Guenmai's trip report Dec 2007/Jan 2008
Dec 22nd, 2007, 09:09 PM
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OK...folks...I'm back. My Thai instructor just left half an hour ago.
Bill: I've never had any desire to own a computer.
Carol...My American/Danish friend is enjoying himself. He's down in Phuket right now. He'll be back on the 27th and will stay for a week and we will leave BKK on the same day, but of course flying in different directions. The last time he was in Thailand was over a decade ago and happened to arrive into town in the middle of those student protests. So, back then he got out of town and fast.
Gloriaf...I've already finished over at Cotton House. I'm just waiting for them to deliver my clothes. But, I asked Da some days ago if you had been in or not. She said that you'd probably be coming not too long from now.
Escrunchy...My Thai friend dropped by yesterday and I had her call Cotton House and they're open from 10AM-5PM on Sunday.
So, yesterday was my day off from Thai lessons...so I could REST my poor cheeks. Those sounds can be so painful. So, my Thai friend dropped by at 10:30AM, yesterday, and we were out until 6:30PM.
The first thing I wanted to do was to do lunch at a restaurant that was written up in Bangkok Post on Dec 14th..the day that I was flying here. I was reading about it on the plane.
It's out on Sukhumvit, soi 103....subsoi 18. It's a bit south of BITEC. It's located in an old rundown-looking serviced apartment building. The name of the place is The Garden...6th floor of The Executive Residence Apartment Building...soi Udomsuk 18....Tel...02.361.7881 open daily 11AM-11PM. It's out in the Bang Na area.
The restaurant has been open for less than a month. The food was really good. At first, my Thai friend and I were the only two people there as it was early...around 12 noon. Then about 30 minutes later an elderly Thai couple arrived. We sat inside of the restaurant. On the rooftop there is an absolutely beautiful flower garden which is alone worth going there. There's outside seating and there's a grill out there,too. One would not imagine such a beautiful place on the 6th floor of a rundown-looking building. The restaurant seats up to 200 people.
I had some of what was recommended in the Bangkok Post article....the fried rice with salted mackrel was absolutely delicious as was said in the newspaper article. I also had prawns with a white sauce, which was not mentioned in the article, but was quite good. Next time I'll just leave the white sauce off...I'm not much for white sauce, but the giant prawns were delicious.
Then at the end of the meal I ordered the deep-fried sweet bananas with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I didn't know that the banana dish had chocolate sauce drizzled over it, so I had to VERY carefully taste only a tiny piece of the banana which was absolutely delicious. I didn't eat the ice cream either as I'm allergic to it, but my Thai friend ate it ALL for me and left with a big smile on her face. She ordered a Thai pork dish in a sauce and said that it was authentic Thai. We both really enjoyed our meal.
The menu is very odd as there are also a couple of dozen European dishes on the menu...like German pork dishes, French dishes, etc. But, according to the article those dishes were also excellent.
It's a good place to do lunch on a day that you're going to the Jim Thompson outlet at Sukhumvit, soi 93. We did lunch first and then had the taxi drop us at Jim Thompson....less than 15 minutes away...and 53 baht.
To get there is quite easy...take the skytrain to On Nut...the end of the east Sukhumvit line...and then go to the north side of Sukhumvit and catch a taxi heading EAST out Sukhumvit. When you get to soi 103...you'll turn LEFT... and you won't have far to go before you get to soi 18...then take a right into soi 18 and look up and on the right side of the street and you'll see the serviced apartment building. It's not far into the soi.
I'm going to post this and then continue as I don't want the screen to possibly go blank as it has in the future. Happy Travels!
Bill: I've never had any desire to own a computer.
Carol...My American/Danish friend is enjoying himself. He's down in Phuket right now. He'll be back on the 27th and will stay for a week and we will leave BKK on the same day, but of course flying in different directions. The last time he was in Thailand was over a decade ago and happened to arrive into town in the middle of those student protests. So, back then he got out of town and fast.
