20 Lessons from a Fresh Graduate in Bangkok!

*this entry is a little like a holiday-guide for Bangkok. 

Y’know how when you’re sitting in some part of school, slogging over projects and getting ready for exams… And you go, “Dammit! I wish I could get this over & done with!”

I always thought that by the end of my Diploma, I’d be all free & dandy. Like, “WOOHOO!!!” *throws something (didn’t really specifically imagine what…) & jump around my imaginary field of freedom!!*

Totally didn’t happen.

As most of my friends would know – I took a huge ass detour on my academic career. I have my own reasons and till today, I feel I made the right choice. 🙂 So that’s all that really matters.

So when I finished my last exam paper – “YES!! MUAHAHAHA!!!”

I went on a short, extremely relaxing holiday to Genting Highlands with one of my favourite-st people in the world – Yu Ping!

Together on the coach!

Then after all the confirmation that I’m a full-fledged graduate – “OOOOOH YEAAAAAA!!!!”

And I went for another short retail therapy trip to Kuala Lumpar with some lovely ladies!

After a while, I began to think of where to move on from there.

Before I knew it, I went for my graduation gown fitting. And soon enough, I was standing on stage receiving my certificate.

Credits to my ex-classmate, Shahida for taking this shot for me! ❤

And once my principal gave it to me, it suddenly hit me – “Shit. I have to make a choice from here.”

And I pondered for a while.

I knew that entering a local university was a little out of the reach for me – I screwed up my GPA. So it is good enough to let me graduate; just not good enough for me to enter a local university.

However if there is one thing about being a student in Singapore – it is that you are hardly ever out of options.

Some told me to sit for my SATS, to help to gain entry into local universities. Like a bonus to my diploma.

Some told me to go to SIM. Pretty much everyone who wants a degree is going there now.

Some told me to go to an overseas university.

The thing is – I’ll be perfectly clear here. I want to get a degree – just not now.

The fact is – I honestly don’t know what I want.

People have to stop thinking that I know everything & anything, just because I’m a leader in so many things. The thing is – I’m human too. And I really don’t know what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.

I had a few job offers and I took up one! And we’ll just see where things go from there.

No point fretting too much about life, really.

So before I officially started work – I decided to go on a holiday with Mark! The one who stood by me during crazy.

He’s right when he says, “My girlfriend is really high maintenance.”

It’ll just be not right for me not to spend some holiday time with him! So we planned on going for a holiday with another couple!

Hong Kong? Thailand? Korea? Taiwan? Japan?

Since it was my last & final trip – I was pretty willing to just spend. I was paying for everything myself anyhow. 

Eventually, we decided on Bangkok!!

…and the other couple ditched us. -.-

But I was pretty bent on going on a holiday! My final holiday before I start my 9-5 job, earning some bread, putting some into my CPF… Etc etc.

The cutest thing I did was – I sprained my ankle just 3 days before the trip.

I did it Sunday morning in church. And when I did, Mark just stood there stunned. And he shot me the, “Sigh. What am I going to do with you, you clumsy-little-puppy” face.

So he drove me to the doctor and he was put in-charge of my sprained ankle.

“Smelly feet!”

Evidently not a morning person.

Poor people like us got tickets up the budget plane – so meaning to say, we wouldn’t be served food! So we filled our tummies with a little breakfast. And I popped my travel sickness pills!

On a midnight plane to Bangkok!

I know I might sound like some uneducated-loser… but I’m constantly amazed at how technology is so advanced today that we were in Bangkok in about 2.5 hours! Imagine – that’s about as long as my lectures.

So I can call my friend before lecture, “Yo! I’m on a plane now! Bye!”

And after lecture, “Hey! I’m already here!”

Like, wow! *amused*


Albeit I still don’t appreciate flying to far countries. The last time I flew to Europe… I almost died. 


Then again, that time I didn’t discover the wonders of travel sickness pills!  


So in about 2.5 hours – we have arrived in the Bangkok airport!!

Bangkok airport!

Officially start of Day One in Bangkok!!

Once we arrived at Bangkok – believe it or not, we were already cheated! Just that we didn’t know it yet. Oh my!

