SEA 2023 (6/17) – Bangkok: Itinerary 2

SEA 2023 (6/17) – Bangkok: Itinerary 2

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Day 4

Having only ever been to Yaowarat for dinner, we wanted to explore that neighborhood during the day. Between several options to get there, the kids really preferred to take Chao Phraya Express again.

We spent the rest of the morning leisurely strolling through the backstreets, shopping for knickknacks while dodging cargo traffic in the narrow alleyway.

A surprise cafe emerged at the edge of the historic back alleys just before reaching Yaowarat’s tourist central. We got our daily fancy coffee at this cute little house in a plentifully shaded courtyard.

The most important meal of the day was at Victory Monument, which we reached via MRT and then BTS. At the end of a semi-circular pedestrian bridge was the world-famous Boat Noodle Alley.

One of my bucket list items was to dine next to Bangkok’s many canals, and this was a dream come true. It was slightly smelly and full of mosquitos, but having boat noodles next to a body of water was a necessary experience. Across a small bridge were two equally-sized restaurants, and we decided to try both.

We first went to Pa Yak on the right because it didn’t have a long line. It was excellent. The soup was not spicy so everyone enjoyed it (of course I dumped a lot of chili in my bowls).

Then we wrapped up lunch at Baan Kuay Tiew Ruathong, which was on the left and had a long line. The soup here was spicy by default, and thus a bit much for some. I may have chugged the soup in everyone’s bowls.

Jumping back on BTS in the opposite direction, we headed over to Siam Paragon.

There was a Gundam Base in Bangkok! We didn’t get to go, but seeing this from outside the mall was nice

We were here for Sea Life Bangkok, which was in the basement of the mall. This aquarium had been on my radar for a while, but I didn’t think we’d go until a waitress at the hotel breakfast recommended it to us. The admission was not cheap (roughly 75 bowls of boat noodles), but its several massive arapaimas made it more than worth the price. A wrinkle in our visit was Ting getting into a toddler-styled meltdown, and it lasted a long time. We never figured out what the hell that was about.

After a final swim and lounge happy hour at Grand Hyatt, we went to Yaowarat for the third time on this trip. We ate our last meal in Bangkok at Fikeaw, the super popular wok master. The uncle wasn’t there any more, and a younger dude was cooking in his place. The food was still excellent. However, with the novelty of the explosive cooking show wearing out, I wasn’t sure it was worth waiting in that long line any more.

Day 5

The final morning in Bangkok began with several more plates of chicken rice at Pratunam before hotel breakfast.  This time we went to the pink-colored Go-Ang, which was decidedly yummier than the green-colored Kuang Heng that we had a couple days ago.

Then I was given an opportunity to get my first massage while Hong took the girls to experience manicure and pedicure. There were quite a few of these services at Siam Square One, a modest shopping mall across from Siam Paragon. We went for whichever opened for business earliest in the day.

While waiting for Hong’s nail spa to wrap up, I got a drink with the kids at Baanban Cafe downstairs and introduced them to Detective Conan.

After a midday shower, we checked out of our lovely hotel and spent the afternoon at Siam Paragon.  Here we got to try a Thip Samai location at the food court, and had our taste of the fast food version of the supposedly best pad thai.

The first and only thunderstorm of our trip arrived at a convenient time, because the malls and hotels in the area were all connected via a covered pedestrian bridge. Thus we got to witness the tropical downpour without getting wet.

After one more coffee break in centralwOrld, which was on the way back to the hotel, we headed to our overnight train to Chiang Mai. This process turned out to be way more exciting than we anticipated, and warrants its own post…

Southeast Asia 2023 – Index

  1. Kicking Off 15 Intensely Fun Days in Thailand and Singapore
  2. Attempting the Thai Language
  3. Modes of Transportation
  4. Bangkok: Grand Hyatt Erawan
  5. Bangkok: Itinerary 1
  6. Bangkok: Itinerary 2
  7. Bangkok: Malls
  8. Overnight Train to Chiang Mai
  9. Chiang Mai: Itinerary
  10. Chiang Mai: Elephants!!!
  11. Chiang Rai: Itinerary
  12. Wats in Thailand
  13. Notable Eats in Thailand
  14. Singapore: Itinerary
  15. Singapore: Deja Vu
  16. Singapore: Changi Airport & Flight Home
  17. Notable Eats in Singapore

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