Melange of Tales

Category: Thailand

Ultimate Guide to Shopping in Bangkok
Bangkok is a shopaholics’ paradise. You can always find something interesting to shop for people of any age group. I shopped for my entire family which included my newborn niece. In Bangkok, you can buy things that you didn’t know existed before. My guide to shopping in Bangkok is something every shopaholic would need, when in Bangkok.

Pratunam

Thailand offers a wide range of shopping experience, be it a bustling street market or a luxurious mall. People from all walks of their life will always find something of their interest to shop. In this blog post I am listing down some of my preferred go to shopping places in Bangkok.

MBK Centre (Ma Boon Khrong Center)

MBK Centre in Bangkok is amongst the most famous places for shopping for both local and international tourists. If you are very good at bargaining, then this is the place for you. This is said to be the oldest mall in Bangkok but still relevant to the current trends. The mall is fully air conditioned and houses about 2500 stores.

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Do you want to store your luggage?

In case you have checked out from your hotel or you have too many things that you have bought and need some service to store or transfer your luggage then you should go to Airpotels on 6^th floor, Zone B of MBK, next to MBK Food Court Food Island.

They store your luggage for free for 2 hours and transport your luggage to the airport or your hotel at a very reasonable charge.

What to buy?

Brand replica clothing, electronics, fashion accessories, leather products and souvenirs.

To reach: Take BTS Sky Train (Green line – National Stadium)
Timing: 10 am to 10 pm

Also read: Bangkok’s Husky Cafe

Platinum Fashion Mall

If you are in Pratunam for shopping, then you might not want to miss the Platinum Fashion Mall. Platinum fashion mall is one of the largest wholesale shopping centres. This mall is fully air conditioned, and I shopped to my heart’s content. I noticed that if you buy any product in more quantity then they were willing to reduce the price considerably.

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What to buy?

Women fashion clothing, accessories, kids clothing, toys, shoes, stationery items, food

To reach: The mall is 1.5 km from Phaya Thai BTS Station. You can either choose to walk or board a taxi.
Timing: 10 am to 6 pm

Pratunam market

The market was very close to the mall, and it had narrow streets with multiple road side stalls. They were willing to sell the goods at a discounted price when we buy more than 3 pieces of an item. You can find everything that you want here, and the price was even cheaper when compared to the Platinum Fashion Mall.

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The market is open for 23 hours under the name of Pratunam morning, day and night markets.

To reach: The mall is 1.5 km from Phaya Thai BTS Station. You can either choose to walk or board a taxi.
Timing: 4 am (Day 1) to 3 am (Day 2)

Chatuchak weekend market

My most favorite out of the lot was Chatuchak. Chatuchak weekend market is Thailand’s biggest market with 8000+ stalls. Anyone can get lost at Chatuchak. You can spend a day in this market and still would not be able to explore it fully.

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This market has everything that you would want to buy or think ogf buying. It has clothes for men, women, children, all types of bags, all types of women and kid accessories, hats, footwear, little souvenirs, snacks, food, medicines, leather accessories, natural soaps, tea, coffee, toys, kitchen essentials, craft items and much more.

Chatuchak map

To reach: The market is a 5 min walk from both Mo Chit BTS Station and Chatuchak Park MRT Station.
Timing: 9 am to 6 pm (market is open fully only on weekends)

ICON SIAM

If you think of luxury shopping where you can buy goods from authentic brands, then ICON SIAM is where you would want to first visit. The mall is next to Chao Phraya river. If you would want to taste cuisines from across the world then again this should be your go to place.

ICONSIAM

To reach: There are free river shuttles from Saphan Taksin BTS station which will drop you directly at ICONSIAM. There are also free buses from Krung Thon Buri BTS Station to the mall.

Timing: 10 am to 10 pm

Important notes for shopping
- Have enough cash while shopping. Unless the store sells a product with its tagged price, it will be difficult to swipe your debit/credit card anywhere.
- Learn basic Thai to communicate with people. Few can speak in manageable English but still it is better to learn the below when you are out for shopping
  How much? – Thao Rai?
  Discount – Loht
  Yes – Dai
  No – Mai
Also read: My other posts from Thailand
June 3, 2024
Visit to Bangkok’s Husky Café – Truelove at Neverland

If you are a dog lover and if you are visiting Thailand then this should be one of the offbeat activities that you should engage in. I am not a dog lover myself and in fact I always try to stay away from dogs, but on the other hand my husband loves dogs. I wanted to surprise him by getting him to hug gorgeous Huskies and that’s how we landed at a Siberian Husky Café in Bangkok called Truelove at Neverland. You will never regret visiting Bangkok’s Husky Cafe and in fact you will want to do it every time you visit Bangkok.

