Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Bangkok Finds and Pasalubong

Update as of July 2017:
I've also blogged about my own experience about Shopping in Bangkok during a trip to this amazing city last June.  Please click here to read more about it.

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As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I know two girls who are going to Bangkok!  Well, they are back!!!  And they are still on a high after being in Bangkok for four days and three nights!  How do they (my sister and our cousin) sum up their trip?  Their vacation days ARE NOT enough!  Haha! Must. come. back!  They have not even gone for a Thai massage and didn't get to do a proper food trip (they ate because they had to in places where they can---but still found the food to be good and cheap!). 

Two days were spent going on tours (Ayutthaya, Floating Market and the Reclining Bhudda) which basically ate their day plus Bangkok is also dealing with traffic congestion problems (something which Filipinos are accustomed to).  By the time they go back to their hotels, the malls/shops are nearing its closing time.  Some malls close at 5:30 pm.  They close and open shop early. Some of the shops even open at 8am!

Where to shop?
Bangkok is a shopping haven!  The girls stayed at Hotel Novotel Bangkok Platinum Pratunam which is located above Platinum Mall, one of the more popular malls in Bangkok.  There are also two other shopping places near their hotel which sell goods that are even cheaper than Platinum Mall:  City Complex and Krung Thong Shopping Plaza.

For their other pasalubong items (like food, groceries), they went to the Big C Superstore, one of the biggest supermarket chains in Thailand.

Some shopping tips from my sister:
1. Bring cash. . . lots of it! Haha!
2. The vendors will give you a wholesale price when you buy at least 2 pcs. of the item
3. No return, no exchange
4. No fitting of garments. . . some vendors would allow you to do so but there are no fitting rooms, haha!

Here are my sister's Bangkok haul (well, some of them, haha) . . .


My sister brought home some fruits.  We also have these in the Philippines but it would be nice to taste how Bangkok's fruits compare to ours.

All of the fruits were good and sweet.  Philippines still have the best mangoes (these mangoes from BKK are sweet too!), their Makopa tastes better while the Atis and Jackfruit will always taste good to me because they are my favorite fruits, haha!.


Atis (Custard Apple)

Makopa (Wax Apple)

Langka (Jackfruit) . . . .SUPER Sweeeettt!

My sister also got these at the airport be and bought some. . .


 I like the middle one and the last one (round shape) best.  They are cookies with coconut and chocolate, yummm!!!




This local candy doesn't have any English translation.  It's so good!  It tastes like our local "bukayo" (a dessert made from coconut and sugar ) but with a crunch and chopped peanuts! 




There were some interesting stuff like a Lychee-flavored wafer, Roasted peanuts whose flavors include coffee (not overpowering) and Tom Yum (which we have yet to try)!  The Bangkok Cookies with Crab curry flavor are actually rice crackers.  



Some spices to add in our lives!


We tried the Thai Stir-Fry curry paste for dinner. . . .and it was gooood!  I just sauteed chicken with the sauce and added a little bit of oyster sauce and voila. . . dinner is served!


It tastes better than it looks! Haha!  There were no leftovers.



My mom loved the White Sesame Bar (on the left) because it was crunchy and wasn't too sweet (Chao Sua brand), I love dried dilis and we all loved this Birdy White Choco Mocha 3-in-1 drink (by Ajinomoto)!


Our cousin bought Nestea Milk Tea.  Guess what, I haven't tried drinking Thai Milk Tea at all!  I guess I better try it one of these days, haha!

Besides food and groceries, my sister got these cute clothes for the kids. . . my most favorite are the white shirts with animal patches on them.

Thank you Nang-nang for the pasalubong!

Cuteness!

And for the plus-size ladies. . . rejoice!!!  There is something for you in Bangkok. . . I know, in Bangkok?!!  Haha!  Gone are those days when the biggest size you can find is like the standard medium or large here in Philippines, haha!
   
My sister got a good deal for these clothes . . . some of these tops are even cheaper than a Big Mac Meal at McDonalds!



Other finds/buys . . .



Bangkok and its amazing colors as shown in these souvenirs . . . 