Gloriaf...I've already finished over at Cotton House. I'm just waiting for them to deliver my clothes. But, I asked Da some days ago if you had been in or not. She said that you'd probably be coming not too long from now.
Escrunchy...My Thai friend dropped by yesterday and I had her call Cotton House and they're open from 10AM-5PM on Sunday.
So, yesterday was my day off from Thai lessons...so I could REST my poor cheeks. Those sounds can be so painful. So, my Thai friend dropped by at 10:30AM, yesterday, and we were out until 6:30PM.
The first thing I wanted to do was to do lunch at a restaurant that was written up in Bangkok Post on Dec 14th..the day that I was flying here. I was reading about it on the plane.
It's out on Sukhumvit, soi 103....subsoi 18. It's a bit south of BITEC. It's located in an old rundown-looking serviced apartment building. The name of the place is The Garden...6th floor of The Executive Residence Apartment Building...soi Udomsuk 18....Tel...02.361.7881 open daily 11AM-11PM. It's out in the Bang Na area.
The restaurant has been open for less than a month. The food was really good. At first, my Thai friend and I were the only two people there as it was early...around 12 noon. Then about 30 minutes later an elderly Thai couple arrived. We sat inside of the restaurant. On the rooftop there is an absolutely beautiful flower garden which is alone worth going there. There's outside seating and there's a grill out there,too. One would not imagine such a beautiful place on the 6th floor of a rundown-looking building. The restaurant seats up to 200 people.
I had some of what was recommended in the Bangkok Post article....the fried rice with salted mackrel was absolutely delicious as was said in the newspaper article. I also had prawns with a white sauce, which was not mentioned in the article, but was quite good. Next time I'll just leave the white sauce off...I'm not much for white sauce, but the giant prawns were delicious.
Then at the end of the meal I ordered the deep-fried sweet bananas with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I didn't know that the banana dish had chocolate sauce drizzled over it, so I had to VERY carefully taste only a tiny piece of the banana which was absolutely delicious. I didn't eat the ice cream either as I'm allergic to it, but my Thai friend ate it ALL for me and left with a big smile on her face. She ordered a Thai pork dish in a sauce and said that it was authentic Thai. We both really enjoyed our meal.
The menu is very odd as there are also a couple of dozen European dishes on the menu...like German pork dishes, French dishes, etc. But, according to the article those dishes were also excellent.
It's a good place to do lunch on a day that you're going to the Jim Thompson outlet at Sukhumvit, soi 93. We did lunch first and then had the taxi drop us at Jim Thompson....less than 15 minutes away...and 53 baht.
To get there is quite easy...take the skytrain to On Nut...the end of the east Sukhumvit line...and then go to the north side of Sukhumvit and catch a taxi heading EAST out Sukhumvit. When you get to soi 103...you'll turn LEFT... and you won't have far to go before you get to soi 18...then take a right into soi 18 and look up and on the right side of the street and you'll see the serviced apartment building. It's not far into the soi.
I'm going to post this and then continue as I don't want the screen to possibly go blank as it has in the future. Happy Travels!
Dec 22nd, 2007, 09:57 PM
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OK, folks...I'm back. I would have had a fit had the screen gone blank after all of that typing which has happened several times as Emporium Mall has black outs.
Anyhow, after lunch we headed over to Jim Thompson, soi 93 and I bought a few items. Then we went back to On Nut and caught the skytrain. When we got to Ekkamai, I suggested that we hop off and go to the new, much talked-about condo building called Nirassiri(sp?). I wanted to see the condos. So, someone showed us around and to big 2-3 bedroom and 2-3 bathroom ones. They're very nice and RIGHT at the skytrain station...as close as my building is to the Prom Phomng skytrain station.
Ekkamai skytrain station is 2 stations past me...going east. Plus, they're building a mall and supermarket right below the building....super convenient. The condos that we saw were around 150 square meters big...priced in the 11.2-12.5 million baht price range. All the smaller ones have been sold out. What was really nice about them was that they had windows that could be opened. The windows were high up and mini windows...probably for the safety of children. But you could open them and then push them outward. And there were plenty of windows like that...VERY unlike many condo buildings I've been to. The building is, however, leasehold and not freehold.
