Batam 2017 (23Dec - 25Dec)

Hi all! Merry Christmas to you! Sorry for not updating for so long, because there's really nothing much interesting going on in my life except the busy Uni life! Since I love reading other's travel blog and vlogs, I decide to blog about this travel trip as well! :)

Just so you know, before this trip, I actually went Batam once in August before Uni actually started. If I didn't remember wrongly, it was during the Raya Holidays. I went with a random small tour group that my dad booked with WTS travel. Tbh, it was..... boring LOL. That's the reason why I didn't blog about that trip. :/ What's worse is, it wasn't even cheap at all. I think about $150 or more per person for 2D1N? The only good side to it was a sumptuous seafood lunch during the first afternoon at a Kelong.

This time I decide to tell my dad not to go with tour group because I think I'm not too bad ((both in terms of planning financially and enjoyability)) when it comes to planning itinerary and booking hotel.

I can definitely promise my itinerary will be more fun than those tour group itinerary which brings you to cliché Batam places like chocolate shop, factory outlet shop, kueh lapis shop as well as Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall/BCS shopping mall.

Below is the itinerary that I planned. Since there were no plans for us to go to a beach or Kelong this time, I made the itinerary a pretty chillax one. ((If you really compare this to those I made for Thailand trips LOL)) The itinerary consists mainly of simply walking about malls, enjoying massages, and enjoying food as we shopped.

23 December

2:30PM - Taxi to Lovina Inn Penuin Hotel  (~20 mins)

• Penuin Centre Blok A, No.1 Nagoya Batam Island, Indonesia (near Gideon hotel)

3PM - check in Hotel

3.30PM - 5.30PM - BCS mall (~5mins walk from hotel)

*got KFC

5.30PM - 7PM - A2 foodcourt

7PM - 9PM - Universal Massage and Reflexology

• Batu Selicin, Lubuk Baja, Batam City, Riau Islands 29444, Indonesia

24 December

11AM - 12PM Pasar Penuin Wet Market (~3mins walk from hotel)

*Can have lunch there as well

12PM - 6.30PM Nagoya Hills Mall

• By taxi

*massage - majesty massage and spa

*dinner there

25 December

10AM - 11AM - Hotel breakfast

11AM - 12PM - Check out, take taxi to batam Centre

12PM - 3.40PM - Mega Mall shopping centre

*lunch @ Mega Mall Shopping Centre

4:40PM check-in

Day 1 (23 Dec 2017)

There was a crazy long queue at Batam centre that noon. We were scheduled to start queuing at about 1:35pm as the ferry departs at 2:20pm. We almost missed the ferry even though we started queuing at 1:35pm LOL. By the time we finished all stages of custom checks, it was already 2:31pm. Thank goodness there were many who were still trapped behind due to the long queue, so there was actually a delay in the departure of our ferry. The ferry actually only departs at 3pm.

YAYYYY Successfully boarded the ferry! #Batamfast

Finally reached at 4pm

In case you're also on free & easy tour and is scheduled to land at Batam Centre but is unsure of where the taxi stand is, all you gotta do is just walk straight to the exit where you'll see a Taxi Counter. Just queue there, and let the counter person know the address in which you're going to. They will issue you a receipt with a fixed price stated. ((depending on the location you're going to)) I think it is a good idea because in that way, the taxi drivers can't scam you even if you're a tourist. It should be roughly ~$6-$7 for a regular taxi.

Still using the manual cars in Batam

I felt that the taxi driver drove damn recklessly. Or is it because it's a culture there which will never be seen in Singapore? It was really crazy. As I sat in the car, I was thinking, "Wah, he take TP test confirm fail till damn jialat." He practically was lane changing every 30seconds, no joke. From lane 1 to lane 2 to lane 3, then from lane 3 to lane 2 to lane 1. He doesn't slow down even when there was a vehicle very close, in front of his vehicle. When he stopped behind a vehicle, he stopped super close to the vehicle, can't even see the car plate number of the previous car LOL.

So scary to be sitting in his car but oh wells, survived~

Checked in to the hotel afterwards. We stayed at Lovina Inn Penuin, a budget hotel, which I booked on Agoda. My parents were initially against it cuz they want 4-5 stars hotel like Nagoya hills/Gideon hotel but too bad there wasn't any more rooms available when I booked. HAHA, I was actually secretly happy because I want to prove to them budget hotel can be good as well (in terms of location and facilities) and the accommodation money can be channelled elsewhere.

True enough, the hotel was not bad. It has a good location (opposite BCS mall, A2 foodcourt as well as a wet market nearby) and provided more than sufficient facilities. The only downside to the hotel would probably just be the limited choices of food, which I think is the only downside to most budget hotels. The hotel only costs $44 per night for a room (2 adults), inclusive of breakfast.

Limited food choices

But actually, whenever I travel to countries which are considered food paradise, I don't mind even if the hotel provides me with limited food choices because I would rather choose to go outside and spend money and try their local food instead.

Went to BCS mall right after we checked in to the hotel. I was so excited because I look forward to buying food and snacks from JC supermarket HAHAHA. Supermarkets are like paradise to me whenever I travel because it's where they sell their local snacks and food!!!

From just that trip to the supermarket, I bought 10 packets of Indomie Goreng, and roughly 15 cups of cup noodles. (POP MIE) I really hope I won't die from Maggie poisoning... It's really a lot but I can't control because the price of their maggie mee is almost half compared to SG!!! Indomie only @ 23cents per pack! We also bought lots of snacks because they are pretty cheap too! Everything was done because we were....., OUT OF CONTROL!!

Shopped away our afternoon there, coming back with a box full of snacks and maggie. Headed towards A2 foodcourt which is just located about 3mins walk away from BCS mall. A2 foodcourt is really big and crowded, with more than 20 stalls selling food. It has a large open space and it totally felt like Newton Circus Food Court in SG, LOL. There were also many Singaporeans there as well.

