816. Bangkok Part 19 | Snapshots

This will be my last post of Bangkok for now. It's already quite delayed as now we've been in Koh Samui for a month and already preparing the next destination (Chiang Mai!). These are just a random mix of photos I never got around to posting. This is the King of Thailand. His photos are everywhere..always hung up on the walls of restaurants and public spaces.

Benjakitti Park. A really nice place to walk around and go for a jog, if you're able to withstand the heat.

Quite interesting architecture

Adidas haul - I seem to do one at each new city. They gave me that pillow as a gift for spending over a certain amount which unfortunately I had to leave behind.

Love this outfit!

Coca Cola must pay a lot to advertise here. Their ads are one of the very few in rotation and they play on literally every screen around here when it's their turn

Insects at a night market

I really like the pomelos here! They are huge.

Ong Ang Walking Street is a fairly new attraction in Bangkok. It takes place on 4 sections along the canal. There are performances, street food, shops and a lot of wall art.

There was even a man walking his pet duck

I really like walking on these elevated walkways (they go above the roads).

I think this is a poorer part of the city. The riversides are lined with many homes. We were able to peer inside some; they are all very small and cramped. The area is very clean though and it seems relaxing to live there, with the river beside.

I was surprised to find Harrods in Bangkok

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814. Bangkok Part 18 | Lebua Hotel's Sky Bar Scam!

For our stay in Bangkok last month, we stayed at an apartment in the State Tower. This building is shared by the Lebua Hotel and their famous Sky Bar. If you've seen the movie Hangover 2 you may recognize a scene that was shot here. I was really excited to visit the bar; the golden dome is really unique and beautiful, and you get amazing views over the city from 70 floors up. On one of our last nights in Bangkok, we finally decided to head up and experience it for ourselves.

Unfortunately, it turned into quite a negative experience due to their scam/unethical practices. We wanted to go to the "Sky Bar" and was brought up in the elevator by a staff member. She then brought us to a seat in a separate area of the rooftop called Flute. You can see from the photo on the website that it's still on the rooftop so we thought we were actually at Sky Bar. We were handed menus that consisted of only a few options; a couple glasses of champagne or actual bottles.

Prior to the visit, I had checked the cocktail menu online for Sky Bar and although they were quite pricey (roughly ~$40 a glass) I was ok paying those prices for the experience. The cheapest option from the menu we were given was a glass of Perrier Jouet champagne for about $110. I am not a big alcohol drinker or a champagne connoisseur so I would never pay that much for one glass (since they all taste the same to me lol). Or for that price I would have much preferred Dom Perignon or Cristal (for the nostalgia) and I don't think Perrier Jouet is worth that price at all. Before ordering I asked the server if we were at the actual Sky Bar and if we could go to the bar instead (and pointed to the Sky Bar). She said we were at Sky Bar and to order a drink here since there were no seats at the main bar. I took that to mean the main bar was closed due to COVID and that we were only allowed to sit at this champagne bar. So we ordered our champagne as we thought we had no choice. We were the only ones there and the servers kept a close watch which made it a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

Then after finishing, we were told we could walk around and if we wanted to go to the Sky Bar for a drink we could do that. Later I learned (after reading lots of other similar reviews online) that this has happened to a lot of other people. They make it seem like we're only allowed to sit at the champagne bar so we buy some exorbitant priced drinks before allowing us to the bar we wanted to visit in the first place (for more overpriced drinks..but at least that was expected). So if you plan to visit Sky Bar, you will get pressured into ordering this "initiation drink" first before they allow you to the main bar. If you want a similar experience, I'd recommend Banyan Tree's Moon Bar instead, where I had my birthday dinner! It has pretty much the same views, similar atmosphere and way more value for what you pay.

At the main bar, we ordered 1 more drink each. In the end, the total bill came to be about $360 (they took the liberty of adding on their own service charge/tip as well unfortunately) - just for 4 drinks and we were probably there a bit over an hour only. Not worth it at all. Especially for Thailand where everything else costs peanuts. I don't mind paying a high price for something that is worth it and obviously not scammed into paying. I had a good time nonetheless. However I'm very disappointed in being scammed that way, especially by what I thought was a reputable luxury hotel. I guess they assume that whoever can afford going to Sky Bar can afford to be scammed out of a bit extra.

The exorbitant priced champagne



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812. Bangkok Part 17 | Dragon Temple / Wat Samphran

I'm finally back with another post! I can't believe now we're down to our last 10 days in Koh Samui and I only managed to make one post of it here so far. I've been so busy these days with work but I will try my best to update more often. So this is going to be another Bangkok post.

We discovered Wat Samphran (aka Dragon Temple) thanks to Instagram. It looked like such a surreal building and unique place to visit. It's not a popular tourist spot yet. I feel it isn't as well-known, plus it's about 45min away from central Bangkok so not everyone has the time for it. We took a taxi/Grab to go there one day and on the way it started pouring rain. About halfway, we asked the driver to turn back as the roads started flooding a bit and it didn't look like the rain would stop anytime soon. So of course, shortly after turning back, the rain stops and by the time we arrived back in Bangkok it was sunny again lol. Then we decided to attempt it again another day and succeeded. It was a Thai national holiday/Songkran so there was more people than usual (well busy for COVID standards). It was a really cool place. I'm so glad we decided to go again as it's one of the most unique buildings I've ever seen.

The dragon's body is a hollow tunnel that you walk through to reach the top. It's on an incline so it's less tiring than stairs I suppose. Since it's a temple, we couldn't wear our shoes inside. The tunnel is all concrete so it was a bit uncomfortable to go through just in socks. But it wasn't too bad. The entire walk was maybe 20 minutes.

I don't think these elevators have ever worked. The only way up is through the dragon's body

Entrance to the tunnel lol

This is what the tunnel looks like. A bit creepy but at least it's well lit.

View almost at the top

After exiting the tunnel, you end up here directly under the dragon's head. There's a lot of temple "activities" you can do like throwing coins up and trying to get it in the buddha's bowl. I was pretty bad at it.

At the highest point we could walk up to sits another buddha. It wasn't as nice from this angle though (best view is from the drone shot in the first photo).

There's a giant turtle on the complex that you can walk into (nothing interesting inside though). I think some monks live there.

A dragon fountain with different spots you can throw your coin into for good luck (in different aspects of your life). I had better aim here and managed to get it inside the mouth! "If throw the coin in the dragon mouth whom have power will support" - not exactly sure what it means though.

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