I'm in Makati most of my days - working to have money for travel. I love exploring the hidden corners of Makati because you'll usually find a quiant cafe or a specialty restaurant.

Last Thursday, I spent the night at The Collective located in Malugay St. You can reach it by going down at Mayapis St. and walking to Malugay. The street is between Buendia and Yakal St.

Dreamworld isn't exactly my dream world. It doesn't have as much fun rides as Enchanted Kingdom. Their 1000 Baht package is too expensive for my taste even if it included a lunch buffet, entrance to Snow Town and hotel transfer. The only fun thing we did at Dreamworld Bangkok is take a lot of photos. And ride the elephant which isn't exactly the experience I was looking for. I wanted to ride an elephant that would cross the river or something. However, we couldn't experience that unless we go to Ayutthaya or the other places in northern Thailand.

Just a quick break from travel stories. Here are two videos that made me more excited for upcoming travels. Also, my favorite blog  read for the week

1.The MOVE video. I love  how one minute can show a lot about travelling.


MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

2. Moleskine Passions TRAVEL JOURNAL. Moleskine just got more perfect! "A part from notes you have space for checklists, calendars, international airports, timezones, climates and temperatures, followed by subject sections for wish lists, planning, weekends, short trips and long trips." I don't care how expensive this is gonna be when it reaches Philippine shore. I am still buying this.



3. Check out The Sole Sister's Guide to Chic Backpacking. Because you can travel in style if you want to.

I do not like spicy food so I have a very hard time trying out food in Asian countries. Nevertheless, we never fail to find good food anywhere we go.

Rony's pizza is a must-try! You can find it at 20/10 Sukhumvit Soi 4

Flavored Betagen (Thailand's Yakult)

Meiji chocolate drink!

Stir Fried Seafood noodles with dark soy sauce

Crispy fried pork from the streets! Do not skip street food in Bangkok!

Prawn fried rice

I also enjoyed their grilled liver and pork from the streets. Some of their fruits are not as sweet as ours but they're good for daily servings. My favorite of all is the stir fried noodles.  (and the milk tea as mentioned in my previous post)

Note to self: I need to be more adventurous in food.

You're standing in front of your hotel. You're waiting for a taxi to take you to the Grand Palace when one of the standby drivers suggests you take a 30-minute river boat to the Grand Palace. He says it's a much better trip. He even offered to take you to the port for just 50 Baht. Do you:
a) Shrug off the driver and think it's all a scam
b) Ask some more questions then agree

Maybe some of you picked choice a and some of you picked choice b. Based on this entry's title, it's obvious we picked B.

Our reasons are:
a) We think it's better to see temples around the river than buildings
b) We were feeling a bit adventurous
c) We had some time to spare.

And so, the boat ride begins..

I was not always a fan of scarves. I thought they were meant to be worn when you're in Europe or New York. I bought my first scarf when I was looking for an ensemble for my first meeting with a publisher for a fashion magazine. I wanted to look good. I had a white top and a black skirt. All I did to spice up my outfit was a ruffled scarf.

I did not stop buying scarves. I thought they were perfect for corporate and smart casual attires. It was not until my trip to Bangkok that I fully appreciated my pretty, pink, floral scarf.



I used it almost everyday. I had it in my bag everywhere I went. I used it when the aircon was too cold at our secretariat. I made it my head cover when it started drizzling on our way to Ronny's pizza. I used it as a belt. I covered my cold water bottle with it before placing in my bag. I used it to tie my hair on a hot day. I used it not to get wet during our river tour. There is so much you can do with a scarf. It wont also take up so much space in your luggage. You can bring basic tops and have your scarf brighten your outfit. Scarves are now one of my travel essentials.

Sunday church

Bonus: here's a short video on different ways of wearing scarves I found in YouTube.

Bangkok is made for shopping. We spent most of our post-event days just riding the BTS and going to shopping places. Therefore, here's a guide going around Bangkok by BTS. This is to actually save money from taxis that can rip you off as much as tuktuks.

Click image to enlarge

It's important to purchase a Smartpass ticket for your stay. It's their version of our MRT's stored value ticket. We got ours as a giveaway at our conference.

Naraya shop beside Emporium
Naraya has an impressive collection of bags and quilted items. They're quite cheap. You can buy a big bag fit for your laptop for just 470 Baht*. Makeup pouches are around 60-90 Baht. They come in every girly color and pattern possible. Basic colors are red, black, blue, gold, and purple. Basic patterns are animal print, polka dots and stripes.



To go to the two-floor store of Naraya beside Emporium (another shopping place), ride the BTS (Sukhumvit line) and get off at Phrom Phong station.


Chatuchak Weekend Market (Sat-Sun open until 6pm)
We came past 5pm of a Sunday at Chatuchak so we weren't able to spend all our money there. It's your version of Greenhills+168 mall but way cheaper. You can get dresses and chiffon tops for 80-100Baht. I got two pretty belts at 39 Baht each.

To get to Chatuchak, ride the BTS (Sukhumvit line) going to Mochit. Get off at Mochit station. It's the last station of the BTS Sukhumvit Line.


Narai Phand Royal Thai Government Handicrafts Center at President Tower
Our local event partner representative brought us to Narai Phand to shop for speakers' gifts. The prices at Narai Phand is controlled by the Thai government. You get 10% off if you use Visa. They have a great collection of Thai silk, lacquer ware, bronze, ceramics and wood carvings. We got these Thai silk covered business card wallets and notebooks for only 100 Baht each. They also have nice paper bags for your purchase.

Products are arranged by section, similar to what Kultura does in our country. The place is ideal for shoppers who have no time to go around looking for Thai souvenirs. It is open Mondays to Sundays from 10am to 8pm.


To go to Narai Phand, ride the BTS (Sukhumvit line) and get off at Chit Lom station. It can be found below Intercontinental Hotel.



Mah Boon Krong (MBK) Center at National Stadium
MBK Center has it all (just like SM!). It has six floors with souvenirs, cameras, clothes, mobile phones, and two food courts. You can spend your days here shopping and haggling. We went to MBK every day of our post-event days.



Going to MBK can be via taxi. Don't forget to say the Thai name of the place for the drivers to know exactly where you're going. If you're riding the BTS, you have to ride until the Siam station. Get off and transfer to the  other BTS line (Silom) and ride to National Stadium. MBK has a walkway straight from the National Stadium.




Enjoy shopping and going around Bangkok!


*Exchange rate: Php1.00 = THB1.4