Price wise for the food @ A2 food court, still relatively cheaper than SG.

A2 foodcourt

Crowd @ A2 foodcourt

Because I loveeeeee Nasi Goreng, I had to give it a try there too. Chose this stall because the stall owner does charcoal cooking, way cooler than the typical gas cooking.

YES NASI GORENG FTW~

Charcoal cooking

YUMZXC

Rested in the hotel after dinner before heading for massage. Chose Universal Massage cuz I saw some good reviews about it in some other blogs before and also because it is very near our hotel, only 3mins walk!

Photo cr to respective owner

Went for the Traditional Bali Thai massage. The masseurs skills are not bad but I think my masseur was a bit hard on me after she asked whether it's pain and I gave her a reply "No". At one point I actually screamed out loud LOL. The sad part: had shoulder pains the next day. Maybe massage just isn't for me. If I didn't remember wrongly, its < SGD 15 per person for an hour. Also, note that its polite to give some tips $$$ after the massage to the Masseur if not most of them will keep following you all the way till you exit the massage shop LOL.

Had maggie for supper that night ~

23cent POP MIE

Day 2 (24 Dec 2017)

Went to the nearby wet market to have a feel of their local wet market LOL. Not much difference I would say. (I mean, its market, how different can it be?) Only difference is that there were some other stalls selling the Malay Kuehs. My mother was particularly interested in the wet market and she asked why we wake up so late. On the third day of this trip, she woke up damn early for the wet market by herself while we slept in HAHAHAHA. 

We then had our lunch at a Bak Kut Teh shop opposite BCS mall. My dad loves 猪血 and I have always been a fan of 猪腰 so we order a mixture of pig organ soup. Love it! But this one not so cheap. 2 claypots of soup for 4 person cost $23. The soup is made from herbs and, pig organs as you know, are not very cheap. Probably due to the higher cost price, but still worth the try!

Went to Nagoya Hills shopping mall after lunch. Nothing much to talk about because its also a big mall like BCS mall. More shopping ~

I think I was feeling fat that day. Dying to eat the Indomie Goreng there even though I wasn't very hungry LOL.

Indomie Goreng, spiciness level: 2

We spent our entire noon in Nagoya Hills shopping mall. We then headed back to A2 food court for dinner because my dad wanna try the BBQ food there.

The sotong killed me

The BBQ fish was good. The Belachan chilli that they provided was good too! Sotong and chicken wings were a bit disappointing though. It was sweet and not towards our liking. What killed me was the BBQ Sotong. It tasted normal, just a bit sweet. Suddenly seconds later, my entire tongue started to burn and it got SO SPICY that my ears hurt and I wanna pull out my hair LOL!!  It practically felt like the spiciness I endured when I ate the MALA SAMYANG MAGGIE!!! It was really really spicy that I stood up and I wanted to scream LOL. No amount of ice could help at that point of time :X I even thought it was the chilli at first, but only to realise that it was the SWEET-TASTING SOTONG.

Went to dabao some Pisang Goreng after dinner back to the hotel. One big box of Pisang goreng + many many cheese + chocolate for only $1.80. 

It wasn't as nice as I have expected but its something special I feel, can give it a try. :) Its located just opposite BCS mall, in front of Lovina Inn Penuin.

Day 3 (25 Dec 2017)

Yay its Christmas!!! My parents decide to spend Christmas in Batam. Scheduled to depart for SG at about 5pm Indonesia time. Did nothing much for day 3 as I was afraid that there will be a long queue for check in at Batam Centre, so we would have to arrive there earlier. We spent the entire noon at Mega mall (right beside Batam Centre)

Our lunch ~

Nasi Goreng for me again! It just never fails to amaze me

Bought crepe as well. It was nice and cheap! $1.90 for a generous amount of cheese.

It was already time to check in by the time we finished our lunch. Batam is a good place to spend money and enjoy life! Will definitely visit again! :) 

My BBDC experience

Hi there!! I'm finally back blogging again!!! So I have been away from this blog for 2mths ++, simply because I have nothing much interesting to blog about! These 2 mths, all I have been busy with was work and driving...

In case you're curious what i'm working as now.., I'm currently working in a dental clinic. This job was introduced to me by my classmate cuz he used to work there before he enrolled into NS. I like my job there cuz the people are genuinely nice and the dentists are really friendly too!! The dentists ((Dr Audrey and Dr Chong)) taught me everything from scratch, including instruments and methods to do suctioning!! I must say I really learnt a lot during my short time there. And because of the friendly work environment, I'm still intending to work whenever I'm free when school starts :)

Okay, so anyways, tdy's blog will be about my driving experience in Bukit Batok Driving Centre. ((BBDC in short))

I took up Class 3 driving ((Manual car)). To be honest, one reason why I chose manual car was because all my friends and my cousins around me took up manual. HAHAHA. It was partially peer pressure. Another reason was because since the lessons ((Manual VS Auto)) are of the same price, why not take manual since manual licence has more advantages, such as driving overseas etc. But actually, my dad kinda scolded me for taking manual cuz he say nowadays cars all auto why must learn manual HAHAHA

I started enrolling into BBDC in late January 2017. Why BBDC? Because at that time, I didn't know "private driving classes" existed. ((Don't laugh at me ><)) Also partially because BBDC is near by house, only about 4 stops from my house's nearest bus stop.

However, I didn't really attended any lessons/take any tests in BBDC until early April because I was still working full-time at KKH then. Although it was a 5 days work-week job and office hours, I was still extremely tired and I couldn't find the motivation to go for theory classes in BBDC.

24 April 2017
I finally took my BTT. Passed on first attempt. TBH, BTT is really easy, just need to read through your book and you definitely can pass. Or if you are still afraid, you can always book theory practices at BBDC because the test questions will definitely be the same as those in the practice booklet.