We exited the Arrival area and were about the get out of the airport when some people at the Thailand Tourism booth approached us.

They explained how they know tourists get cheated a lot, so they wanted to prepare for us a piece of paper with the Thai name of our hotel on it. Along with a map and circled our hotel on it!

I thought the lady was fairly helpful, but the again I was still drugged on my travel sickness pills… I could’ve seen Hitler’s picture and thought of him as an angel.

Lady: Is this your first time in Bangkok?

Mark: Yes!

Lesson #1: NEVER be too blardy honest!!

Or don’t be honest at all. Period. Because really, they’re not really there for your benefit.


They’re there for some profits. 


Because once Mark said that, her eyes practically sparkled and she pulled out heaps of brochures on sightseeing tours. I was quite repulsed by it – sorry, gag reflex. I cannot stand people pushing things to me. 


Once she knew that it was Mark’s first time – her eyes practically sparkled in delight!

And readily pulled out a heap of sightseeing brochures for us!

I was like, “Whoa! Where did those come from??”

Since it really was Mark’s first time in Bangkok, I thought why not just pick one tour. So we agreed on the Grand Palace!

The lady then wrote our hotel’s name in Thai and gave us the paper – lest the taxi driver gets confused or cheats us or whatever.

We went out to grab a taxi and there was someone in-charge of the line.

Person: Go where?

Mark: *whips out paper*

Person: Ahh… 450 baht!

And we completely forgot that the lady in the airport warned us that….

Lesson #2: ALWAYS turn on the taxi meter! Never accept the quotes! 

Because the speed of the taxi meters make the snails wheezing by look like F1 race drivers.

Honestly! I swear all the taxi drivers that drove us were probably snickering away, “Stupid tourists!!”.

On the taxi!

So it was quoted at 450 baht, right?

But I think the travel sickness pills have this horrid effect on me – I pulled out 500 baht and told him to keep it. So basically I tipped him 50 baht, for cheating me.

Omg.

I came back and told my friends, “Quite cheap what! My hotel was so far from the hotel!”

Friends all LOL-ed at my idiocracy, “You think you’re taking Singapore taxi ah?”

One friend of mine who stayed in a hotel even further away, paid only about 200 baht for her taxi ride.

Sigh.

Though I must say, our hotel was absolutely lovely!! Definitely not overrated with the pictures I saw in the advertisements!

I loved the super-high ceilings!

Loved the gorgeous choice of colours in decor.

My man handling the arrangements ❤

And I was pleasantly surprised when even though we checked in wayyy too early – they rushed to houseclean our room for us!

How utterly sweet!

Up to the room!

And check out our view!!

Every morning, this is the view I open the curtains to.:)

I was a happy, happy girl!

Beautiful view from our room!

And we even had our very own elephant in the washroom!

Absorbent White Elephant!

Literally, quite a White Elephant (useless thing).

As you might be already able to see – my elephant was folded from towels.

So there were points in time when Mark went…

Mark: Dear! Could you please get some small towels?

Me: We only have our body towels for showering!

Mark: The elephant…?

Me: You want me to kill our elephant just so you can wipe up some water?? NEVVVAAHHH!!!!

Mark: *resorted to using tissue paper*

Haha! How he tolerates my nonsense sometimes, I’ll never know.

Soon enough, the bellboy came up lugging our luggages. So after he plonked them in our room, he walked out while waiting for his tip.

I don’t know how he managed to do that… but he did.

Mark and I then realised – we didn’t have small notes at that time! Everything was in 500 baht notes!

So we managed to scrape out about 15 baht in coins.

And trust me, he didn’t look happy one bit.

Lesson #3: ALWAYS have small notes available to tip.

I should’ve known this. In my previous trip – I went to a massage parlor. And we paid the basic service fees – but the masseurs expected tips too! When my aunt and mom didn’t have, they almost didn’t allow us to leave till we gave them 500 baht each. -.- It was a good thing grandpa had small notes.

It is considered quite rude in Thailand not to tip. And if you’re not going to see the person forever from then, it was okay. However he was the bellboy! So I felt awfully uneasy about it.