How to book tickets?

Getting tickets to this café is on first come first serve basis. You might have to reach the place at least 45 mins to an hour before the entry time for you to stand in queue and reserve a slot.

There are 2 slots in a day. The first one at 12 pm and second one at 3 pm. After 30-40 mins of entering, you will be allowed to play with the dogs for almost an hour.

Note: Children under 15 weren’t allowed inside.

Entrance to the cafe

Did I go on time?

No, I wasn’t aware of the time slots there and it didn’t occur to me to check the slots before I visited. I assumed it to be a regular café with huskies roaming around. To our surprise the day we went they decided to open one more slot at 5.30 pm. We felt so blessed and fortunate for that opportunity.

What’s the ticket price?

The cost of a ticket is 500 Baht. We get to order a drink, a water bottle and disposable shoes.

Since ours was a special case, we were asked to pay only 350 Baht for a ticket.
Note: They accepted only cash.

How did we commute?

We took the metro till the station ‘Ari’ and from there we walked for 1.6 km.

Also read: My Ultimate Guide to Shopping in Bangkok

What to do at the café?

The sole purpose of your visit would be to play with the gorgeous Huskies. The café has husky toys, cakes and drinks as well for which you will have to pay extra.

Inside the cafe

As soon as you enter the café there are 2 different seatings that you will observe. One outside and one inside. They ask you to choose your drink and while you are having it in 30 mins they will show you a video of their dogs. It was a very funny video introducing us to the Dos’ and Don’ts in the play area. I felt that was a very important video for anyone to get an idea of how to behave with the Huskies.

Seating arrangement

Are the dogs healthy?

The dogs are very well maintained. They are very well fed, trained, playful and happy. We were introduced to dogs in batches on 2. Majority of them are Siberian Huskies but there are few other fluffy dogs as well along with them.

The HUSKY Experience

When it was time, the Huskies were released into the play area. We wore our disposable shoes, washed our hands with soap and entered the play area. When all the Huskies were released into the play area they were in excited state and in few minutes their excitement died down. They found their spots to lie down wherever there was air conditioning. Few Huskies were in excited state for a very long time.

‘Me’ keeping my distance with the dog 😛

We were asked to not hug the dogs and wait for them to come to us. Still many weren’t able to control their urge to not hug the friendly fluffy gorgeous creatures roaming around.

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When it was time for the first batch of dogs to rest, another batch of them were released into the play area.

The Photograph

Once the play time was over, we were given an opportunity to click a group picture with the Huskies which were trained to give poses. Though I was scared the moment they put their legs on me I felt their softness cool my anxiousness down.

Group photo 😀

If you are a dog lover who loves to do something different from the usual in Bangkok, then I would suggest you pay a visit to the Bangkok’s Husky Cafe Truelove at Neverland.

Also read: My other posts from Thailand

May 19, 2024
Krabi – Fantastic trip to the Emerald Pool and Hot Springs – Complete Guide

Krabi is blessed with abundance of incredible forests and beaches. The forest national parks are so stunning that it will leave you spellbound. When you are in Krabi, if you want to spend a day away from the hustles and bustles of the city, a day trip to the Emerald Pools and Hot Springs would be a perfect choice. Let’s jump into my complete guide for a fantastic trip to Krabi’s Emerald Pool and Hot Springs.

At the entrance of the national park

How to travel?

If you are staying anywhere in Ao Nang or the Krabi town then there are many ways to travel to the Emerald pools. The distance from Ao Nang would be around 70 km, you can choose to commute with a small group or in private.

The group trips are mostly combined with the stunning Tiger Cave Temple which is on the way to the Pools and Hot Springs. A tour guide will accompany you.

Note: Visiting Krabi’s emerald pool and hot springs is a must do when you are in Krabi.

On the way to the national park

Group tours:

Tuk tuk to Emerald pools, Hot Springs and Tiger Cave Temple – A tuk tuk will come to pick you up at your hotel and will drop you back. Ticket cost to the national parks are excluded here.

Van to Emerald pools, Hot Springs and Tiger Cave Temple – A mini van will come pick you up and drop you back at the hotel. All tickets are included here.

Van to Emerald pool and Hot Springs – A mini van will come pick you up and drop you back. The ticket costs are excluded.

Private tours:

Private Emerald Pool, Hot Springs and Tiger Cave Temple tour – The entry fees are excluded from this package

Hot Springs Spa – This is a dedicated tour to the Hot Springs along with spa. This includes the entry fee.

