Bangkok Diaries - Part 2

SO, in Part 1 I managed to cover all the important stuff from my first day and a half in Bangkok, in Part 2 I'd like to tell you about the next day and a half - so we are still basically on Day 2.

Bangkok is famous (or should I say infamous?) for its night life. It's a party-town and there's no denying it. Bangkok looks like a different place altogether at night. A really good example of this was the footpath outside a subway station near our Hotel that has street-food hawkers and stalls during the day, gets replaced by this street-bar at night! It's the craziest thing I've ever seen!

A Street Bar Named Fantasy

But having a drink at Fantasy Bar will always remain a fantasy of mine. For our night out, we chose something a little more "up market", something more "high end", a little bit more "top tier"...hehehe...okay I'll stop with the stupid puns. Well, we went to a roof top bar & restaurant on the 63rd floor (now you get the puns ;)) of Lebua State Tower Hotel, called Sirocco. Have a look at the photo and see if it looks familiar - whether or not you've been to Bangkok, I'm sure most people reading this would've seen this Bar...

Hint: Like I said before, things in Bangkok look different at night than they do in the day...

Sirocco

It's where Hangover 2 was shot (refresh your memory here)! Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Hangover movies, but I like movies in general and love to see places where significant scenes from popular movies were shot, in real life. Once you go all the way up there, and most people go because they know this place from Hangover, you've got to have yourself a...

Hangovertini!

Not the best tasting drink in the world, but its one of those must-do things. Unfortunately, when we got up there, we got to enjoy the outdoor area for only 15 minutes before it started raining and for safety reasons they moved us all to the indoor bar and restaurant so I couldn't take many photos - but the view from up there, as you can imagine, is ah-mazing! But for your viewing pleasure, here's my night-out-on-the-town outfit:

Black Tube Top: Approx. $10 (from years and years ago, can't even remember where from)

Blue Skirt: $20 (YNot, Chadstone)

Turquoise Low-Heels: $120 (Hype)

Gold Clutch: *$22 (Colette)

Bracelets: *$7 each (Forever New)

Layered Rhinestone Bib Necklace: Approx. $20 (Forever 21) 

Outfit Total: Approx. $206

* = sale prices

I luuurve this bib necklace I bought from Forever 21! It just completely changes any outfit. I've already worn it twice since I bought it and it didn't even feel like I was repeating a look.

Day 3 - Last Day in Bangkok :(. More street-food and sight-seeing :).

We had Goh Pao Gai (I think that's how its spelt in English) which is a spicy chicken stirfry with veggies and rice. Unbelievably good! Again cost less than a dollar.

Reclining Buddha

You just can't go to Bangkok and not see the Reclining Buddha temple! It's magnificent! The Buddha is HUGE and yet so calm and serene.

Meticulous restoration works at the temple

The Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha temple) is the largest temple in Bangkok. It looks just as majestic on the outside as it does inside. 

All this sight-seeing and touristy-stuff brings us to...you guessed it...Tourist Outfit - 2!

T-shirt Dress + Coral Ballet Flats = 

The Perfect, Summery, Tourist Outfit

T-Shirt Dress: *$30 (Forever New)

Sunnies: $35 (Sportsgirl)

Bag: *$44.95 (Colette)

Coral Ballet Flats : *$15 (Rubi Shoes)

Assorted Bangles: Gift (Lovisa)

Outfit Total: $124.95

* = sale prices

My dress did cause a bit of a problem though, we were told we wouldn't be allowed to enter the Grand Palace because of its length, or lack thereof. TIP: If you want to visit the Grand Palace, wear full pants/a maxi dress - but we didn't really have time for it anyway. That's just something we'll have to leave for the next time we go to Bangkok. That evening we flew out of Bangkok....

Off to Phuket...

Next Post: Phuket Diaries. Coming Soon...

Bangkok Diaries - Part 1

Let's start at the beginning...

Checked in at Hotel Grand Millennium Sukhumvit 

And this ^ is how far it was from the nearest shopping mall - Terminal 21. Photo taken from footbridge linking to T21.

Rooms were great!

See-through windows to the bathroom, which make the room look spacious (but don't worry, you can shut the blinds if you want to ;)). Can you spot my reflection, taking photos? 