After we checked out the condo building, we went back to my place to drop off the Jim Thompson bags and to catch our breaths and then we went to MBK because I REALLY needed to buy a cell phone. I absolutely DETEST having to go into MBK, but only did it because my Thai friend said she'd come with me and figure out the cell phone mania and translate for me. She's from the cell phone obsessed generation.
It took a good hour and a half. Vendors giving conflicting information to my friend in Thai. One would say the phone was tri-band and then the next vendor would say the same make/model was dual band...a MESS. Anyhow, after I had ABSOLUTELY had it, I thought it was time to go into my assertive, crazy mode since by then I was truly crazy and ready to bite. My Thai friend isn't assertive like I am about things. So, I went over to a guy and asked if he spoke English and he said a little. I then told him that I wanted a NEW tri-band and the style that folds shut, and that I WOULD NOT pay over 3,000 baht for it so not to even show me anything not even one baht above 3,000 Baht. He said that NEW tribands are usually around 3,500 and up. But, then he lead me throuogh the MAZE of vendors dropping me at a tiny place. Well, I FINALLY ended up with a cell phone. I bought a red, Motorola W375 phone for 2,850 baht. I have no idea how much it would cost in the states, and really don't care. I just needed a phone and one under 3,000 baht.
Plus, earlier that day, I had been in the elevator, at my building, with an American man and we were talking about cell phones and that was the price range he quoted me. When we got back to Emporium, I told my Thai friend that I wanted to go up to the cell phone department to see if they had the same one I had just bought. Well, they carried it, but for over 400 baht more and they were all sold out of that model. So, the headache at MBK saved me some baht. Prices even differed at MBK by as much as 500 baht for same model phones.
Anyhow, so the SIM card was 99 baht and the girl installed it for me and I bought a 300 baht prepaid card. The phone came with the ear/headset thing so I didn't have to buy that separately as I did for my old cell phone that I use at home.
I tried it out last night when I called my 87 year-old dad and it worked perfectly and he couldn't believe how clear the connection was. He thought I was back home in the States. All of this high tech just blows him away.
I also called a friend, in L.A. this morning and it was also quite clear. She also thought I was home. Last night when I calculated the cost out, I came up with about 33 cents per minute unless I calculated wrong. The card ran out while talking to my friend in L.A. So, I need to buy a new one.
The name of the place I went to, in MBK, was Star Mobile.... Stall # C3. When you enter MBK, from the skytrain station, walk through the department store...go up the department store escalator until you get to the floor with the supermarket on it. Walk through that floor, of the department store, until it dumps out into the mall and go RIGHT and walk quite a way down...almost to the end...to the second section of that floor area....Star Mobile is NOT to the far right or far left along the wall, but in the middle section of all of the vendors.
At least that vendor had a huge catelogue with photos of different cell phones and what band they were on and the features. She was quite helpful, friendly, and informed. When we arrived a western man had just finished making his purchase and he had been speaking English to her. It's a very small shop. There's a 1 year warranty on my phone. My Thai friend filled out the warranty paper, in Thai for me.
The only thing I need to figure out is what converter to use if I want to use it in Europe. The vendor's assisitant ran around MBK gathering up converters/adapters, but I wasn't sure which one I would need so I didn't buy any of them. Maybe I'll have to wait until I get home.Got to go. Happy Travels!
Anyhow, after lunch we headed over to Jim Thompson, soi 93 and I bought a few items. Then we went back to On Nut and caught the skytrain. When we got to Ekkamai, I suggested that we hop off and go to the new, much talked-about condo building called Nirassiri(sp?). I wanted to see the condos. So, someone showed us around and to big 2-3 bedroom and 2-3 bathroom ones. They're very nice and RIGHT at the skytrain station...as close as my building is to the Prom Phomng skytrain station.