How to get to the Emerald Pool?

Emerald Pool is located in the picturesque Thung Teao Forest National Park. It is quite far from Ao Nang (70 km), but the roads are butter smooth. In case you choose to ride a 2-wheeler, it will give you the freedom to stop and explore places on the way whenever and wherever you want.

Once you reach the parking spot and get the tickets, you will see 2 trails to reach the emerald pool. One is the dirt road of 800 m, which will get you directly to the pool and the other one is a concrete walkway for a km amidst nature. I chose the latter to enjoy the walkway and spot rare birds in striking backgrounds.

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Crystal Pool

The Crystal Pool receives water from the Emerald Pool and other water sources. It is 1-3 meters deep. Tourists are not allowed to take a plunge into this pool because the bottom of the pool is littered with various debris and mud. When you take the walkway this is the first big pool that you will come across.

Crystal Pool

The Emerald Pool

It is a round shaped pool formed by the hot spring water and groundwater. The pool water contains Calcium Carbonate produced by the chemical weathering of the limestone. The limestones are deposited at the mouth of the spring. The high mineral content of the water gives it its striking emerald color.

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We kept our belongings like our mobile phones and wallets in the locker service available close to the Emerald Pool.
Timing: 7.30 am to 5.30 pm

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Blue Pool

Blue Pool is a 800m walk from the Emerald Pool. The striking colors of the Blue Pool will leave your mind blown. The pool is closed between May – Dec. The pool is said to be 4-5 meters deep. Groundwater is heated by subsurface magma which produces steam and hot water. Tourists are not allowed to take a dip into the pool as it is not safe.

The Blue Pool

Also read: Koh Phi Phi – Guide to Touring Thailand’s Most Famous Island

Ticket costs:

Entry ticket for locals: 20 THB (adults), 10 THB (children)
Entry ticket for foreigners: 200 THB (adults), 100 THB (children)
2 wheeler parking cost – 15 THB
4 wheeler parking cost – 30 THB
Washroom access – 10 THB
Locker – 10 THB

Tip: It is better to visit the pool on a weekday because on weekends you will find a lot of locals visiting which makes in crowded

Krabi Hot Springs

Krabi Hot Springs is on the way back from Emerald Pools to Ao Nang. It is a 15 min drive from Emerald Pools. On Google Maps you will find it as ‘Hot Stream Krabi’. It is good to pair these 2 places considering the proximity to each other.

The water flowing in the hot water spring originates from the volcanic chambers. It forms many small pools into which you can get into and enjoy the natural hot water jacuzzi. The temperature of the water ranges from 35-40 degrees Celsius. The water is said to have a lot of minerals which are beneficial to the human skin.

Hot springs meeting the stream below in the background

If you want to swim after the hot natural jacuzzi, you can get into the river that flows few meters away from the hotsprings.

Note: It is recommended to stay at the hot stream only for 20-30 minutes at the max.
Timing: 8.30am to 6 pm
Ticket cost:
Foreign nationals entry fee: 100 THB
Parking: 10 THB

Tiger Cave Temple

On the way back if you still have the time and energy, you can hike to the Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea). There are 1260 steps to the Buddha statue at the top of the mountain. Since it is a temple you are expected to wear appropriate clothes.

Tiger Cave Temple

Note: Beware of the huge number of monkeys during your hike.

My complete guide to East Krabi will serve as a fantastic trip to the Emerald Pools, Hot Water Springs and Tiger Cave Temple which can be done in a day.

Krabi was one of the most amazing places I visited in Thailand. If you are in Krabi then I’d highly recommend you to visit the Krabi emerald pool and hot springs. Krabi offers you both, beautiful forests, and pristine beaches. I hope my complete guide to the emerald pool and hot springs would have provided you with all the information that you need to enjoy these wonders in Krabi.

Also read: My other posts from Thailand

March 14, 2024
Koh Phi Phi – Guide to Touring Thailand’s Most Famous Island

Thailand is blessed with dense forests, beautiful islands, and beaches with clear turquoise blue waters. Koh Phi Phi (pronounced as “Pee Pee”) is one of them and the most stunning, if we subtract the over tourism side of it. Let’s dive into my guide to touring Thailand’s most famous island – Koh Phi Phi.

About Phi Phi

The inhabited Phi Phi Don and uninhabited Phi Phi Ley comprise the Phi Phi islands of the Krabi province. These islands became famous after the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio at the Maya Bay in 2000. The island is vehicle free and its overall size is 12.25 sq. km. The island is densely populated with 100+ hotels and eateries.