Spent the afternoon strolling through T21 which is a mall that kind of has an airport-like theme to it and every floor is named after a different city like Paris, London, Istanbul etc.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Had lunch there which was pretty mediocre - but this gorgeous drink I had tasted just as good as it looks whilst enjoying city views!

Got straight down to business the first evening and headed to Siam - the shopping district with all the best malls!

I really enjoyed walking around bricks & mortar versions of brands that I normally only get to experience online. Central World Plaza has the biggest, effin' Forever 21! Even I got lost in that store, and that's saying something (I'm usually great at finding my way around malls, even ones I've never been to before - its a gift). I did most of my shopping at Forever 21 - 2 tops, 2 skirts and 1 necklace (which is not a lot by my standards). All this for a total of around $100. Not bad, eh?

Amphawa Floating Market

The next day, we combined shopping and sight-seeing and drove 1.5 hours out of Bangkok to visit this amazing place called the Amphawa Floating Market. Open daily from about 9am - 4am (more than enough time for even someone like me)! Its accessible by boat and is a truly unique experience!

This lady made us THE BEST PAD THAI I'VE EVER HAD!!

Served with a piece of lime, chilli powder, crushed peanuts and a pinch of sugar, all to be mixed while eating. Made on a boat! Served and eaten on a boat! All for less than $1!!

We then stepped off the boat to stroll around the market. You'll find all kinds of stalls and shops selling everything from cheap fresh food to jewellery, clothes, toys etc. Everything a good market has to offer.

But I also ran into the occasional quirky, fashion boutiques which I absolutely didn't expect to see but was pleasantly surprised by. There is something for everyone at the Floating Market!

And amidst all the street-food stalls, there was this swish cafe+bar+restaurant which looked very inviting.

So I sat and enjoyed a "Mai Thai" as I watched the boats float by (whilst Mr_Pre continued shopping - funny things happen in Thailand!)

Tourist Outfit - 1

And here's what I wore to the Floating Market (and then some mall-shopping afterwards), this is what I like to call a "Tourist Outfit"; comfy+functional and still fashionable:

Top: *$10 (Gripp Jeans Liquidation Sale)

Coral & White Striped Skirt: $10 (Forever 21)

Crossbody Bag: *$15 (Glassons)

Colour Block Ballet Flats: *$25 (Forever New)

Necklace: $19.95 (Stellar)

Assorted Bangles: Gift (part of a larger set from Lovisa)

Outfit Total: $79.95

 * = sale prices 

Ok, this post is getting realllllly long! So, I'll have to stop now. I'll add more outfit photos and sight-seeing details to a new post tomorrow. See you then. Off to bed now. Ciao! xx

Landings...

Hello All!

Sorry I've been MIA for sometime. I got back from my holiday on Thursday but I had so much to catch up on with work, friends, household chores etc. etc. because I hadn't really planned to go away, it just happened. I haven't even unpacked properly yet and I'm still sorting out photos from various sources so till I get everything together here's a little sneak peak of my trip...

Check back for more soon...

In the mean time, I dropped by to say that it looks like I landed back in Melbourne just in time - Zara opens at Chadstone tomorrow, 8th Aug! Is anyone going to the opening? I am. (Yes, yes, I  know you are keeping tab. My "Self-imposed Shopping Ban" is back on now that I'm back in Australia, but you've forgotten - I still have a Zara Gift Card! Win!)

Click here if you want more details about the opening of the Zara Chadstone store and to RSVP for tomorrow's event.

And come back again soon to see more photos of Thailand :)...

xoxox

My week in pictures

My excessive shopping was making my room overwhelmingly messy

And yet I would wake up every morning feeling like I have nothing to wear to work 

So I did a wardrobe tidy and a mini-cull to make my closet look more like this^(I wish!)

Worked hard...

Got inspired by this and so I did...

 ...yes, I booked a ticket last week...

To Bangkok!

...for some much needed R&R&R (Rest & Relaxation & Retail Therapy!). Because that "Serious Shopping Ban" that I mentioned 2 posts ago, only applies in Australia :P.

And they say, "One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble", so imagine what 2 nights will do to a woman ;)!

And 3 nights in Phuket!

Yes only 5 nights - short (and sweet hopefully!) - because that's all I could get and its higher than 0! I leave tonight! See you when I'm back (and depressed beyond words because my impromptu holiday is over).