Ekkamai skytrain station is 2 stations past me...going east. Plus, they're building a mall and supermarket right below the building....super convenient. The condos that we saw were around 150 square meters big...priced in the 11.2-12.5 million baht price range. All the smaller ones have been sold out. What was really nice about them was that they had windows that could be opened. The windows were high up and mini windows...probably for the safety of children. But you could open them and then push them outward. And there were plenty of windows like that...VERY unlike many condo buildings I've been to. The building is, however, leasehold and not freehold.
After we checked out the condo building, we went back to my place to drop off the Jim Thompson bags and to catch our breaths and then we went to MBK because I REALLY needed to buy a cell phone. I absolutely DETEST having to go into MBK, but only did it because my Thai friend said she'd come with me and figure out the cell phone mania and translate for me. She's from the cell phone obsessed generation.
It took a good hour and a half. Vendors giving conflicting information to my friend in Thai. One would say the phone was tri-band and then the next vendor would say the same make/model was dual band...a MESS. Anyhow, after I had ABSOLUTELY had it, I thought it was time to go into my assertive, crazy mode since by then I was truly crazy and ready to bite. My Thai friend isn't assertive like I am about things. So, I went over to a guy and asked if he spoke English and he said a little. I then told him that I wanted a NEW tri-band and the style that folds shut, and that I WOULD NOT pay over 3,000 baht for it so not to even show me anything not even one baht above 3,000 Baht. He said that NEW tribands are usually around 3,500 and up. But, then he lead me throuogh the MAZE of vendors dropping me at a tiny place. Well, I FINALLY ended up with a cell phone. I bought a red, Motorola W375 phone for 2,850 baht. I have no idea how much it would cost in the states, and really don't care. I just needed a phone and one under 3,000 baht.
Plus, earlier that day, I had been in the elevator, at my building, with an American man and we were talking about cell phones and that was the price range he quoted me. When we got back to Emporium, I told my Thai friend that I wanted to go up to the cell phone department to see if they had the same one I had just bought. Well, they carried it, but for over 400 baht more and they were all sold out of that model. So, the headache at MBK saved me some baht. Prices even differed at MBK by as much as 500 baht for same model phones.
Anyhow, so the SIM card was 99 baht and the girl installed it for me and I bought a 300 baht prepaid card. The phone came with the ear/headset thing so I didn't have to buy that separately as I did for my old cell phone that I use at home.
I tried it out last night when I called my 87 year-old dad and it worked perfectly and he couldn't believe how clear the connection was. He thought I was back home in the States. All of this high tech just blows him away.
I also called a friend, in L.A. this morning and it was also quite clear. She also thought I was home. Last night when I calculated the cost out, I came up with about 33 cents per minute unless I calculated wrong. The card ran out while talking to my friend in L.A. So, I need to buy a new one.
The name of the place I went to, in MBK, was Star Mobile.... Stall # C3. When you enter MBK, from the skytrain station, walk through the department store...go up the department store escalator until you get to the floor with the supermarket on it. Walk through that floor, of the department store, until it dumps out into the mall and go RIGHT and walk quite a way down...almost to the end...to the second section of that floor area....Star Mobile is NOT to the far right or far left along the wall, but in the middle section of all of the vendors.
At least that vendor had a huge catelogue with photos of different cell phones and what band they were on and the features. She was quite helpful, friendly, and informed. When we arrived a western man had just finished making his purchase and he had been speaking English to her. It's a very small shop. There's a 1 year warranty on my phone. My Thai friend filled out the warranty paper, in Thai for me.
The only thing I need to figure out is what converter to use if I want to use it in Europe. The vendor's assisitant ran around MBK gathering up converters/adapters, but I wasn't sure which one I would need so I didn't buy any of them. Maybe I'll have to wait until I get home.Got to go. Happy Travels!