Maya Bay

The 2004 Tsunami had taken more than 4000 lives in the Phi Phi islands and it is said that the development at the island has increased more than how it was then. The Maya Bay in Phi Phi Ley was closed in 2018 due to over tourism. The government cleaned the area, planted around 10,000 coral reefs and has brought it back to its original state. Tourism to the Maya Bay was opened in 2022.

Note: Phi Phi Islands is one of the most famous islands in Thailand because of its pristine beauty. There have been multiple movie shoots that have happened here.

How to reach Phi Phi?

You can either reach the islands from Phuket or from Krabi. I personally travelled from Krabi. There are speed boats, ferries and even private boats available for the travel. I personally felt booking tickets after reaching Krabi or Phuket was better than pre-booking online due to the additional charges applied while paying online.

Where to stay?

There are backpacker hostels, hotels, and high-end resorts available for stay. I chose to stay at Phi Phi Hotel which was few meters away from Tonsai Pier.

The room we stayed in

How many days to spend in Phi Phi?

This completely depends on what you would like to do in Phi Phi. In my case, I spent 3 days. First day, I decided to roam around the island and in the evening, we went to enjoy the nightlife at Phi Phi. On the second day, we went for an island tour and on the third day, we went for scuba diving near Phi Phi Ley.

Note: There are half day and full day group tours available in Phi Phi. You can rent a private long tail boat as well, on a 3, 4 and 6 hour basis.

The 3 different group tours are as below

Tour and long tail boat details

Also read: An Amazing Scuba Diving Experience at Phi Phi Islands

Walk around the island

Phi Phi is a vehicle free island but loaded with humans and human establishments. There are hotels, restaurants, bars, bakeries, diving schools, Tonsai daily market, travel agencies, mobile phone stores, laundromats, tattoo shops, fashion jewellery, clothing and swim wear shops, super markets (7eleven), fast food and ice cream parlours.

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It was a treat to watch the island bustling with busy tourists buying so many different things. Every other shop had a pet cat, and the cats were tourist friendly.

Note: You can buy bottled water at 7 eleven in Phi Phi instead of carrying them from Krabi or Phuket.

If you want to visit Phi Phi on a day trip click here.

Nightlife at Phi Phi

If you like to party then Phi Phi should be one of your go to places in Thailand. You get drinks in buckets at TBH 40 and you will find 1+1 beer offers on many days. Drinks are not cheap in India, especially cocktails. I was surprised to see cocktail buckets at TBH 40 in Phi Phi where generally everything else is expensive.

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There were fire shows and tourists were also taking part in them.

Phi Phi View Point

One of the most beautiful views I had in Thailand was at Phi Phi Viewpoint 2. It was a private resort so we had to pay money to reach the view point.

Ticket cost: THB 30

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Phi Phi is one of the most gorgeous islands that I have visited. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the Phi Phi islands I know that many despise it due to over tourism. Many tourists would look for quaint and serene places to rejuvenate. If you are one of them then Phi Phi would not be your cup of tea.

Also read: My other posts from Thailand

February 25, 2024
An Amazing Scuba Diving Experience at the Phi Phi Islands

Indulging in safe adventurous activities has always been my jam. Every time I give myself an adrenaline rush, I also make sure that I am prepared for it. I had been wanting to scuba dive since a few years. I was looking for places around the world which offered a safe and beautiful diving experience. This made me narrow down my first dive at the magnificent Phi Phi islands in Thailand. This post is about my scuba diving experience at the Phi Phi Islands.

On the way to Phi Phi Ley

Mental preparation

On one hand I was excited to expose myself to scuba diving but on the other I was scared about all the unfortunate incidents that have occurred to scuba divers across the world. When I was a child, I used to watch Steve Irwin’s shows. I learnt that he died due to a Stingray’s deadly sting. Though all this fed negativity about diving in me, I was still determined to conquer the fear of going underwater.

I mentally prepared myself by reading a lot about scuba diving and the life underwater. I told myself that I will be in safe hands and that I will want to dive again after exploring a whole new dimension of the world that is less explored.

Finalising on the dive shop

We enquired about Scuba Diving at various places in Phi Phi. There were 2 batches for diving in most of the places – 7 to 11 AM and 1 to 5 PM. We had finalised on diving with PKT Diving, the dive shop close to the Tonsai pier. Since this was our first scuba diving experience, we were going to be accompanied by our diving instructor. Our dive was going to be for 12 meters (39.4 feet) at the max. We paid 3600 THB per person and 2500 THB for hiring a scuba diving photographer (we were a group of 4). We had also selected the fins that fit us and dive masks that suited our eye power (if any).