As you know, after passing BTT, you will be allowed to take practical lessons once you applied for your Probational Driving Licence. (PDL) But for me, I didn't apply for the PDL until 12 May 2017 because there was not a single practical driving practice slots available until July. I was like "wts??? Must I really wait till July till I can have my first lesson???" So I ranted on my instagram spam account!!! It was then WenXin commented that I can take last minute slots/ try-sell slot that people cancel last minute!! So nice of her!! Because of her, I would stay in front of my computer screen and refresh the BBDC website every 1-2 minutes whenever I'm free. And indeed, I realise how everyday, there will definitely be people selling off their slots!! Finally, I had my first lesson on 12 May, afternoon, which was the day I decided to apply for my PDL before the lesson :)

12 May 2017
I had my first lesson, session 4, 1.20pm. I opted for non-peak slots because they are cheaper by $10. HAHAHA. Cheapo I am, but I can tell you, driving is really expensive. It aches my heart to see my money drain so fast. My first instructor was mr Ng. He's quite young and really nice. First lesson was supposed to be boring, like getting biting point ((for manual cars)) and moving forward and backward. But because I could get my biting point, he allowed me to drive around the circuit. I was really thrilled at that time and I looked forward to lessons hehe :) So after that lesson, I went over to the computers at BBDC to see if there were more slots that noon HAHAH. I was that fascinated and excited for more lessons hahahaha. And indeed, there were people selling their slots so I booked session 6 on the same day!! I practically attended 2 lessons on the same day hahaha.

It was during the practical practice period in which I also went for FTT practice. My KKH colleague used to tell me how FTT is so hard and how she failed 3 times for FTT. So I kinda developed a fear for FTT because true enough, when I read the FTT guide book, I understood NOTHING!!!! But because I'm a school student, I knew we have the privilege to book more theory practices than private students and I knew that the questions from the practices will be very similar/in fact the same as the actual FTT questions. So I booked FTT practices like mad. It was a total of 12 booklets of FTT practices for school students, equivalent to about 600 questions. I went for a total of 5 practices. 5 should be sufficient because by the end of the 5 practices, I could practically remember all the answers LOL.

25 May 2017
Took my FTT. Passed on first attempt. It was actually not as hard as I used to think it is because the practices actually help. The questions were almost the same as the practices. A tip, just go for the practices and remember roughly the answers. Sure pass. Don't need to understand also can pass. :)

Things went on as usual after passing BTT and FTT. Attended all the sessions as usual.

But during the course of learning, I met an instructor that I find it hard to forget....

He was so freaking strict!!!! Everything I do was wrong to him. From the start of the lesson till the end, he criticised non-stop. He would not just criticise, but kept asking me rhetorical questions. He scolded me for leaving my left leg off the clutch when I'm at gear 1. Although technically it isn't not wrong, he scolded me for it. He scolded me for leaving my leg off the brake when stopping at traffic light. He even scolded me for driving too slowly. I drove at 30km/h at a 70km/h road because I was scared, really scared cuz it was only my 2nd time on the main road. At that point, I didn't understand his intentions because it was only my 5th lesson in BBDC and all I learnt was driving within the lane, without even learning how to look at the mirrors etc etc. So I felt offended cuz I thought I was great at gear changing HAHAHAH. <<< overly confident Faye. He nagged non-stop that I was so pekchek, I didn't speak a single word from start till end. I could feel myself on the verge of scolding him back but I controlled cuz I was scared I will meet him again in future since it was only my 5th lesson!!!

27 June 2017
AND TRUE ENOUGH, I met him again... You know at which lesson??? During my EVALUATION lesson!!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!!! In case you do not know, BBDC has this compulsory "EVALUATION" test thing before all actual tests. ((including BTT and FTT)) It works like how you have "PRELIMS" in school before all national exam.

When I saw him during EVALUATION, I was like "omgomg lucky last time never scold him or talk back to him." But it was then I realise how his scoldings actually made me improve. I understood his rationale of not letting your left foot off the clutch at gear 1 after learning the circuit courses and I understood why right leg must be on the brake at traffic junctions. But still, I was not happy with his constant naggings and scoldings the previous time when I was still so new to driving. He could have explained them NICELY!!!! So me being me, a virgo in me, I wanted to prove to him that I have improved and I CAN DO IT.

Circuit courses were surprisingly all OK but I rushed cuz I was nervous. My low speed control still wasn't that good yet but I managed to clear all the courses successfully so I kinda left him speechless. It was only during vertical parking that my car wasn't really that straight and he started death-staring me and asked me "like this ah?" Then I started to feel scared again cuz idw him to keep on nagging, super irritating!!!!! Then my left leg shivered on the clutch for a while cuz I was scared!!! T_T  But I did corrections and he said "okay". LOL. So evaluation ended well, and I passed it!!!! HAPPY I PROVED HIM WRONG!!!!

But I think he's that kind of strict instructor who doesn't give praises. I genuinely think I drove well that lesson, but he still gave some minor critical comment. I don't mind not being praise and being criticised, so long he doesn't constantly nag because I will be super irritable if I'm driving and someone keeps distracting me at the side.

I booked my TP on August 2nd, 2.50pm, session 7. Why Aug 2nd? No particular reason actually but Aug 2nd is a memorable date for me because it was the date I took part in a science competition with my team in sec 2 and we won third prize. So I thought, Aug 2nd may be my lucky date hahahaha. Chose session 7 cuz I think this timing will have less cars on road and less students(?)