I suppose the common thing would be to tip about 50-100 baht? I don’t know. That was what I would have given if I had smaller notes.

We rested for a bit and headed out for lunch.
And I insisted on taking tuk tuk because:

1. I loved the feeling of swerving around the traffic! So thrilling! And the drivers there are pretty pro, yo!

2. I thought it was cheaper than a taxi.

Lesson #4: A tuktuk is NOT CHEAPER than a taxi!!

It might not seem like it is that way – but let me tell you, honey… It is!

Y’see, the speed of the the taxi meter makes the snail look like an F1 driver.

Taxis (supposedly) are always cheaper than tuktuks.

Which was probably why I hardly saw any locals on tuktuks…. But I always just assumed they took the bus, trains or most of them had cars too anyhow.

Till now I feel terribly cheated…… Albeit, I do enjoy the tuktuk experience! 🙂

Tuktuk uncle swerving around alleys!

Our first stop – Platinum Fashion Mall!!

taken from: http://www.thebangkokshoppingguide.com/platinum_fashion_mall

It was like a must-go, apparently. For shopping!!

I’ll be honest – sightseeing was hardly ever in my mind when we booked the trip. Shopping was!!

The shopping centre has a few levels of mazes of clothes… It was like telling you to be prepared to be lost in shopping!!

We bypassed those levels for some lunch first at the food court upstairs! They have a really interesting system.

You go to the counter to put in money into a prepaid card – then you tap the card at the different food stalls! If you ask me, makes everything that much more efficient and hygienic. So basically, the food stalls don’t have a single cent with them! They only just have the food & a little device to scan the moolah out of your card.

It is like those FlashPay concepts – just that this card could only be used there!

So it was time to munch! We were famished!!

SUPER fresh & yummy fruit juice!

We had some noodles – I was too hungry, I forgot to take a picture. *guilty* Sorry.

But we had some dessert-snacks too!!

I swear, everything was yummy yummy yummy!!

Mark bought some crispy crepe with chocolate!

Happy with his crepe!

And I tried something entirely new to me!

Sausage wrapped in a waffle!!

Holding onto my favourite combination

Shopping was might awesome!! Some things were roughly the same price as those back home in Singapore though.

However like I said, it was like mazes of shops! And the thought is rather enticing… but actually being lost and unsure of where you already conquered… Can be really frustrating.

Lesson #5: Develop a system when you shop in large-scale shopping centres! 

No shit.

Mark invented a system for me whereby we go like a snake-formation! He remembers the formation, I just focus on my shopping.

My boyfriend is the best. *swoons*

After shopping for around 2 hours, I got a little weary and hungry!!

Oh, gluttony.

To be fair – the noodles came in really small portions!
To be fair (again) – dessert doesn’t really count as food….

So we decided to officially fill our tummies with something we were more familiar with – McDonald’s!!

I was thoroughly fascinated by the different products they offer there! All catered to the different food culture of the country.

Check this out! We only have Apple Pie in Singapore- they have Corn Pie and Pineapple Pie!!

And lookie here – rice sold in McDonald’s!!!

Sorry for the shaky picture. I was trying to aim my camera away from a lot of tall Caucasians! That place had a large ratio of Caucasians.

Probably with the same problem – usual food servings don’t fill the tummy!

I know for a fact that in the Philippines, McDonald’s comes with rice too because it is such a staple to the people there!!

I was pretty happy to have something which I knew I’d be happy with. Although I was quite unhappy with….

Me: Sorry, could I trouble you for some curry sauce, please?

McDonald’s lady: Sorry?

Me: Erm, do you have curry sauce here?

MD.L: No, sorry. We don’t.

Then she pulled out some alternative sauces hoping to please me.

So nice!!

I just took them. Only to find out that practically all of them were spicy!! So they went down Mark’s throat instead.

However unlike Singapore’s McDonald’s – their drinks are served in plastic cups!! Ours is served in some paper cups.

I guess you can give props to the Singapore McDonald’s to be more eco-friendly… but Mark being the typical Singaporean, washed the cups after use to keep them for use.

