Friday, September 20, 2013

Bangkok, Thailand. Part 4.2. Where to Shop?


Still have some spare Thai Bahts to spend? Not enough shopping yet? In continuation of my previous shopping post in Bangkok, i will be listing a few more shopping places i have been to for my past visits. Get ready your Thai Bahts, and maybe could pay the money changer a visit again! :P 


5) Asiatique, The RiverFront


Night Asiatique
Day Asiatique

It used to be a East Asiatic Pier in the past, and now it has been transformed to Thailand's biggest riverside shopping district! It is located on the banks of The Chao Phraya River, with more than 1500 shops and many restaurants!!! 


So, how to get to Asiatique? 

Easy, just follow my directions below... hehe

Take BTS and alight at Saphan Taksin (S6) Station.

After exiting the station, you will see this sign:

Follow the sign, exit 2.

Go down the stairs, follow the crowd towards the left. For about 30 seconds to a minute you will see...




















The long long queue for the Asiatique's free shuttle boat. However, the boat is quite big and the frequency between each boat is approx. 15 mins. Hence, from my position of the queue you can definitely hop onto the 1st or 2nd boat. 

The boat journey takes about 10-15mins. En-route, everyone will be enjoying the wavy ride, scenery along the banks and photo taking with their loved ones... :)

Then, you will reach Bangkok's largest riverside shopping place, ASIATIQUE!


Asiatique is divided into 4 districts. Charoenkrung district; Town Square district; Factory district & Waterfront district. Each district focuses on different category of shopping/ dining. 



Examples of some stalls at Asiatique... 


Fish spa
Yum Saap






1 stall that you must visit if you are planning to get some local tidbits, different brands of snacks and some necessities...




When you buy in 10s, the items are usually 10-20baht cheaper then those sold in supermarkets or malls. Not much, but also a little bargain to the already-very- cheap price. haha. The lady boss can speak mandarin and a little English. Basic communication should not be a problem. =)



Asiatique's shuttle boat operates from 4pm. However, most stalls only start opening from 5pm onwards.    

Plan your trip now, experience a big warehouse feel shopping along the river banks now!! =)

P.s Asiatique can also be reached via cabs, however the traffic towards it is usually heavy and jam. Hence, most recommended way to get to it would be via boat. :))



6) Terminal 21 Shopping Mall 

Terminal 21 is an Airport Themed shopping mall located at Sukhumvit Road. It has 9 levels of shoppings; dining and a cinema. Each level is named and themed of different cities in the world. 







It's quite an unique and interesting concept i would say. A nice place for photo taking like what most visitors do. However, the shops are more or less the same as what other malls have. 


Tokyo theme
London theme
The restaurants and toilets at Terminal 21 are nicely designed also. HAHA. 



So, how to get to Terminal 21?



It's very accessible via BTS or MRT.

Alight at BTS Asok Station, exit 1 or MRT Sukhumvit Station, exit 3...  


7) Siam Square Night Market



It is located right below the BTS Siam Station. It stretches around from Siam Square Soi 2 - Soi 6.
A long and crowded street market. After a whole stretch of squeezing, bargaining and massive shopping, it's hard that you do not perspire a bucket. Shopping there is cheap, exciting and fruitful! ( Very shiok la!) hahah... 

P.s However, do bargain if you are really interested in buying and do watch out on your belongings and pockets. 

It operates daily from 9pm till midnight.
* Highly recommended place to visit!!!




Any enquiries, please email me at lene_pork_89@hotmail.com

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Bangkok, Thailand. Part 1.2 Getting around in Bangkok!


After my recent visit to Bangkok again, i decided to add on a few more posts to share my knowledge with all of you. I have also revised my most 'popular' post on Bangkok, please do check it out. 


Traffic jam is one of the major and headache problem in Bangkok. 

So to be able to move around swiftly, do your homework well. Do organize and plan your routes and destinations well. Know which transportations gets to your destinations efficiently. 

If you will be taking the BTS train as the main transportation during your stay, i would recommend you to get their newly launched RABBIT card. It has the same function as our Ez-link card or HongKong's Octopus card, etc. Just top up whenever the value gets low and you can save the hassle of queueing up in front of the single ticketing machine (Which often has long and slow moving queues) each time.

