Travel Log: Thailand, The Land of Thousand Smiles

Salty, sweet, sour, spicy, bitter.
Not many other cuisines in the world consist of all these tastes in a single dish, except for Thai food.

My buddies and I had made such frequent trips to Bangkok that we knew how to get around the city by BTS (Bangkok Subway System), but we also managed to avoid usual tourist traps like temples and floating markets. Our main mission is to hunt for Glorious food! Here’s our typical feast fest

Brunch

We headed to Siam station. There’s a mini food court right beside the Novotel Siam Square that sells classic Thai dishes such as Thai chicken rice, braised pork rice, and fish-ball noodles, and lastly, washing all these with Thai iced-tea. Yuh!

Tea Time

Within walking distance from the food court is Siam Paragon mall. The mall
houses a gigantic food hall integrating a food court, restaurants, and individual vendor stands. Our favorite list includes Thai-style sausage lathered in sweet chilli sauce and Thai crispy crepes (sweet and salty).

Dinner

I caught up with a local Thai friend, Fai, who brought us to local best kept secrets. We went to Sam Yan market near Chulalongkorn University, a large food court. Our Thai friends do the
ordering since the vendors rarely speak English. You know they serve great food when they speak only local language. A few dishes that we love include deep fried kangkoong, stir fried eggs in curry sauce, fried pork with garlic, tom yum soup, and ground chicken with basil.

There’s more to Bangkok beyond the usual tourist traps. Open your mind to try new things, you will definitely have a good time. Till our next trip, take care!

Regards Stefan Pratama

FLIGHT

AIR ASIA (KNO to BKK)

via CGK approx. IDR 2,000,000

STAY

5* Shangri-la Hotel - IDR 2,000,000

4* Novotel The Square - IDR 1,300,000

3* Lemontea Hotel - IDR 700,000