Jun 23, 20225 min read

Land of Smiles | Bangkok Day 1

Thailand is one of those countries that no longer require swab tests, and as of 1st July 2022 onwards, Thailand Pass is no longer required. However, you do need to be fully vaccinated to be exempted from quarantine. Boarding and immigration procedures remains the same as pre-covid.

For flight, I went with Singapore Airlines (SIA), which was the next best available option after Scoot. I booked it slightly too late, so the price went up to $463.50 from about $380! I saw lots of clips on tiktok that SIA now has a new environment friendly in-flight meal packaging for their short flights, ngl I was a little excited about this; but sadly, I wasn’t served that for my flight 😂 It was back to the standard in-flight meal packaging.

Breakfast in flight was strawberry yogurt, orange juice, hashbrowns with tomato sauce, scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and french beans.

After 2.5hrs, I finally arrived in Bangkok! Bangkok has two international airports, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airport, and I arrived at the latter. Immigration procedure for Bangkok was also the same as pre-covid. After which, I headed to the DTAC counter to collect my SIM card which I bought on Klook beforehand. It was $8.70 for a 8-day unlimited data. There are many other SIM card counters at the airport as well, offering at the same price, so it’s not necessary to pre-book on Klook.

I took a Grab to my accommodation, Arte Hotel, located near to Terminal 21 (mall). For accommodation, I just scrolled through Agoda and found Arte Hotel at a reasonable price of $64/night. It is a boutique hotel built in 2016. The hotel has a sophisticated vintage look, a nice chill-out area at the rooftop with an infinity pool, and the room was spacious. Even though it was only 10am, the room was ready for check-in! Check out my tiktok or IG reel for the hotel review.

ARTE HOTEL

Address: 29 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Transport: Asok BTS Station, Sukhumvit MRT Station

Google Reviews: 4.2

Instagram: @artehotelbkk

There was 7-11 and many nice cafes nearby, like My Heaven Coffee, Paris Mikki, and Gigi Cafe. I headed to WWAPORTAL, which was also near to the hotel, for coffee first. It is an advantage to reach in the morning, but I forgot about the fact that I actually had to wake up extra early too! 😂

WWAPORTAL

Address: 27 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Khwaeng Khlong Toei Nuea, Khet Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Hours: 0800-2000hrs (daily)

Transport: Asok BTS Station, Sukhumvit MRT Station

Google Reviews: 4.5

Instagram: @wwaportal

After I got my caffeine fix, I headed off to Somtum Der for lunch, which was nearby. I literally googled Thai food places to try in Bangkok, and that was how I found this place. Somtum Der offers Isaan-style Thai food, which is known to be dry and spicy; and yes, a lot of their items on the menu are indeed spicy, great for those that love spicy food! I got some moo ping (meat skewers) and shrimp salad to try. Moo ping was huge and delicious, but the salad was a disappointment. Prawns were not fresh and tasted powdery.

SOMTUM DER

Address: 5, 5 Sala Daeng Rd, Khwaeng Silom, Khet Bang Rak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10500, Thailand

Hours: 1100-2200hrs (daily)

Transport: Sala Daeng BTS Station, Si Lom MRT Station

Google Reviews: 4.2

Instagram: @somtumder

Next, I went to GW Tea House to get a drink, which was just 2 shops away. It is a Taiwan teahouse that does boba drinks and premium Chinese teas, opened by a Taiwanese. “GW” stands for its name in Chinese, “金旺” (jin wang / gin wang), and “wang” symbolises “pineapple” which is reflected in their logo design. They specialise in gingwan tea, jasmine green tea, nhai chiang oolong and tie guan yin oolong. I'm quite selective with teas and I don't drink any of the mentioned, so I went with the strawberry yakult - yummy! The shop was really pretty.

GW TEA HOUSE

Address: 5, 7 Sala Daeng Rd, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Hours: 1000-2000hrs (Mon-Fri), 1200-2000hrs (Sat)

Transport: Sala Daeng BTS Station, Si Lom MRT Station

Google Reviews: 4.8

Instagram: @gwteahouse

Next location was Assumption Cathedral for some photos. It is the principal Roman Catholic church of Thailand, the work of a French architect, completed in 1821. The church played an important role for Christian missionaries who arrived in the latter half of the 19th century. The significant part of the church is in the crypt underneath the Sanctuary, which kept the remains of bishops and missionaries. The cathedral was not open when I visited.

ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL

Address: 57 Oriental Ave, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Hours: 0830-1700hrs (daily)

Transport: Oriental Pier, Saphan Taksin BTS Station

Google Reviews: 4.7

Then, I went to Pak Khlong Talat next, a local flower market. It is the main flower market for Bangkok. It is located by Chao Praya River, hence its name translates to “the market on the mouth of the canal”. If you hadn’t know, Buddhism is the main religion for Thailand and it is a common practice to offer flowers to Buddha. There were soooo many flowers to choose from! I got some tulips, gerberas and chamomile, and headed back to the hotel to vase it up. Took a rest and headed off to Jodd Fairs next!

PAK KHLONG TALAT (MARKET)

Address: Pak Khlong Talat Son Palace Bangkok, Thailand

Hours: 24hrs (daily)

Transport: Yodpiman Pier

Google Reviews: 4.3

Remember the popular Ratchada Train Night Market? I never had a chance to visit it. It announced its closure last July. However, as the pandemic situation starts to stabilise, the popular night market announced its return just 4 months later at a new location and rebranded as "Jodd Fairs"! It features over 600 food vendors, ranging from restaurants to street food stands, to food tents. There are also retail and craft stores. You can even get the viral fluid art bear on tiktok done here for just $10!! The place looks really clean and offers both Thai food and international food like pasta and pizza.

Continuing with the market on day 3!