Clockwise from (L to R): Super cute coin purses, Embroidered bag, Throw Pillow covers


My pick!

They also found some people who personalize almost everything. . . . cellphone cases, key chains, notebooks, shoulder bags. . . 

Bag tags (on the left) and Passport cases (on the right)




If there is one word to describe the shopping experience in Bangkok. . . they said it was OVERWHELMING! They wish they had more shopping time!  I won't be surprised if they go back to Bangkok again just to eat and shop (til they drop)!  

These girls did a pretty good excellent  job in shopping. . .considering they had time constraints!   Haha!  Well done ladies!  Yep, nothing can come between girls and shopping!

Besides it is also a good exercise!!!

Image from www.shegoeswear.com

*(Thank you cousin A for sharing some of your Bangkok photos for this blog post) 


Sightseeing/Shopping Information:

Group Tours - Their group tours were booked online with Sun Leisure World

For food/grocery items, they went to the Big C Superstore.  Please click on this link for store locations.

Platinum Fashion Mall
222 Petchburi Rd, Bangkok
Open from 8AM-8PM

City Complex Pratunam - located at the opposite side of Platinum Mall
Open from 10AM-9PM 

Krung Thong Plaza
Branch 1: 813/8 Petchburi Rd. (Sol 21), Pratunam, Bangkok
Branch 2: 833 Petchburi Rd (Sol 17), Pratunam, Bangkok
Open daily: 9AM-6PM

I also found a blog which lists down places (and tips too!) to go for shopping in Bangkok.  I am bookmarking this for future use, haha!

Here is the link; 




7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just a Thai stumbled upon your blog.

...This local candy doesn't have any English translation... >>> On the top (in yellow ribbon) said "Crispy nut toffee" Below are the name of the brand and some ad.

I live in Chiang Mai, another Thai tourist destination up north. Don't know if you have ever been here. If not, please take this reply as my invitation. Also if you love shopping, esp. handmade crafts, CM is quite popular and have lots of them.

Thailand, like every country in the world, has both good and bad people. Hope you see the first. Not just here but wherever you go.

Welcome and be our guest again anytime you'd like.

Ana said...

Thank you very much for dropping by and for inviting me to visit your country! =) My last trip to Thailand (went to BKK) was 2000! I know I must visit again and enjoy what the country has to offer. Have a nice day my friend, Cheers!

TM93 said...

Just returned from a trip to Thailand. Wanted to see if I could buy those Bangkok cookies online and your blog came up in the search. Great, great post! I only wish I'd seen it before my trip (I'm in the US and it took over 20 hours to get to Thailand so it may be a while before we get back!) Thank you for including all those details about where to buy some of these products, such as the spices. I was looking for a supermarket in BKK, but our hotel was in Chinatown, a bit out of the way. Your sisters are right, the shopping in Thailand is overcoming but fun! Hope to get back someday! In the meantime, I'm bookmarking this post for future trip ideas!

Ana said...

Hello TM93, thank you for dropping by! =) I am glad you found the Bangkok post helpful. It is one country I want to go back to too. Here's to more travels for both of us!

Thea Cañega said...

Hi! We're headed to Thailand in a few days & I'm planning to bring some Thai delicacies back to the Phil., but I'm worried they might not be allowed at the airport? Did you encounter any trouble with security when you included food in your check-in luggage? (p.s. Thanks for posting this, t'was very helpful.<3)

Ana said...

Hi Thea! Thank you for dropping by and glad you found the post helpful. =) It was actually my sister who went to Bangkok. =) She didn't mention any problem with her things when they were going back to the Philippines. I am not sure lang with the fresh fruits though. I will ask her and will get back to you on this (will leave another comment here) okay =). Take care and Have fun in Thailand!!!

Ana said...

Hi Thea! Just talked to my sister, they didn't have any problems naman daw with Customs. I guess as long as you have reasonable amount of stuff for a tourist =) they handcarried the fresh fruits and deadma lang (confidently beautiful ala Pia W) ang attitude when it came to the Customs, haha! Hope you're having a great time in Thailand! =)

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