I’m clubbing a bunch of photos from my last few days in Thailand into one post since there really isn’t much that deserves its own post. From my hostel, I switched to a hotel for the last three days in Bangkok. One of my clients lent me a discount voucher she wasn’t using and I used it to book three nights at the Holiday Inn Express at Sukhumvit 11.
But the hotel offers shuttle service (for guests only) back and forth to the metro station every 30 minutes
The hotel is a 3-star property. Breakfast is complimentary but don’t expect a grand buffet.
But the room was spacious, clean, and modern
The views were nothing special given the location
The area I was in was mostly small hotels all around but there’s a 7-11 within walking distance. Since it rained, I pretty much stayed inside the hotel until it stopped. I then visited the IKEA in Bang Na as getting there is pretty cheap with the free shuttle service to the mall.
I had quite a loaded late lunch (that’s salmon if you’re wondering)
The next day, I continued my search for the DJI Mini drone. I read ICONSIAM mall had a DJI dealer and since I hadn’t been to the (then) new mall, I decided to make a trip out of it.
To get to ICONSIAM mall from the Sukhumvit area, take the BTS metro train to Saphan Taksin station. Follow the directions to Sathorn Pier via Saphan Taksin BTS Station Exit 2. It’s a short walk.
Kids were taking a dip in the river streams
ICONSIAM mall provides free shuttle boat rides every 10 minutes across the Chao Phraya river to bring you to the mall
The rides are quite frequent so even though there are lines, you don’t have to wait long
It’s not much of a river ride anyway
A lot of high end apartments line Chao Phraya river
Barely takes 5 minutes to get to ICONSIAM Mall, on the other side of the river
ICONSIAM is largely a luxury-focused mall, kind of like Siam Paragon mall in Sukhumvit. But it does have more affordable stuff like H&M and ZARA too.
The mall is pretty both inside and out!
The Veranda is one of the multiple food hubs at the mall
Despite all the well-known brands, I was drawn to the Sooksiam area on the Ground floor. Sooksiam has stalls selling clothes, souvenirs, and food from all the provinces in Thailand. It is trying to replicate a street market experience but in the comforts of an air-conditioned environment.
You have restaurants and shops too
Makes for a nice spot for photography
The interiors were really well done
The prices were not that high for the “street food” stalls
Just like I mentioned in the previous post, fruit-shaped scented soaps are a top seller in Bangkok
I went up to check out the rest of the mall
Bangkok is the only city from my travels (so far) where I’ve seen luxury car dealers having showrooms inside a mall
I find it funny how H&M and ZARA are always close to each other. In ICONSIAM’s case — right next to each other.
The electronics stores are mostly on the 4th floor
Visiting the DJI booth did not yield anything desirable. So I continued exploring the rest of ICONSIAM.
I saw a massive line outside a familiar logo
There was a massive line to get in to the official Apple store — the largest in Thailand
I must say, ICONSIAM sure is a pretty looking mall!
The interiors are very well designed
You still have your mall staples, such as a multiplex at the top floor
Even a large hall for events
The high end brands are up front, closer to the entrance
ICONSIAM is one of the better malls to visit in Bangkok
Bangkok has a lot of malls, especially in the Sukhumvit area. While many of the brands at ICONSIAM can also be found at malls in the Sukhumvit, the interior (and exterior) design makes ICONSIAM mall a worthwhile visit.
I waited for the free shuttle boat ride back to Sathorn Pier
That run down building was the old Customs House
Back in Sukhumvit, I had ramen for lunch at Fumi in Siam Paragon mall
While soaking up the air-conditioning in CentralWorld mall, I just happened to drop into a PowerBuy (a major electronics chain). I asked them about the DJI Mini and was told that it would only release a week later. But they just happened to have the DJI Mavic Air, heavily discounted. I really didn’t feel like spending so much for a first drone but at the same, the price on offer was Rs. 30,000 less than what the Air cost back in India. That was quite tempting… and I caved. I swiped my credit card and headed back to my hotel with my very first drone.
I unboxed the Mavic Air but did not get the time to fly it while in Thailand… something I’ve wanted to do for many years
For dinner, I headed to the part of Sukhumvit full of Middle Eastern restaurants.
I had a Pide and a shawarma for dinner
That was pretty much it. The next day, I headed to the airport in the evening by taxi.
For the first time, I was flying back to Bangalore from Don Mueang airport since Air Asia uses the old airport for the Bangalore flights. Don Mueang, which got replaced by the much larger Suvarnabhumi International Airport, got a new lease of life — thanks to budget airlines — and is now a major hub for domestic flights and some international destinations.