Dec 22nd, 2007, 10:12 PM
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Oh, I forgot to add. Today I had a substitute Thai teacher. My teacher probably had to vote. Anyhow, she asked where I was from and I said L.A. area. She then said that Thailand has 79(?) provinces....78 in Thailand plus L.A...I went into laughing hysteria. We laughed until we nearly cried. Happy Travels!
Dec 23rd, 2007, 04:04 AM
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Guen-- I'm in the process of buying a cell phone for my trip but I will need to get a sim card when I get to bangkok. Would your place just sell me the sim card? I want to go somewhere where they will put it in and provide some instructions so I know it is working before I leave -- the cell phone I'm getting is Motorola V188 and I can get it for %50 including shipping.
Which service did you get?
Which service did you get?
Dec 23rd, 2007, 05:32 AM
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Guenmai
Good to see you back on line and reporting your adventures in BKK.
MBK can be rather overwhelming at times.. and especially in the cell phone/accessories area. It can be an absolute madhouse.
Have fun... keep posting...
Carol
Good to see you back on line and reporting your adventures in BKK.
MBK can be rather overwhelming at times.. and especially in the cell phone/accessories area. It can be an absolute madhouse.
Have fun... keep posting...
Carol
Dec 23rd, 2007, 08:11 AM
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Gloria,
I always get my SIMM cards at MBK... but you might try a 7-11 or mini-mart sort of place. I know they usually sell the minutes for your phone.
Maybe one of our BKK residents will chime in about this.
I always get my SIMM cards at MBK... but you might try a 7-11 or mini-mart sort of place. I know they usually sell the minutes for your phone.
Maybe one of our BKK residents will chime in about this.
Dec 23rd, 2007, 09:50 PM
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Glorialf...You don't have to go to MBK to buy a SIMM card. They're probably sold at anyplace that sells cell phones. Just go to a quieter mall or cell phone store and get one. It's a tiny card, about the size of the tip of your pinky finger. You just take the back off of the cell phone and slide it in where the SIMM card diagram is. I just let the girl at MBK do it since Thais usually have smaller fingers. My fingers are much bigger.
As for the prepaid phone card, I just walked into a cell phone shop yesterday, which is here next to the internet cafe where I am typing,and bought a new 300 Baht one. And it was great to be able to do it in Thai. She understood me and handed me the right card and for the amount that I had asked for. It was also great being able to top off my skytrain card in Thai,too and be handed back the correct change. The lessons must be working. Smiles.
As for what company I went with, it's not like signing up for a company at home. You just buy the prepaid card...I bought the 1/2/ Go Thai one I think it's called. They're everywhere. I think it's the largest company. You just scratch off the back....like you do with lotto tickets...and then there's a code. You call the number on the front of the card and then enter the scratched-off number and then it will pop up on the phone screen how much the card is worth. You can call the same number to get your balance after you've made your call. It'll all pop up on your cell phone screen. It's quite easy once you've gotten past the actual buying of the cell phone.
I bought a cell phone here because the battery recharger is a Thai one and ready to be plugged into the socket here and on the correct power currency. You'll have to charge up your phone. It only took me about 2 hours before mine was fully charged. Happy Travels!
As for the prepaid phone card, I just walked into a cell phone shop yesterday, which is here next to the internet cafe where I am typing,and bought a new 300 Baht one. And it was great to be able to do it in Thai. She understood me and handed me the right card and for the amount that I had asked for. It was also great being able to top off my skytrain card in Thai,too and be handed back the correct change. The lessons must be working. Smiles.
As for what company I went with, it's not like signing up for a company at home. You just buy the prepaid card...I bought the 1/2/ Go Thai one I think it's called. They're everywhere. I think it's the largest company. You just scratch off the back....like you do with lotto tickets...and then there's a code. You call the number on the front of the card and then enter the scratched-off number and then it will pop up on the phone screen how much the card is worth. You can call the same number to get your balance after you've made your call. It'll all pop up on your cell phone screen. It's quite easy once you've gotten past the actual buying of the cell phone.
I bought a cell phone here because the battery recharger is a Thai one and ready to be plugged into the socket here and on the correct power currency. You'll have to charge up your phone. It only took me about 2 hours before mine was fully charged. Happy Travels!