In the end, we threw them out. -.-

Plastic McDonald’s cups!

I swear while Mark & I walked back into the hotel with McDonald’s in our hands – we were being stared at by all the hotel staff.

Must be thinking, “You come to my country, with sooooo much delicious local delights around…. And you buy McDonald’s?!”

Haha!

Check out our wares from shopping!!

And I was thoroughly happy with my bedroom slippers!!

Back home, my dog pee-ed on my previous one. This one just makes up for it. So cute!!

We lazed and watched a movie in the hotel.

Then, NIGHT-SHOPPING!!!

Another one of the many times we got cheated by tuktuks.

Okay, when it comes to shopping in these areas – I bargained!

In Platinum Fashion Mall, it was like a shopping centre… So the most I went was, “If I buy more, is there discount?”

I mean, there should be! It is a wholesale shopping centre!

However in places like these, knock yourself out!

Lesson #6: Don’t be afraid to “lose” a bargain! 

One of the night markets!

Trust me. They can smell it when you actually want their product bad enough.

Especially since you’re a tourist! To them, it is almost like you’re there to be cheated.

And even if the case is that you actually lose the bargain – So?? You just saved money to conquer more stores down the road! 

I’ll give an example – I saw this little baby attire which I fell in love with for my little baby cousin.

And the lady probably saw my reaction. So she charged me about 400 baht for it initially.

Me: *thinking: Okay, steady yourself…. BARGAIN WAR!!!*

I knew she knew I wanted it.

To her, it was no longer she wanting to earn my money.
To her, it became me wanting her product and she has demand over the price.

Two complete different matters there!

Me: 400 baht?? *throws a mildly bewildered & disgusted look* 

Shop Lady: It is cute!! Good, good!

Me: No, thanks. *put it back down & pulled Mark away like it didn’t mean a thing to me.* 

Shop Lady: Okay, okay! I give you cheap-cheap!! 250 baht!!

Me: *holds up the piece, flashes a frown & a contemplating look.* 200 baht.

 Shop Lady: 210 baht!!

Me: Okay.

I WAS HAPPY!!!

From 450 baht to 210 baht!! That is like a 53.33% discount!!

Okay, I’m not some evil tourist who doesn’t want to let the people there earn a living. I do! I see all logic & harmony in the business cycle of spending & earning.

But being cheated? SHOO!!

Lesson #7: Remember, shops are set to EARN a living – not be thieves in a shop. 

It was rather terrible. A few times I spotted Caucasians in the same shops, asking for the same thing Mark & I did. And they were quoted significantly higher!

When I knew, it just probed me to bargain even more!

I know because we’re Asians, so they tend to be a tad nicer to us… but I saw for myself how dishonest they run their businesses!

After shopping around, we decided to pack some street-side food back to the hotel to munch on!!

Bags of little food!!

Albeit one particular food tasted weird….

Lesson #8: If it tastes weird, sometimes it is not the exotic spices!

I might sound like some typical-pampered-Singaporean when I say this…. but don’t risk your health!! Some of the street side food isn’t exactly safe for consumption.

More stuff from the night!!

Day Two

So it was the morning & we went down for breakfast.

Honestly, if they didn’t set a timing to breakfast – like only from 7AM-11AM, if I remember correctly… Mark and I would be sleeping in a lot more. 😀

The breakfast was rather good!! I enjoyed it!

The banana I never managed to open.

Mark said I should just feed it to the elephants.

Oh yea, like there’s totally going to be elephants sashaying down the streets around the hotel. -.-

So for those who remember, Mark and I bought a tour the day before at the airport!

And since I met the tour-guide at the hotel lobby, I knew I was being cheated already.

Tour-guide: Oh, you cannot go Grand Palace! You’re in shorts!

Me: Your officials in the airport didn’t inform us yesterday. So what do you propose?

Don’t get me wrong – I respect whatever policies they have to upload like dress code. However be clear about them if you want people to acknowledge them!

Not forgetting, the officials also asked us if we wanted to go yesterday instead when both of us were wearing shorts! So to me, it was alright.

