, this was the first time to personally see and meet a client.  I have been working for his company for almost a year now… After our meeting, I headed back to the hotel.  One thing about Bangkok, compared to Manila, public transport is inexpensive. I have read so much about how expensive the taxi rides in Bangkok can be, and I was dreading my meeting with my client because of this.  My 45 minute ride from my client’s hotel to Bangkok Loft Inn was only  70 Baht.  Not bad.  I think it has something to do with the fact that I insisted on using the meter. Most taxi cab drivers when seeing a foreign traveler would normally insist on not negotiating and non use of the meter. So, when in Bangkok and you have no idea how to get from point a to b, get the hotel reception to talk to the driver. They can make sure the driver knows where exactly you are headed. No confusion. This will definitely save you more time and money.

THIRD DAY.  Today is shopping day.  I headed for Central World and bought clothes and shoes for my children.  I wanted good quality clothing and was happy to see that the items that I managed to snag did not really cost a fortune.  I had lunch at The Loft in Central World and had a blast eating Thai and Chinese dishes.

Although I am not weary about trying out new dishes, street food is absolutely something I am not too kin on trying. After living in Laos for sometime and seeing how food handling is poor in both countries, I decided that I am not missing much. I will just eat thai food from a restaurant and not from a street vendor. Absolutely NOT worth it.

At night, my cousin and I headed to SuanLum Night Market.  The trip to Sathorn was great.  We used the subway and was again pleasantly surprised that is was safe and darn clean.  Everything is so organized in Bangkok.  So Fín great!

Shopping in SuanLum went great.  Everything was cheap.  Souvenir shirts as low as 90 baht.  I bought some trinkets for myself and my friends.  I also bought those sinfully spicy and sweet tamarinds.  I got a bargain wrap around skirt for 200 baht.  It was gorgeous!

The place was crawling with farangs.  After exhausting and spending all my baht, we headed to find a place to have a drink and dinner.  We found a restaurant (I totally forgot the name now) with a view.  It was on rooftop and the view was awesome.  Cousin Vir and I ordered Tiger beer and several thai dishes that scorched our throats.  It was heavenly!

FOURTH DAY. Today I am heading back to Manila.  I am psyched, because my luggage is so full.  I would hate to pay for excess baggage, but I cannot wait to see my children.  I know they will love all the chocolates and the clothes.

So was it worth going to Bangkok?  For more ways than one, I knew deep in my heart I needed to spend some time all by myself.  Did the trip rejuvenate me?  It definitely made me more determined to succeed this year.

So far, the year 2010 was a great year for all of us.  Let all the blessing come rolling!!!

The Bangkok Loft Inn

Great food at the Loft

Eating Japanese in Bangkok

Fantastic, Tasty Morning Glory Salad with Seafood

Spicy Chicken Curry

My Cousin Elvir at SuanLum

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