Dec 23rd, 2007, 10:00 PM
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So folks...I didn't leave the apartment and get out yesterday until late...after 5PM I think. I was walking out the door when the Jody Foster movie....Flight Plan was coming on. So, I tossed my purse on the sofa and sat down and watched it. I'd seen it before, but wanted to see it again. And since my apartment has a huge, Sony flat screen that even swivels, it's almost like being in a movie theater. It's great at night when I can swivel it and watch movies in bed...or swivel it and watch them while curled up on the sofa.
So, I went to two concerts yesterday evening...one was a jazz concert inside of Central World Plaza and the other one was outside between Paragon and Siam Mall. Everybody was out. Tons of partying folks. The weather has been perfect....85-95 degrees in the hottest part of the day...cool breezes in the morning. Happy Travels!
So, I went to two concerts yesterday evening...one was a jazz concert inside of Central World Plaza and the other one was outside between Paragon and Siam Mall. Everybody was out. Tons of partying folks. The weather has been perfect....85-95 degrees in the hottest part of the day...cool breezes in the morning. Happy Travels!
Dec 24th, 2007, 03:55 AM
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Thanks, Guen. Can you suggest a smaller mall to go to? I really don't go to them so don't know them. Only one I ever visit these days is Oriental Place and obviously they don't have them. Wonder if River City has a cell phone place though since I could just take the Oriental ferry there.
Dec 24th, 2007, 04:16 AM
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Gloria
I'm wondering if the little strip mall at Bob's hotel (Marriott) has a cell phone shop. I wouldn't be too surprised. Or there is probably a phone shop along that main thoroughfare near the river (is it New Road). MBK is just popular because there are hundreds of choices of phones and services!
The Thais who sell phones are all (in my experience) very tech savvy and will install the SIMM card for you and make sure it communicates with you in English (another important thing). I had a card once that wasn't in English. I would get phone calls from the phone service, in Thai, and I didn't answer correctly and it kept using up my minutes, but it supplied me with all sorts of calling numbers for my horoscope, the weather, Thai boxing, etc etc and all in THAI.... lol
Guen,
Sorry to jump in here to Gloria... Any special plans for Christmas?
WOW!!! I'm happy for you that you could speak in Thai when ordering you SIMM and your skytrain ticket. You must be an excellent student.
Carol
I'm wondering if the little strip mall at Bob's hotel (Marriott) has a cell phone shop. I wouldn't be too surprised. Or there is probably a phone shop along that main thoroughfare near the river (is it New Road). MBK is just popular because there are hundreds of choices of phones and services!
The Thais who sell phones are all (in my experience) very tech savvy and will install the SIMM card for you and make sure it communicates with you in English (another important thing). I had a card once that wasn't in English. I would get phone calls from the phone service, in Thai, and I didn't answer correctly and it kept using up my minutes, but it supplied me with all sorts of calling numbers for my horoscope, the weather, Thai boxing, etc etc and all in THAI.... lol
Guen,
Sorry to jump in here to Gloria... Any special plans for Christmas?
WOW!!! I'm happy for you that you could speak in Thai when ordering you SIMM and your skytrain ticket. You must be an excellent student.
Carol
Dec 24th, 2007, 04:23 AM
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Thanks, Carol. No plans for Christmas except going out with some friends and my mother. I am having a house guest come on the 28th and a group of us are having a Stratford Festival (the theatre festival in canada, not england) reunion on the 30th and 31st. It's 8 women who go to Stratford together for a week of theatre going every summer so it should be fun. What about you?
And, Guen, sorry about hijacking your thread. I'm so envious of your learning thai. I have tried repeatedly but have an awful ear and can't even hear the different tones --never mind say them. Congrats!
And, Guen, sorry about hijacking your thread. I'm so envious of your learning thai. I have tried repeatedly but have an awful ear and can't even hear the different tones --never mind say them. Congrats!
