Bangkok 2013 (Day 3): Visiting Cha-Am

One of the places I wanted to go during my trip to Bangkok last month was to Cha-Am, another small town near Hua Hin. This is because one of my friends went to Santorini Park at Cha-Am and the place was so beautiful. It is inspired by the actual Santorini at Greece. After seeing pics of it, I was really tempted to go.

***

Our 3rd day of Thailand trip started with a yummy breakfast at the hotel.

My favourite breakfast - muesli with yoghurt and fruits, and a must-have coffee.

We were informed that public transportation in Hua Hin and Cha-Am are scarce and difficult to find, especially at Santorinin Park. After much consideration, we decided to hire a driver to take us around Hua Hin and Cha-Am for the day. FYI, our hotel helped us with it and it costs us 1500 baht.

The driver brought us to a Venice-themed amusement area but the place was still under renovation so there was really nothing much to see there. Then, he took us to Santorini Park and Swiss Sheep Farm. After that, we went back to Hua Hin where he brought us to Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, which was the summer residence of the king. Finally, we ended the day with lunch and the subsequent drop-off at the minivan stop for our return to Bangkok.

Because the other places were not as interesting, I will only blogged about my favourites: Santorini Park and Swiss Sheep Farm.

SANTORINI PARK, CHA-AM

555 Moo 3, Khao Yai Sub-district, Cha-Am District, Petchburi 76120

http://www.santoriniparkchaam.com/

Opening hours: Mon - Fri (10am - 8pm), Sat & Sun (9am - 10pm)

Admission fee: 50 baht per person

The theme is mostly blue and white, typical of Greece.

This is my current cover photo on my Facebook. Love the elements of the carousel, flowers and blue balconies in this photo.

I love this carousel the most at Santorini Park. Perhaps it is the colours and that magical atmosphere it exudes. It also reminded me of the lovely carousel near Eiffel Tower at Paris.

There were many murals scattered around Santorini Park and I like that it was so random. When we spotted one, we would immediately start posing and taking photos. When I look at this mural, I imagined a couple standing under the umbrella falling in love lols.

The colourful flower pots provided the perfect background for a random photoshoot. Clara Sia was dressed pretty cutely that day, like a Japanese tourist. Her fashion sense has improved heaps compared to when I first met her lol.

When I commented that she looked like a Japanese tourist, she was so happy she said, "Annyonghaseyo!". HAHAHAHA.

Giant ferris wheel, looks a little gloomy due to sudden appearance of Mr. Grey Clouds.

Bangkok 2013 (Day 2): Off to Hua Hin

Last year, we didn't manage to visit Chatuchak Weekend Market so we made sure to go this time around. Chatuchak has always been well-known to be the largest market in Bangkok but it is only opened during weekends. There are not only stalls inside the market area but even outside as well. They sell a variety of things, even beautiful garden arches and props!

We got a map of the market area from one of the stall vendors but we still got lost navigating as the place is humongous. Because it is an outdoor market it can be very hot due to Bangkok's heat. But shopping here has been so much fun because they have lots and lots of pretty clothes here. In fact, some of my favourite clothing were bought at Chatuchak.

CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET
From 9am - 6pm (Sat & Sun)
To get here, either head to BTS (Sukhumvit) Mo Chit or MRT Kamphaeng Phet station. After exiting the station, you can follow the signboards or just follow the throngs of crowd heading there just like us.

We quenched our thirst with yummy coconut ice cream

Coconut ice cream is so delicious and perfect for hot weather. They even let you choose variety of toppings for the ice cream.

You can also buy their sweet coconut juice that Bangkok is famous for.

We had our brunch at Chatuchak but food was really mediocre. However, you can try a variety of Thai food here due to numerous food stalls. My favourite is the sticky mango rice which is a must-have for me if you are in Bangkok.

Fruit juices, another great alternative to quench your thirst.

Bangkok 2013 (Day 1)

2013 has been an awesome year for travelling so far. In July, I had a great opportunity to go to Bangkok again with my friends from uni. This is my 3rd consecutive year travelling to Bangkok. Went there with my family in 2011, and just last year had an awesome time there with my friends from uni as well.

Sad that both Carolyns could not join us this time around :(

Here, just want to share my Bangkok itinerary. Since I am the one from the group who has been to Bangkok the most frequent, I voluntereed to plan our trip but of course with lots of help from the rest of the group too :)

Took Air Asia flight to Bangkok. This time around, all Air Asia flights to Bangkok has been redirected to Don Mueang Airport, instead of Suvarnabhumi like last year. DMK is Bangkok's old aiport so it is less fancier but nearer to the city.

The first of few hotels that we stayed at during our trip is Amber Boutique Silom. 

It was a nice hotel with different themed rooms such as Portugese-Chinese and Morocco rooms. They had really big standard rooms too, complete with comfy living rooms. I like this hotel the best! Our taxi got lost though looking for this place as it is located inside an alley from the main road. Because we only stayed here for one night so we didn't really explore the areas around the hotel. Nearest BTS station is BTS (Silom) Chong Nonsi and nearest MRT is MRT Sam Yan and MRT Silom, both actually quite a distance from the hotel but taxis are aplenty in this area.

AMBER BOUTIQUE SILOM HOTEL 
 200 Silom Soi 14 Silom Road Suriyawongse
Khet Bangrak Bangkok 10500 Thailand
www.amberboutiquesilom.com

We reached Bangkok during dinner time so we wasted no time to visit a well-known seafood restaurant for our first meal in Bangkok.

Oyster omelette my favourite!

Must have tom yum kung!

T&K Chinatown seafood

T&K Restaurant has been reviewed by many food bloggers as a must-go place for cheap seafood at Bangkok. We had no regrets at all as the food were so delicious and altogether costs approx RM60 for around 5 dishes. Cheap right! The restaurant is located at Chinatown or Yaowarat area so traffic jam is expected. If you want to avoid the jam, you can also opt to take the boat service at BTS Saphan Taksin. Take the Chao Phraya Express Boat to Tha Ratchawong (N5). From there, turn right at the T- junction and walk for around 10-15 minutes. However, the last boat service ends at 7pm. Do check http://www.chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en/services/ for more details if you are planning to use the boat service. 

-    

T & K Chinatown seafood

4    49-51 Soi Phadung Dao
Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand

-     Opening hours: 4.30pm – 2am

Because of our flight times, we went back to rest at the hotel after dinner. However, Bangkok's Chinatown is a well-known area to shop for snacks so it will be worth exploring.

-End of Day 1-