Before I checked in my bags, I went to the VAT refund counter
Since I purchased my drone from Powerbuy, I was eligible for the VAT refund scheme (tourists get 7% of the bill value back in cash). You have to submit the bill and VAT refund form the store provided, and show them the item your purchased. Once the officer stamped the VAT refund form, I then checked in my bags and finished the security process.
Past immigration, near the duty free areas and restaurants, you will find the VAT refund cash counter
I collected a few thousand baht in cash as my eligible refund and felt happier knowing I got my drone for quite a steal!
Using my Priority Pass card, I made my way to the lounge
They had a buffet and complementary drinks
When it was time, I made my way to the gate and boarded my Air Asia flight, which was on time.
I had pre-booked a Chicken Penang curry rice with Thai omelette, which was alright. Yeah, I ate a lot that night!
Even as I write this, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my chance to travel right before COVID shook the world and shut down travel and tourism. I cannot imagine how much it must have impacted a city like Bangkok. It would be nice to go back to Thailand before the pre-COVID crowds come back, especially with a drone now.
(All currency conversions below are approximations as of the date of posting)
My flight landed at 5am at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. My first impressions of the airport? Big.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok (taken on my Nokia E72)
But sometimes I wonder if it’s too big for its own good. I took a lot of travelators after disembarking and then took a right… to take some more moving walkways.
I finally reached the counter where Visa on Arrival applicants had to queue up. The 15-day Visa on Arrival scheme is only open to a few countries, India being one of them. I decided to opt for Visa on Arrival because before departing, I got to know that up until March 10, 2010, there are no fees. So, basically free. Since my travel was going to be on a budget (‘cos in Thailand, you can do it on a budget) , I figured it was one of the things I could save money on. And I wasn’t the only one. The entire line was 90% Indians with the remaining 10% from countries I couldn’t probably spell correctly off the top of my head.
The form I had downloaded and filled up in advance was of no use as the form given at the counter looked different. I took the new form, filled it up, attached two passport-sized photographs and waited in line.
Annoyingly, there was only one officer manning the counter that time and it was painfully slow. So slow that by the time I got my passport stamped, it was 2 hours that I had stood in line! Very tiring. I probably won’t do Visa on Arrival next time if this is how it is going to be. After that, I collected my luggage fairly easily (I mean, after 2 hours, it was bound to be on the conveyor belt!) and then finished up all the procedures to get out the airport.
Then began the second phase of ‘annoying’. Suvarnabhumi has a network of escalators and lifts that only connect even and odd floors. For example, if I needed to get to the 3rd floor from 4th, I had to take the escalator to the 2nd and then take a lift to the 3rd floor. It was quite confusing but I had to get to the Dtac counter at the airport. I took a local prepaid SIM from them and it was weird how easy it was to get one. I mean, they looked at my passport but other than that, I don’t even remember filling up a form or even giving them photos, an address proof etc. like how it is out here. I even activated GPRS and got my number. Cost me 199 baht (Rs. 277).
Once my number was activated, I then headed to the ground floor to take a metered taxi to Petchburi Road.
Most of the taxi drivers don’t speak English
I decided to head straight to Petchburi Road because it was where Pantip Plaza was located. But first, I needed to get a room. I asked the taxi driver to stop at First Hotel Bangkok on Petchburi Road. The ride cost me 320 baht (Rs. 440). I went to First Hotelbecause it was on the main road and it was one of the hotels I had selected based on internet research. The lady at the reception showed me the rate card which showed over 2000 baht for a single room but soon scratched it and said she can give it to me at special rate of 1600 baht (Rs. 2,200) but the check out time was 12pm. I took the brochure and told her that I’ll be back. I stepped out because even though 1600 baht seemed like a good deal, I wasn’t going to be in my room much as my plan was to freshen up and then step out to get my camera. I also intended on leaving for Krabi that night itself.
I walked up a bit and was approached by several taxi drivers who said they could find me good hotels but I decided to go on without their help. Then a Tuk Tuk driver who was posted near Pantip Plaza called me and asked me if I was looking cheap rooms. Now, during my research on Thailand, a common word of advice I came across was to avoid Tuk Tuk drivers. Mostly because they often charge tourists the same amount of money (if not more) the taxis charge. This guy offered to take me around for 30 baht. I thought, what the heck. Couldn’t be any worse than our autos right? But then he told me about his ‘plan’. He would take me the tourism office and there, he asked me to just sit and listen to what the guys had to offer based on my needs. He asked me to sit for at least 10mins so that he would get a “gas coupon”. I went to the tourism office (which turns out was just an authorized travel agent) and the guy there showed me a hotel which would cost 1600 baht. I then told him that was the same rate I could have stayed at First Hotel and I needed a place I could stay without that annoying 12pm check out rule. He then lowered it to 1400 baht (Rs. 1,900) and said it was no problem, I could check-in now itself.