The initial purchase of the card will be minimum of 200 baht. Price break down as below:
-50baht issuing card fee
-50 baht card deposit
-100baht stored value


Minimum top up of 100baht each time. Rabbit card can be easily purchased at any BTS station ticketing counter. 
Currently Rabbit card can only be used on BTS for transportation. However, it can also be used at retail shops for purchasing. Eg. Starbucks, McDonald's, Black Canyon Coffee etc...

BTS
Orderly queued up 


Thailand is not only a place of smiles, but the people there are very considerate too. Just how they queued up orderly while waiting for the train can tell. Although the country is not as developed as us, at least the people there are nice, simple and considerate. As in comparison to the people in my country, you can hardly see such nice queues while waiting for the train. The doors will be packed with inconsiderate and insensitive selfish people, getting ready to rush in once the train doors are open. -.-"  
(sorry for the nag, but am really displeased with the situation in SG.) 


By Tuk Tuk/ Motorcycle Taxi  
Getting around Bangkok for short distance TukTuk or Motorcycle Taxi is another preferred choice. They can move swiftly in the heavy traffic, getting you to your destinations faster than the normal air-conditioned taxis...

Negative points: -They will mark up their price much higher than it would cost. Do know roughly the distance to your destinations and bargain to an acceptable price for both of you.
- As it's open air, do be prepared to breathe in the dust and pollutions as they speed through among the jam. hahaha. 

Tuk Tuk
Motorcycle Taxi. credits to person who own this pic.






It's a fun and exciting local experience to board any of these two transportations in Bangkok. Sometimes, you need a little more courage and a little stronger heart to enjoy it! =) 


By Chao Phraya Express Boat




I have never board a chao phraya express boat to my destinations before. Hence i couldn't share much info on that. However, from the research i have done, the boat could brings you to the major touristy spots like Wat Arun and Grand Palace. 

Do visit their official website for more details: http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/home/index.asp



The above are just some transportation recommendations in Bangkok other than the usual metered taxi. Of course, there may be more mode of transports which i have not come across with. Please do share with others if anyone knows any. =)





Will be updating and revising some of my Bangkok posts soon. Stay tuned! =)

Any enquiries, please e-mail me: lene_pork_89@hotmail.com

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Macau. Part 2.2: Where to Stay? Venetian Hotel (Room Post)...


This post i am going to bring you into the suite room of Venetian Hotel, Macau.

Venetian Macau has 3000 luxurious suite rooms to choose from for your stay. Royale; Bella; Rialto.



The suites are located mainly at the South and North wings.

I have stayed twice in Venetian Hotel, and both were in the Bella Suite.

Each Hotel Suites Lobby, there will be a security personnel on shift. At times, they will require you to present your room key, to ensure only hotel guests enter. I think it's a good measure as the casino is located just outside the lobby, this helps in enhancing hotel guests' safety.

Hotel Suite Lobby
Golden Elevator


Life is short, and often we are over stretching ourselves between work, family, relationship and friends. 
Sometimes we do need days like this to pamper ourselves a little. You will feel like a royal with all the golden atmosphere. 

Beautiful corridors




Ready to enter? Your mini escape from the stressful life, allow yourself to indulge in the luxurious atmosphere while you were there.




Cosy and comfortable beds
'Living room'

Talking about just the hotel room itself, i think Venetian lift up to 5 stars hotel name better than many others. The room is so nicely decorated and having most amenities in place. There are 2 televisions in the room, it's up to you if you wanna watch in bed or have a small chat and drinks with friends in the 'living room'.

Following, i will be bringing you to the place i loved the most of the room... 


TA DA!! The majestic bathroom!! I was so excited and happy when i first saw the bathroom, just like any females seeing a big walk-in wardrobe. How i wish i have this at home...




The bathroom has separated shower and bath, separate corner for toilet, dressing table and spacious basin area. Everything is nicely integrated in this bathroom which is even bigger than my bedroom.

Venetian is so far the hotel i loved the most. The comfy bed, spacious room, luxurious bathroom...



To be able to wake up in such comfortable room during your trip is a blessing...


Day view from the room

There isn't much negative point of the room. Or maybe one, no free wireless connection. HAHAHA.

Hope this post aggregates your impulse in booking a room for yourself too! haha.

Cheers! =)




Coming up next... Where to go, what to do in Macau?

Any enquiries, please feel free to e-mail me... lene_pork_89@hotmail.com