28 July 2017
5 days before TP. I met a horrible instructor. NIGHTMARE of my life. It started off all well until he started commenting that I didn't check my blindspots when I did. Many times I checked, he said I didn't. I felt so unjustified so I just told him I did. I think he felt offended that I talked back, so he claimed that I either checked too early or too late. What bull$hit!!!! Previous instructors even told me F2F that my blindspots checking are ok/good. He was busy fiddling with his stuff and he didn't see so he said I didn't check. Ok, nvm 大人不计小人过. I decided not to find fault with him le but I was pekchek by then alrdy cuz I merely justified myself and he felt offended??????

Then when we went back to the circuit, near the bend, he asked me to lane change to park back the car at area F-K. By right, bend not suppose to lane change. Furthermore, on my right lane, it was crowded with cars so it was hard for me to lane change. So I asked him, "go in ah? park the car?" And he said "ya". I saw a space, between 2 cars on my right lane, sufficient for a car, and I decided to just squeeze in since the car at the back stopped. I know it wasn't proper lane change cuz i'm not supposed to just steer the wheel abruptly to go to the next lane. But because I asked him whether to park, and he said ya, so I did it. And guess what he did? I steer in, he SLAMMED the brake. Then he asked "are you supposed to do this? Can you lane change like that?" -Rolls eyes- I couldn't wait to get out of the car alrdy by then.

After we parked the car, he 'debriefed' me. I wasn't in the mood to listen to him cuz I felt that he wasn't so competent as an instructor and was super discouraging as an instructor when my TP is only 5 days away.

He asked me "what do you think about your driving today?". In my heart I know his answer to me will be "terrible" because of all his criticisms, both for right and wrong reasons. However, I genuinely think my driving was not too bad, but it was turned bad because of him. So I replied "I think its still okay."

So he asked me "Do you know want to hear my comments from the bottom of my heart?"

At that point, I just say yes. I wanted to hear how bad his comments will be. And TADA, he gave all sorts of criticism. He end off by saying, "You think your driving is not bad? But for the road segment of the test, you will still FAIL!!"

Such a discouraging instructor. To be honest, after his comments, I really thought I will fail because some of his criticisms made sense, such as me rushing in the circuit. ((although I didn't mount kerb/strike kerb)) But him saying that I will fail because of road segment, I felt that it was just a personal attack because even though I rushed in the circuit during that practice, I didn't mount/strike kerb so he couldn't criticise me much about the circuit portion.

And because his point of me rushing in the circuit was quite true, I decided to just ask him, "did i really rush that much in the circuit?" It was a genuine question but he took it as me being defensive????? Then his criticism comes again, "Why are you so defensive? You know you will fail?" etcetc. At that point, I just couldn't be bothered anymore so I just replied, "It was a genuine question. I'm not even trying to be defensive here." Then I think he super pekchek, give me some bull$hit replies that I cannot remember. At the end of lesson, I still thanked him nonetheless. But I was super demoralised that whole day and for 5 days straight, I was super nervous about TP.


31 July 2017
Booked my last revision 2 days before the actual TP, because 1 day before will be too stressful if the driving was bad. My instructor for my last revision was also the instructor for my first ever practical lesson in BBDC!!! He is honestly much more encouraging than the previous one I mentioned. I gained more confidence from this last revision because circuit was done well, road was okay too.

2 August 2017
Warm-up time: 1.45pm
Test time: 2.50pm

I felt that I had a 50% chance of passing but I was really unconfident of passing because of that one discouraging instructor. I didn't even bring my own passport photo and I was quite prepared to fail. The whole day, I kept psycho-ing myself to be calm, and kept psycho-ing myself that I can do it. 1 hour before warm-up, I even told those who were talking on whatsapp to stop talking to me, and that I will text them after the test. HAHAHA.

When I'm under stress and wants to cool down, I don't like to talk to anyone. Not even my closest friend. I would just keep quiet and think through things myself.

I didn't even talk to the warm-up instructor the whole time because I was really stressed and focused HAHAHAH. Warm-up went fine. No strike kerb, no mount kerb. All circuit courses went fine.

Went to the waiting area for the tester. At about 2.20pm, the tester went "Lim ying!!! Lim Ying!!!!" I didn't know he was calling me cuz people usually call me Faye!! Then after a few secs, I realise it's me so I ran over LOL. Then he asked me "how do I pronounce your christian name? Fa-ye?" LOL. I bursted out laughing. "No la, Fei".

Ok basically, that was the only thing we conversed. After that, no talking at all. Sit in car, adjust seat and start. I was surprisingly calm. The whole test, all he said was "left" and "right" and "ok, out" while all I said was "ok". HAHAHA.

Circuit all went fine. Really thank the BBDC instructors coaching learner drivers for giving way to test cars!!!

But I got a shock from parallel parking because before I even adjusted my car fully straight, he said "ok, go." I haven't even neutral, handbrake yet!!!! I was so shocked that I thought I mounted kerb or what. So I was like "go out ah???" and he said "ya."

Then when I was about to go out of bbdc, near the slope there, he suddenly use his pen to lightly tap the dashboard!!! I was wondering if that tap was accidental or asking me to do Ebrake lolllll. My reaction was a little slow but I still did Ebrake nonetheless. Thankfully he didn't penalise me for being slow because it could have given me an immediate failure!!!!

On the road, I was lucky I didn't get teckwhye lane because manual car drivers will hate that route!! Full of slopes and crowded like mad!!! I got the usual U turn route at bukit batok. Tbh, I'm also not very confident with the U turn route at Bukit batok because u need to lane change many times and that route sometimes also a lot of vehicles!! But I still did it confidently nonetheless. I'm really thankful because after the U turn, the traffic behind was red so there was no cars, which means easier for me to lane change to the left!!!! And after the lane change left, he told me to turn right, which means I need to lane change right again. Although there were many vehicles while I was lane changing to the right, I'm thankful one of the vehicle actually slowed down and allowed me to lane change by speeding up. I'm really thankful!!!!