So I paid for it and went to The Best Bangkok House. It was just off Petchburi Road and not very far from the overbridge to Pantip Plaza. The A/C room I got was clean and well equipped with a working TV (& remote), refrigerator, clean bathroom and a twin size bed. They have internet but only at the reception and you had to pay for it.
I took a nice warm bath and just as I stepped out thinking I’ll go shopping, the fact that I was up all night and how painful it was at Suvarnabhumi, the snooze-factor started to kick in. I was sooooo damn tired and just crashed on my bed.
I set the alarm for 12pm but only got up at 1:45pm. Realizing I didn’t have much of the day left, I headed straight for Pantip Plaza.
Pantip Plaza in Bangkok
Pantip is Bangkok’s (if not Thailand’s) most popular IT mall. And by that I mean, the hub for grey market goods and pirated CDs, DVDs, software etc. It’s like National Market in Bangalore, only this is a 5 storey building with escalators and air conditioning. I checked Pantip first because I also had ask around for some stuff my friends wanted. A lot of the shops stocked the Canon 7D and it was available for as low as 52,000 baht (Rs. 72,000). I also asked around for the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 wide angle lens but most didn’t stock the Canon mount.
MBK Center, Bangkok (actually taken on 21/12/2009)
MBK used to be one of the biggest malls in Asia when opened in 1985 but even though there are swankier malls in Bangkok, it remains hugely popular even to this day. The reason I went there was for a store called Fotofile. When researching for camera shops of repute in Thailand, Fotofile was a name that often came up among photographers. They also happen to manage the official Canon store in MBK.
I got my Canon 7D body from them for 55,800 baht (Rs. 78,000). I also picked up a nice camera bag for 1500 baht (Rs. 2,000).
Top left: Kosin, the sales guy I mostly dealt withOld Canon cameras on display at the showroom
Fotofile has like 2-3 stores in MBK alone and more in and around Bangkok. I went to the one on the ground floor as they stocked second hand lenses as well. They too didn’t have the Tokina lens so I ended up picking up the Canon 10-22mm f3.5 wide angle from them and since I didn’t feel like going back to Pantip, I picked up a 16GB CF card and a filter for the 10-22mm from the same store.
The good thing about buying from popular stores like Fotofile was that I could bargain (everything I picked up, I bought it at lower prices than what they initially quoted) and they are authorized to offer the 7% VAT Refund for tourists.
NOTE: The 7% VAT refund can only be claimed at the airport upon departure and you need to hand over a yellow form which is filled up at the store and given to the buyer. I saw some Indian tourists trying to show a bunch of receipts at the office in Suvarnabhumi and were denied. The minimum amount is 2000 baht I believe and it can even be a collective amount. For eg: if I bought from 4 different stores in MBK or Siam Center, I can get a7% VAT refund form from a counter at the mall for the 4 bills totalling 2000 baht or more.
Grey market stores may be cheaper but all they are really doing is excluding the taxes they are supposed to impose on the sale and thereby passing on that reduction as a “discount”. Most stores (the many small ones) in Pantip Plaza do not give 7% VAT Refund.
Coming back to Fotofile, I ended up picking up everything on my credit card, for which they said there will be a 2% surcharge. I decided to reserve the cash in case of emergencies.
After picking up my gear, I went to the food court at MBK to grab something to eat. The food court at MBK works on a coupon system. You pay 100 baht (it can be any denomination) and you are given coupons in sums of 5, 10, 20 and so on totalling 100. They had several counters catering to all sorts of variety but I opted for a sea food fried rice.
Sea food fried rice consisting of prawns and squid (85 baht)
After lunch and encashing the remaining coupons, I walked around the same floor and came across a lot of clothes shops. Not branded ones but just small ones selling T-shirts and other gear. I’ll write about all this in detail in a later post. I picked up a pair of shorts because I really didn’t feel like wearing pants in the Thailand heat for the rest of my journey.
I remember the travel agent telling me that the bus to Krabi would leave at 5:30pm but by the time I was done with shopping, it was already past 6pm. I was quite tired with all the running around and told myself that this was supposed to be a vacation and decided to take it easy and leave for Krabi the next morning. Plus, I only needed to check out of my room 9am the next day.
I freshened up and checked out my haul.
All the camera equipment I bought from Fotofile (Photo taken on the E72)
I kept the batteries for charging and stepped out for dinner which was mostly deep-fried sausages from a street vendor near Pantip Plaza where an open-air karaoke was taking place and some snacks from a 7-Eleven.
The room I stayed in. Also the first photo I took on my 7D with the wide angle lens
I re-packed and called it a night after that as I had to wake up early the next day.