So she pulled out her own little collection of places to go to.

I was pissed already. I said I want to go to the Grand Palace. I already paid to go to the Grand Palace.
Why want me to go somewhere else?

Then she kept on pushing other stuff. And after a few seconds, she saw I was disinterested.

Me: I have pants upstairs. I’ll go change.

Tour-guide: No, no. You can wear shorts! But you cannot go Grand Palace!!

I wanted to slap her face so bad.

Tour-guide: I can bring you to market!! Tomorrow morning! It is a full-day tour! Each person just top-up 500 baht!!

Immediately, I said, “No.”

And she turned to Mark, trying to convince Mark of other attractions.

Which just got me even more agitated. Like, what? You can’t get through me, so you try to get through my boyfriend?

My boyfriend is a lot more patient & peace-looking than me, for sure. So it just came across to me that she was looking for a weak link to break.

Good thing is – Mark wasn’t wavered. Instead, he just asked me if I wanted to go up to change.

And when he did, you should’ve seen the tour-guide’s face! She was utterly pissed.

Tour-guide: Must hurry! Grand Palace close at 3.30PM!

And I wanted to cancel my tour there & then!

Lesson #9: ALWAYS ask for full details at the tour booth!! 

So she led us out to the car. And inside the car she kept on grumbling!!

Tour-guide: Next time you don’t book from government! Book from agency straight!

Me: Oh, why? *thinking: So you can cheat us more?!*

Tour-guide: Because if you book from government, very troublesome! And I don’t earn much.

Me: *thinking: Like I honestly give a shit if you have to beg to eat after you pissed me off.*

I know I can be mean – but that’s only if the person gives me to reason to be.

Tour-guide: The government cheat me!!

Me: *thinking: Ooh. So I guess cheating is part & parcel of your culture here? I guess I shan’t be too pissed then.*

Tour-guide: *flashes the slip of paper she got from the government booth to be our tour-guide* See? Here write that you two are 40+ year old each! You two obviously young couple! 20+?

Me: We are still students, actually.

Technically, the government official isn’t exactly wrong…. The number is just the sum of both our ages! Haha! So if there were 6 of us – 120+ years old. LOL!!!

Tour-guide: If I know, I don’t want to be your tour-guide!! I thought two of you 40+, can give me big big tip!! But you students…. Where got??

And she went on & on about how pitiful she is about living outside Bangkok and her journey is 2-3 hours…. About how little she is earning… About how we cannot tip her big money…

PUI!! Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t even give!

Lesson #10: When someone “hints” about tipping, just keep neutral!

Trust me. If you show that you are about to give more – then you jolly-well give… Or there might be problems. If you show that you won’t, expect the worst.

I was having a pissed face… Which she probably could’ve guessed. My bad.

And my adorable boyfriend – snored while she was complaining.

“ZZZZZZZ!!!!!!”

Which probably goes to show why he was the perky & happy one when we got there!

When we got there, I found out that – admissions were not included!

So basically I paid just for a car – which I could’ve gotten a taxi. And a whiny tour-guide.

According to Mark, the government official did mention it as a side note yesterday. I must’ve been too drowsy still from my travel sickness pills to hear/remember. Because if I did, I wouldn’t have bought it!

So we each forked out additional 400 baht for the tickets in.

“Cheer up, sweetie!!”

I decided to just make the most out of things – no point being grouchy!!

Mark said I looked like I was ready to kill.

True that!

So I thought, okay… At least I have a tour-guide to tell me what’s going on around….

The Grand Palace is absolutely beautiful!!

At least something made me happy there!

And I guess it was good to have someone come around & take pictures for us.

So she went around talking about this & that – and me being me…. Asked, “Why?”

And she replied, “There is no why! It is just like that!!”

RRRRRRRIGHT!!! I’m sure. I mean, there’s no why that you use specific gems or colours in your Grand Palace… It is just like that!!

Wonderful.

Some of the gorgeous features!

Our tour-guide talking about the Emerald Buddha

Alongside, she also talked about how difficult it is to be a tour-guide in Thailand! You have some exams and whatever.