By the end of the test, I was alrdy zoned out and in a daze. I couldn't believe I finished TP test!!!!

Tester: ok, switch off engine
Me: ok

After telling me to switch off the engine, he just walked off with his bag and he totally threw me alone in the car without telling me where to go!!!! I was like omg? Did I fail or smth. I went back to sit down at the waiting area in the office LOL. I started texting those I was texting an hour before the test!!! I ended the test at about 2.50pm which was supposed to be my test start time hahaha.

Then the tester finally came with the slip of paper. I was using phone at that time when he saw me then he was like "wah, use phone ah? Always using phone ah?" I was like oh shit why he so scary. Did I really fail that's why even when I use phone he also want to scold HAHAHA. I guess I was just being paranoid because when he handed me the slip.....

IT WAS A PASS!!!!!! I PASSED WTS.

Then I went on to see the demerit. OMG 2 DEMERITS!!! WHAT ON EARTH. 做梦都不会想到得两分！！ Remember how that discouraging instructor criticised me???? How is 2 demerits even possible....????? Even 14 demerits could have felt impossible given my state...

I couldn't be happier and my eyes were red by then. So touched!!! Such a touching moment for someone who was told that she will face failure!!!! I was really in disbelief and I was questioning myself, "was it that the tester was really lenient and nice? or was it that I really proved the instructor wrong????" 

Anyways, I must really credit the tester. He was really nice but had to act strict HAHA. Cuz after that, I asked him if I can apply the licence another day since I had photographs at home alrdy. Then he asked me "huh? You never bring your photographs ah? You not confident you will pass meh?" He even asked me go down take photo for licence. Then he jokingly asked me if I isit no money to take new photos LOL. Then he say got money just take downstairs cuz the lady will take nicely HAHA.

Yayyyyy end of BBDC story!!!! I'm really happy that I dunnid to go back there again because driving is really expensive and I need money!!!! The TP test itself is alrdy $255. Thank you friends and family members for your support and congratulatory note!!! I thank my dad for financially supporting my driving classes!!!!

To others taking TP test, I hope that you all will get a nice tester too because it is really important to have a nice tester after reading through those driving forums on how some people are really unlucky to get those "infamous" testers who fail people unreasonably!! Also, try to keep calm because I really see how being calm can help!! Just keep psycho-ing yourself to be calm on your TP day! :)

Best of luck! 

#2 BKK trip of 2017

Helloooooo all! I'm finally back here on my blog. So sorry for MIA-ing for almost 1month!! (Basically cuz I have nothing much that's interesting enough to blog about xD)

Okay sooo, my friend and I booked a pretty last minute ticket to BKK, like 2 weeks before the actual trip. Reason being Scoot was giving offer for flights travelling to Don Mueang between 17May to 20May. So it was kinda like an impromptu decision to travel there hehe :)

Let me now take you through our 4D3N trip in BKK!!! ✈

Day 1 - Wednesday; 17 May

8:25am -- Touchdown & collection of sim card

• SIM card pick up: Don Mueang Airport (DMK) Arrival Hall Gate 3 (Upon exit from arrival gate, turn right)

9am - 12.30pm --  Big C {Saphan Khwai (MRT)}

Address: 618/1 Phaholyothin Rd., Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

12.30pm - 2pm -- Pa Yak Boat noodles (orange shirt staff) {Victoria Monument exit 3 (SUKHUMVIT)}

*Walk northwards towards the monument. Once you past the monument, look down to the streets and find a stretch of stalls lining the canal*

Address: Victory Monument, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400

2pm - 2.30pm -- Check in hotel - The Atrium Ratchada 13 Hotel {Huai Khwang (MRT)}

Address: Ratchadaphisek Rd, Khwaeng Din Daeng, Khet Din Daeng, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand

2.30pm - 6pm -- Tesco Lotus supermarket {Phra Ram 9 (MRT)}

Address: 7/1, Fortune Town, Ratchadapisek Road, Din Daeng, Khet Din Daeng, Bangkok, 10230, Khwaeng Din Daeng, Khet Din Daeng, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10230, Thailand

5pm - 8pm -- Talad Rot Fai Ratchada {Thailand cultural centre exit 3 (MRT)}, behind esplanade shopping mall}

8pm - 11pm -- Sukhumvit Soi 38 {Thong Lo exit 4 (MRT)}

Address: Sukhumvit 38 Alley, Khwaeng Phra Khanong, Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand

Okay yeap. So basically above was our planned day 1 trip. As you can see, we were allowed immediate pick up of SIM card once we arrived at BKK DMK airport. That's cuz we used a really cool website called KLOOK. Not only does it allow immediate pick up of our SIM card, they also sell SIM card at a cheaper price. On KLOOK website, the BKK SIM card is sold at about SGD10, which is cheaper than the usual 299BAHT SIM card sold @ DMK Airport. Furthermore, they will give a further discount of $1.80 if you order it using their KLOOK app instead of KLOOK website. So basically, we only spend $8.20 on the SIM card. The SIM card consists of 2.5GB free data for 7days as well as 100Baht bonus call. (Inclusive of international calls) That's definitely enough for 4 days use especially because its 2.5GB data, which already allows you to make international/local calls through whatsapp etc. Worry about flight delays and the KLOOK staff leaving before you are even able to pick up your SIM card? Fret not, they can even wait for you up to 2hours! Furthermore, if your flight is delayed for >2hours, you can just give the number, stated in the instructions on KLOOK app, a text and they will give you full refund of your money :) #MONEYSAVINGTIP1

