khorp khun kha....

its been 3 days since we got back from bangkok, and all i can say is....
'when do we go again?'

it was fantastic,with many firsts, resulting in, i guess, part of the reason i decided to plunge in and start a blog :)

so, here's the 'if i were to go again, where would i go to' list:

1. asia herb association

we were not sure if this was the massage place recommended by an uncle, but it was along the same soi, had a write up in a local spa directory and looked quite good so we decided...ok go! 5 stars from me, coming from a traditional massage point of view. i'm a no oils, no aromatherapy, just bring it on hard and strong kinda girl so although it seems more spa like, the traditional thai massage was probably the best that i have had so far. standing at only 50 baht more expensive then marble house and other recommended places in guidebooks, it was definitely worth it. think spa like environment, dark wood, soft water sounds in the background, experienced therapists who exert the right amount of strength at the right spots according to how you specify it in your customer form. 2 hours of bliss! and if i may steal this off someone's blog....it truly was a lazy man's guide to yoga!

www.asiaherbassociation.com

2.platinum fashion mall

raved about by my good friend janice who bought and bought last december at this new mall, we made it our first shopping stop of the trip. it reminded me of a more 'packed in' version of the clothes floors of MBK. the platinum mall is a gem, once you get warmed up. prices are good just because the more you buy, usually 3 and more, you will get each piece at a wholesale price. more girl stuff then guys, so girls, pack another bag or buy one whilst you are there because you can get a whole new wardrobe from platinum! i got 3 dresses for 750 baht and made a mental note to redefine the term 'good deal' next time i go shopping! best of all is, if you have patience and a good eye, you will be able to get really nice stuff, many of which might be one off pieces, and or cost a third of the price here in singapore! bags, shoes even children's clothes are good there....so go armed with lotsa baht and get ready to conquer the new mall to be at in bkk.

3. my favourite steak house

after trying to walk 307 units down to this restaurant, we decided to hunt down this place again on our second night. with a rather patient driver and several rounds around the neighbourhood, we not only pretty much know all the shops at soi 39 but have also discovered a cool steak joint. once there, the place reminded me alot of those small laid out mall concepts they have in the states that i love. less the thai people around, one would not think you were in bkk. quaint little restaurant that had a live jazz singer (which was amatuer but still not bad) and very good food. we started with a foie gras appetiser,nestled in a bed of spinach and apple cider dressing, which had the melt-in-your-mouth consistency. mains were a medium rare 12 oz wagyu ribeye and a thai basil beef pasta, both of which were fantastic. the ribeye had the almost perfect amount of marbling, whilst the pasta was done al dente, with lots of garlic, fresh pepper which you scrape right off the stalk and crispy basil. the only regret was we had no room for dessert as we had sharksfin soup (siam square soi 1 i think, last shop in taking reference from siam center) for tea! and of course the fact that we were lacking a camera to document the evidence...(dia's made a mental note to locate a cheap and good camera)

307 sukhumvit 39 (phromphong), sukhumvit rd, n. klonton, wattana, bkk 10110

directions: easier to access if from soi 31 or new petchburi road.

disclaimer: this is of course over and above heading to MBK and siam square for more shopping as well as to the MBK food court for the must-eat claypot beef noodles, te kar rice, duck noodles and cha yan.

one last thing to round up this post, is if you can, try to get on a taxi and run it by the meter. we discovered that it costs us half the amount to get to the airport (no jam of course).

sawatdii kha!

ps: shout out to www.aziacity.com/bk for the piccie