Streets in Koh Phi Phi

The Dive Day Morning

I felt the nervousness pinching me when I woke up. We reached the dive shop and saw that we were waiting for the group to assemble. We gave our attendance for the day. The dive was in the marine national park, and we had to pay fee for diving in that area. We carried a small bag with a bottle of water, towel and our mobile phones while getting onto the boat.

We were given general instructions on how to inhale using the oxygen cylinder, the gauge to check the level of oxygen, hand signals, things to do when water enters into the masks and how to release pressure. While this was going on, our dive instructor introduced himself to us as P’oh. He told us that he has 20 years of experience in scuba diving and that Thai sharks are very nice like Thai people :D. He instilled confidence into me. After meeting him my fear regarding the dive dropped down to zero.

The Dive

Finally, it was time to jump into the Andaman sea of Thailand near Phi Phi Ley. The turquoise waters didn’t look as intimidating as before, after meeting my dive instructor. I saw many people snorkelling around the same area. When it was time, we were asked to wear our dive suits, oxygen cylinders which weighed around 20 kg and goggles. The boat had stopped for the divers to jump into the water. My excitement level reached the roof. P’oh was going to instruct my husband and me. He held my hand and said 3, 2, 1…We jumped into the deep blue sea!!!

First Impression under water

We were given a 5-minute brief on how to breathe under water by P’oh. While we were floating, we looked into the water and trained ourselves how to breathe with our mouth. Whenever we put our head in, I saw varied marine life and schools of beautifully coloured fishes. There was absolute silence inside the sea. I thought I got the hang of it and informed P’oh that I’m ready to go in.

After 5 minutes of going in, my grip on the mouthpiece loosened and water got inside my mouth. I started panicking and showed hand signals to P’oh to take me up to the surface. My heart started beating fast and I was tasting the saltiness of the sea. P’oh took both of us up to the surface and asked me to calm down. After 2-3 minutes of calming down I again mustered the courage to go in. I made sure that I bite the mouthpiece so well that this panicky situation doesn’t occur again and I did it.

The Marine Life

I saw vivid coral reefs which were breathing, schools of colourful fishes, there were fishes moving in and out of the corals, sea snakes, tiny seahorses and puffer fishes within 10 minutes of getting into the water. There was absolute silence and every breath under water counted. The seabed had a lot of the poky sea urchins. I made sure that I wasn’t touching anything as we were instructed just before the dive.

Our first dive lasted for 50 minutes, and I fell in love with it. We also spotted 4 baby sharks during our dive. I considered myself blessed with an experience of a lifetime.

We slowly came up to the surface of the water and relaxed while P’oh called for the boat. I realised I also loved to float in the sea with the waves that patted me for doing a good job in my first dive 😉

Also read: Koh Phi Phi – Guide to Touring Thailand’s Most Famous Island

The second dive

As soon as we got into the boat, I started realising the weight of the oxygen cylinder. I removed it and had my breakfast. In 15 minutes of getting into the boat, it was already time for the 2^nd dive. This time I was super enthusiastic about diving into the water as I already knew the to-dos once I am in.

P’oh told us that there is a place in the second dive with just an empty seabed and we will click pictures there. He took us to that spot as we jumped in. We posed for a lot of pictures, and I felt grateful for deciding to hire a photographer.

We spotted a huge sea turtle. I was amazed by the size of it, and it felt like the turtle was itself posing for the picture. We enjoyed the view of it before we moved into the portion of the sea which had coral reefs. Beautiful fishes like angelfish, clownfish and butterfly fishes were playing hide and seek in and out of the corals. I also remember spotting yellow box fishes, shrimps, eels, and lobsters.

I felt slightly uncomfortable after being in the water for 48 minutes in our 2^nd dive. I showed hand signals to our instructor P’oh to take us up to the surface. As we went up to the boat I felt giddy and threw up. I slept the whole way back to the hotel from Phi Phi Ley to Phi Phi Don. I thanked our instructor for being the best and got down from the boat. Scuba diving at Phi Phi islands was an experience of a lifetime.

Ocean calling

I felt blessed for being able to experience a portion of the earth which has a lot more to explore. My first scuba dive turned out to be so wonderful and this has sown a seed in my mind to dive in various places of the world and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

With our dive instructor P’oh after the dive

Click here to book your Phi Phi tours.

Also read: My other posts from Thailand

February 6, 2024