Afterwards, we headed for Saphan Khwai's BIG C supermarket (one of Thailand's biggest supermarket chain). We chose the BIG C there because its big (not BIG C Express) and also nearest (1 station away) to Chatuchak park's MRT. Chatuchak park's MRT is the nearest train station from DMK airport as we took bus #A1 from DMK airport. (Bus fare is 30Baht per person) At that time, we still had our "considerably empty" luggage on hand because we were only allowed to check in after 12pm. It was quite a hassle to drag the luggage all the way from Saphan Khwai's BTS to the BIG C supermarket, especially because they don't have lift from their BTS to the first level??? We basically carried the luggage up and down the overhead bridge... But..., knowing the amount of things we will loot from BIG C supermarket, bringing the sort-of-empty luggage might be a good choice if we don't want to handcarry too many plastic bags lol. It was a double edge sword. Emptying (bring only clothes to wear and nothing else extra) the luggage before coming to BKK is definitely the way to go. Indeed, at our very first stop, we alrdy had our luggage fully packed. I even had to expand my luggage!! #SHOPPINGTIP1

By the time we ended our snack shopping spree, we were already kinda hungry! Decided to try their famous boat noodles located at Victory Monument. Actually I didn't know much about the Boat Noodles until my colleague constantly tell me about how nice it is and I should give it a try. Before heading over, we went to buy their BTS rabbit pass which consists of 15 trips, costing 445 Baht. (100 Baht for the card, 345 Baht for the amount inside) This means that with the card, we can travel any amount of distance within the BTS line for 15 tap-outs. (That's about $18 SGD) It will be useful if you are travelling about 15 times using their BTS line and with long distances between stations. Rabbit card also ease travelling on BTS line during peak hours because you don't have to queue to buy their token. If you're a foreigner student wanting to buy their student rabbit card, please bring your student pass. I gave my passport and the staff initially didn't allow me to buy the student rabbit card because I couldn't produce my ezlink card (I didn't bring my ezlink card ><) #MONEYSAVINGTIP2

Rabbit card charges

Headed for Victory Monument for their famous Payak Boat noodles!! If I'm not wrong, there are several boat noodles there. Be sure to try the famous one, which is the one further inside the canal stretch, with the staff wearing orange shirt.

12 Baht per bowl! 

Sounds so cheap, right? That's about 50cents per bowl but trust me, each bowl can be finished in like 5 mouths!! xD We kept ordering for more after finishing each bowl.

Fried streaky pork. Wanted to order their dumpling but was wrongly served but it's okay. We ate it with the noodles and it was great!!!

At Payak Boat Noodles stall, they also allow you to choose your choice of noodles! From kway tiao, to beehoon to vermicelli etc.

I strongly recommend the beef one because it has this very nice taste with a kick of spiciness and will really boost your appetite. The pork one is not bad too but if you have no food restrictions, I would recommend you to try the beef one! It's really good!!!

#FOODIETIP1: request for non spicy if u totally can't take spicy food because they will add chili and a dash of lime.

We had a total of 5 bowls of noodles each person + 1 bowl of streaky pork before we finally feel full and satisfied! :D That's 11 x 12 = 132Baht, approx $5.40 SGD. Definitely worth the try! #FOODRECOMMENDATION1

After finishing our lunch, we can finally checked into our hotel. This time, we stayed near Huai Khwang MRT once again, but towards the other direction. Why not CMYK like the previous trip? Because I found an even cheaper hotel, The Atrium 13 Ratchada. Furthermore, it is only 0.3km away from Huai Khwang MRT and also provides us with free wifi. :)

Our hotel 3nights stay costs $107 with 1 large bed for 2 people. That's $53.50 for 3nights per pax, 1night being approx $18. This is cheaper than the previous hotel I stayed in but the difference is there's no breakfast provided in this hotel. But honestly, it doesn't matter much to me because in Thailand, you should be trying their Thailand restaurant/street food, not hotel food! But, the downside to this hotel is that the lights are slightly dimmer (like a little yellowish???) so its a little scary to walk from the lift to the room but i'm quite sure its safe because before you can even take the lift up to the rooms, you need your hotel pass to pass through the security door to take the lift.

By the time we checked in, it was already about 4pm. There was a delay in custom check and because we didn't really give much space for travelling time, we were kinda behind time of our itinerary. Decided to skip Tesco since its not the main BKK highlight anyway~

Rested in the hotel for a while before we headed out for the Rot Fai Ratchada's night market! I was all excited because in my previous trip, I had a super great time shopping @ Rot Fai's market when even 100 Baht allowed me to bring back nice clothes!!

Unfortunately..., the Ratchada Rot Fai shocked me this time. Clothing were more expensive, like 200 Baht and they were not that nice. Vendors were different from the previous trip and lesser stalls were opened. Quite disappointing I would say, felt really different from the previous Rot Fai I'd seen. :(

However, food stalls were more or less similar.

Wanted to try this the previous trip but didn't got to

Fried squid eggs with Thai sour sauce!

I think its not bad because I love squid eggs personally but I'm not 100% sure that this is a food to everyone's liking because apparently my best friend doesn't like it?

Also tried the Mango Sticky Rice at Rot Fai! 100Baht for one! Love it!

Really unglam photo of me really tempted to dig into the Mango Sticky Rice

I was wanting to eat the Mango Sticky Rice so badly but this BF kept retaking the boomerang over and over again and I was kinda irritated HAHAHA. I didn't know my irritated-wanting-to-eat face will look like this xD

See, less stalls opened :(

This is nice too. 25Baht for one stick. Each stick has 3 Bacon wrap. I bought 2 sticks, one with asparagus, one with mushroom. :D

Another famous crepe from the Rot Fai market. I think one box is 25Baht, can't really remember but it isn't too expensive.

Honestly, my review for the crepe is.., not that nice. To me, it tasted a bit weird, especially the coconut one lol. I may not like it but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. xD You guys might wanna give it a try if y'all are visiting the night market.

