Day 2 Bangkok > Ayutthaya > Bangkok

Day 2

Started the day around 9am+ looking for breakfast around nearby area.

 A lot to choose from and we couldn't decide!

Not sure what this is but it was nice! Crispy on the outside, chewy inside. Topped with sweet chilli sauce, reminds me of png kueh without fillings.

Wanton Mee from a stall along the roadside. 

So nice that we ordered another bowl to fill our stomach.

After breakfast, time to head for Ayutthaya. We had initially planned on taking the train to Ayutthaya. Based on various travelling sites, we planned to take the train from Bangkok Train Station to Ayutthaya (the second class seats is priced @ THB $245 ~325+  per person with fixed seats allocation or a third class seats with free standing at THB $15 ). The journey varies from 1 hr 30 mins to 2 hr 30mins and we factored in:
1. Rent a bicycle to tour around or hire a tuk tuk for short trips within Ayuthaya.
2. Recommended to head for the station for the train back to Bangkok by 3pm.

So....

We secured a driver for a round trip (to and fro) to Ayuttaya (the car can cater up to 4 person), costed less than THB $3,000 and it was a breeze from place to place.

Our driver suggested the following route which was good enough for us because my original route only covered 4 locations.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace > Wat Yai Chai Mongkol > Wat Ratchaburana > Wat Maha That > Wat Phra Si Sanphet >  Wat Lokaya Sutha > Wat Chaiwatthanaram > Back to Bangkok

1. Bang Pa-In Royal Palace - A palace for the King during summer times.
(Admission fee is THB$100 for tourists (adults pricing))

2. Wat Yai Chai Mongkol 

Climbing up is tough as the steps are very high. Getting down was another difficult task because of the steps' height. Had to be careful not to fall down.

3. Malakor Cafe - Break time, went to have lunch @ Malakor Cafe.

The aircon area is cafe and the 2nd level (open air) is the dining area.

Spicy Minced Pork with Basil on Rice

Fried Rice with Chicken 

Tom Yum Goong

Royal Thai Milk Tea (*thumbs up!!)

4. Wat Ratchaburana - Across the street just minutes away from Malakor Cafe

5. Wat Maha That - By the time we get to Wat Maha That, we were exhausted. The heat got to us.

6. Kum Khun Phaan towards Wat Phra Si Sanphet. We didn't proceed into Wat Phra Si Sanphet and took a rest outside instead.

Kum Khun Phaan

The fishes in the pond

7. Wat Chaiwatthanaram - Our last location before we head back to Bangkok. Totally drained, we took a few shots on the outside.

As it was a weekday and happened to be the peak hour when we make our way back to Bangkok, it took us 2 hours + to return back to our hotel.

We started our journey around 10.30am and covered:

1. Bang Pa-In Royal Palace
2. Wat Yai Chai Mongkol
3. Wat Ratchaburana 
4. Wat Maha That
5. Wat Chaiwatthanaram 

and back to Bangkok around 7pm+.

We took a short break and head out to Central World for a luxurious dinner. (Wanted to go for After You as last order was 9+pm but our heavy dinner forbade us.)

Mixed Fruits beverage

The picture in menu showed cut fruits but it was served in a bottle. 

Lasagna which was nice but took a long time to come

Deep Fried Fish

(can't rem if it was sea bass)

Initially it was nice, but when it started to get cold, and only 3 of us eating, we can't finished it.

Fried Pork Belly                               Calamari Rice.

Our total bill amounted to approx. THB $2,000 (for 3!)

Although we didn't go for After You, we grabbed some dessert on the go!!

Japanese Water Cake @ THB $100/pc

(got a promo and got 20% off and it costed THB $80!!)

Mango with Sticky Glutinous Rice, THB $60/pack

On the way back hotel, couldn't resist this!! 

That's all for day 2.

Impromptu 4D3N Bangkok Day 1 - SG > BKK

Travel Period: 9th Feb 2017 - 12th Feb 2017 (Wrote this post many months ago then realized I never published.. OMG... old age?!)

Here it goes...

Boarded the plane @ 7am flight and arrived @ 8.20am (Thailand time) at Bangkok International Airport.

Day 1

Reached BKK, applied for data plan with AIS @ 7days unlimited data @ 4.5Gbps rate for THB $299
Went to find food and we ended up eating Subway. 

Took the train via city line to Ratchaprarop station @ THB $35 per person. 

It was fast getting to the city via Skyline BUT it was so packed when it were nearing the intersection station (MRT Makkasan). Still can't figure out how we were able to make it passed the crowd to exit the train.

Walking to Citin Pratunam can be tricky. If not for another group of travelers heading the same direction, we were bound to have problems getting to the hotel. The route to the hotel was via a train path which has a small exit and cannot be seen from far. We didn't had a heavy luggage so it wasn't a big issue walking on this train path.

The track towards Citin Pratunam

Along the path were individual basket cages of cocks. Was told that on every Sunday morning around 10am (Bangkok time) there will be cockfighting.

Caged Rooster/Cock

Citin Pratunam

After we dropped our luggage at the hotel, we started our journey towards BIG C. Despite seeing the shopping mall from far, walking seemed to take forever. Must have been the hot weather despite the journey only took approximate 15-20 mins time. 

Busy traffic on a weekday morning

At BIG C, we started our buy-buy-buy. Bought medication, bought snacks, and beverages and almost wanted everything there. 

Pharmacy @ Big C

After our endless buying, we were in need of a lunch/tea-time break. We went searching for After You with high recommendations from friends. Fortunately, there was No Queue on weekday around 2pm but the cafe was 90% filled with customers. Ordered the Milo Toast, Matcha Crepe (both had the must try sign at their menu), Royal Thai Milk Tea and Lavender Earl Grey Milk Tea.

After You desserts and beverages

- Milo Toast is heavenly nice but if you have a full stomach, don't go for that because it can be quite heavy
- Matcha Crepe didn't live up to my expectation. Cream was light and tea aroma is good but the overall bite texture is slightly harder than the ones from Najdes (Malacca) or Lady M (Singapore)
- Royal Thai Milk Tea is slightly too sweet
- Lavender Earl Grey Milk Tea is just nice for me

After our long break, we proceed to pray at Erawan Shrine. 

With our purchases at hand, we walked back to hotel but not before we ended up going in circles because we tried to take shortcuts via the several shopping malls. The crowds that filled up the 2 man lanes were making it more difficult for us to get around. 

Finally back at hotel, we took a long break before we met up with our friend and back to BIG C for dinner.

Note, dinner @ almost 9pm is not advisable if you are going to the shopping mall because most restaurants were almost at the last order. Settled for Japanese meal @ Yayoi

My dinner

We revisited Erawan Shrine at night and it was much better than in the afternoon time in terms of the weather but it was more crowded at night.

After praying, we headed back to the hotel but not before we shopped around the streets outside of Indra Regent.

The walking route for Day 1