Didn't buy as much things as before but still did because their Tshirts are still quite nice and cheap, mostly 100 Baht each :D

We were already all tired, sweaty, sticky, dirty and full when we went back to the MRT station. So we decided to give Sukhumvit Soi38 food street a miss. I mean, we were already full, what for go there to make ourselves even fuller. If that's the case then my review of the food there won't be accurate already haha.

Day 2 - Thursday; 18 May

9am - 11am -- Breakfast at On Luk Yun {Hua Lamphong (MRT) Tell taxi driver Old Siam Plaza}

Address: 72 Charoen Krung Road, Talat Noi, Samphanthawong Bangkok 10100

11pm - 2.30pm -- Siam Paragon {Siam (SUKHUMVIT)}

• After you dessert cafe

Address: Siam Paragon Ground Floor

• Bonca cookie icecream

Address: Siam Square Soi 4, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand

2.30pm - 5pm -- Platinum Fashion Mall {Chit Lom (SUKHUMVIT), walk}

• Demi concept Black Ice Cream (Outside platinum fashion mall)

9pm - 1am -- Liab Duan night market (ตลาดเรียบด่วนรามอินทรา) {taxi}

Address: Ramintra, Pradit Manutham Road (KIV)

5pm - 9pm -- Talad neon {Chit Lom (SUKHUMVIT), Taxi/walk}

Address: 1087 ถนน เพชรบุรีตัดใหม่ Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400 Petchaburi Road, Pratunam

Day 2, decided to bring my best friend to On Lok Yun, the same breakfast place I went the last trip. I really like the toast there, especially the one with the kaya!

Wanted to take the Taxi there from Hua Lamphong MRT (nearest BTS from OnLokYun) but the taxi driver didn't know where is that place. It was then a tuktuk driver came and told us he knows the location of the place. The police women situated at the station saw and came over. They first asked where we came from and we said Singapore and then both the police gave us a worried face (I think they were worried if we get cheated or something haha) and then asked if we wanted to take a taxi or tuktuk. We said "anything" (because at that time, only the tuktuk driver seems to know how to go to the place) and then one of the police woman talked to the tuktuk driver. If I didn't guess wrongly, I think they were trying to tell the TukTuk driver not to scam us. HAHA. I felt so protected at that point in time and very thankful to the police women.

.

Yay to milo peng and Chayen peng!!

Afterwards, we headed for Siam Paragon to eat the After You dessert café food! I had good memories of the place for their Shibuya toast from my previous trip. 

Nutella shibuya toast and strawberry mille crepe cake

Price is just like any other café and food is not bad but by the time we were finishing the cake and toast, we were already having the sick-of-sweet-food feel. I think its called je lacht??? (Idk how do I spell that hahaha)

That kinda feeling that we didn't even wanted to try the Bonca Icecream on our itinerary next already HAHA.

Went to Platinum Fashion mall next. Walked about the mall and shopped a little. I would say the clothing there are much pricier than normal clothing you can get from Night Markets so we didn't get anything much from there except a dress. XD

By the time we finished shopping, the sick-of-sweet food feel is kinda gone already so we went for Demi Concept's black icecream which was pre-planned in our itinerary. It's basically just opposite the Platinum's Macdonalds'. Very cool black charcoal Icecream with chocolate for 100Baht. There's another flavour which is charcoal mix mango flavour. You can also get to choose between chocolate cone or vanilla cone, whichever you prefer but price will vary slightly.

We sat and rested at the Macdonalds' table as we ate the icecream while waiting for my colleague who happened to plan the same night markets as us for the night -- Liab Duan and Talad Neon. We decided to meet at Platinum's Mac and head for Liab Duan night market together as it is far away and cab fare may not be so cheap. Share a cab if you are heading to somewhere further away! #MONEYSAVINGTIP3

With my KKH colleague Jaymie

I would say the clothes at Liab Duan may not be so nice, more outdated but they do sell very cheap Tshirts (plain kind). There's this stall which sells plain Tshirt of all colours (nicely arranged) from S-XL, both round and V-neck kinds, at 90Baht for 1.

After Liab Duan, we again shared the cab back to our next night market, Talad Neon, newly opened night market near Pratunum. 

Talad Neon sells more fashionable clothing. I feel like i'm entering another kind of Artbox but their stalls are not set up like how artbox is.

 Day 3 - Friday; 19 May
9am - 2pm -- Pratunam morning market {ChitLom (BTS) / Ratchaprarop}

Address: 869/15 Ratchaprarop Rd, Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand

2pm - 3.30pm -- Unicorn cafe {Chong Nonsi (BTS)}

Address: 44/1 ซอย สาทร 8 สีลม Khwaeng Silom, Khet Bang Rak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10500, Thailand

3.30pm - 5pm -- Victory Monument shopping {Victory Monument Exit 3 / 4 (SUKHUMVIT)}

5pm - 6.30pm -- Plathong Mookata {Victory Monument (SUKHUMVIT)}

Address: Bangkok, จังหวัด กรุงเทพมหานคร 10400, Thailand, Tel: +66 84 354 8282

6.30pm - 12am -- Chatuchak market {Mochit / Chatuchak (MRT / BTS)}

闺蜜装 ~

Since we couldn't really think much of what to do in the morning, we decided to visit Pratunum Morning market to shop about. Mostly wholesale items once again and I was quite sad when one of the stall owner didn't want to sell me the clothes because I only wanted 1... Minimum must buy 3 pieces tsk. I suggest you go there if you are on a trip with more than 1 friend with the same fashion sense as you because buying 3 or more pieces of clothing from one stall will mean cheaper price for each piece. I also went back to the same stall inside the city complex to buy 4 packs of rice soap for my family and some friend who requested for it. It was again a regret because it was so heavy.. I carried 4 packs of it in my bag and shopped for the whole day.

By lunch time, we were already hungry so we went opposite to platinum fashion mall level 6 foodcourt to eat!

Had their fried rice and I must say it tasted really really good. Not the kind of SG fried rice but its still good. I can't explain it in words but you can give it a try. I think is stall p4, the one in the picture above! :)

Went for our planned unicorn café after lunch. I was really excited cuz I kinda like unicorn and I've seen good reviews about the food there :)

Pastel rainbow crepe cake

Like woah! Their cake looks so pretty!! It tasted not bad too. Can't really tell what flavour is it but it's just not bad uh. xD

Bought their signature drink too, in vanilla flavour. Its nice but I must say its a little too sweet. And the drink is really served in big portion. We didn't finish the drink so I suggest to only order it if there's like more than 4 of you there.

We were already kinda behind time of our itinerary by the time we left the unicorn café. But it wasn't that bad that its behind time because actually there's nothing much to shop at victory monument. Just a few stalls. Clothing wise still okay but its just not as big as any night markets! xD

We headed for Mookata next as planned. Plathong mookata!! 

The Mookata buffet costs 189Baht per person ($8 approx SGD). That considered quite cheap for the variety of meat and fish you get there. They also had a variety of vegetables which I didn't take picture of. I especially love the fish. Soft and nice!! 

Mookata got us really full and it was time to head for Chatuchak weekend market! According to some media/blogs, it is mentioned that Chatuchak weekend market starts from Friday night while on other media, it states that it is not open on Friday nights. We decided to head there to see for ourselves. On top of that, we also had a last minute plan to head for BIG C after Chatuchak to do some last minute loots.

Soooo, conclusion is, Chatuchak weekend market shops are closed on Friday nights but there are some set-up vendors along the Chatuchak street. So basically, things sold on Friday nights at Chatuchak are different from what's sold on weekends but I find the things sold by the set-up vendors cheaper. Sweatpants of good material can be bought at 120Baht and shorts of good material at 75Baht. :D We shopped and shopped and kinda lost track of time. It was already like 10pm when we realise we have to rush for last minute shopping at BIG C supermarket which closes at 11pm!!!

Literally we stopped shopping and ran towards MoChit BTS. And when we alighted at Saphan Khwai BTS, we started running towards BIG C supermarket. We really bought lots of snacks as though we'd never tried any snacks in our life before lol. So much that we needed 2 cardboards boxes to fit everything in. We were kinda worried when BIG C staff told us they don't have cardboard boxes.. But it was then some sort of luck came in, just nice there was a cleaner ready to throw a cardboard box away. We took it from her and that cardboard itself could fit in all my friend's snacks, which weigh a total of 4kg++ ((We didn't know its so heavy until we weighed it at the airport!!)) That night was crazy because we walked with so many bags of last minute shopped snacks + 3 big sized Sunsilk shampoos which I bought and on my other hand was the big cardboard box while in my bag, I had 4packs of rice soap which I'm pretty sure is 3kg or so.

We literally climbed up the stairs to Saphan Khwai's BTS and then took the train to Huai Khwang MRT and afterwards walked back to the hotel. On the way back, we took another cardboard box for my own snacks. I really cannot believe we survived those physical "ordeal" HAHA. I'm sure I lost some weight despite eating so much there.

By the time we reached back our hotel, we were sticky, sweat, dirty, and tired from walking but we still had to pack and raked our brains to think of how to pack our luggages. We only bought 20kg baggage combined and each of us can handcarry 7kg worth of items. We need to strategise to maximise the use of our baggage weight. Successfully squeezed in everything but at that time, we were still unsure of how heavy our luggages were since there wasn't any sort of weighing machine in the hotel. Slept at 2am BKK time that night cuz of the baggage issues lol. Problem when you buy too many things.

Day 4 - Saturday; 20 May

9am - 1pm -- Chatuchak market {Mochit / Chatuchak (MRT/ BTS)}

3.50pm -- Flight to Singapore

It was finally our last day there. I must say the weather in BKK during our trip there was damn hot. So hot that it hit 38 degrees on one of the days. Literally can feel the heat just the moment you stepped out of the hotel room.

We did not plan much for our last day because our flight was in the noon. We decided to head for Chatuchak weekend market once again to see how different it is on Friday and on Saturday. 

By the time we reached, I was already super thirsty thanks to the super hot weather!! Saw them selling fresh young coconut and I was really tempted to have 1 to myself! Bought one big one at 50Baht. Really quenched my thirst and I was happy~

We shopped around Chatuchak for about 1.5hours or so and then had lunch at a street-side stall. Had fried rice and tomyum for lunch.

To be honest, I'm not very amazed by their tomyum... Its not that nice and its not spicy at all. I prefer to have it spicier. But the fried rice was great! To me, all Thai fried rice is good :D

Sweating even as we were eating because there was no fan and the weather was just.... too good, too hot. Joined in the famous coconut ice cream queue. No regrets trying it!! It was really not bad like how others had reviewed it.

Finally, it was about 1pm and we headed back to our hotel!! We had 7 items in total at that time, my backpack, my best friend's sling bag, 2 cardboard boxes, 2 luggages and a plastic bag full of snacks and rice soap to be handcarried. It was crazy so we needed a taxi to send us to the airport. 

To our horror, when we first weighed our to-be-checked-in items, it was overweight!! My luggage was 10.3kg, while my best friend's luggage was about 8kg. Her snack box was about 4kg while mine was 2kg. In the end, we had to take out our soiled clothing and handcarried them and I had to handcarry my snackbox too. Actually, our handcarried items could have been >14kg combined but they didn't check so we managed to pass through lolll.

JUST NICE 20KG!!!

At the check-in counter, our check-in baggages happened to be just on the dot of 20kg! Even the counter staff was quite shocked and she was like "WOAH" with her eyes opened wide hahaha.

I must say Thailand really never fails to bring me back wonderful memories despite sweating so much in that HOT country hahaha. Really looking forward to more overseas trips with my close friends and family!!