Terminal 21, Bangkok - Unique Shopping Experience



Terminal 21, Bangkok, Thailand
Photo was taken through Iphone

BANGKOK, Thailand - Terminal 21 is one of the newest with coolest concept malls in Thailand. It opened in October 2011. It was only in June 2012 when I first came to the mall.

The mall is near the corner of Sukhumvit road and Asoke road and can be reached through Asoke MRT and BTS interchange.

Terminal 21 is a one-floor one-concept shopping mall. To me, it is one of the collest concept for a mall. This concept is market streets of the world. It decorated a well-known city streets; such as Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul etc. This mall has the longest escalators in Thailand, up to 36 metres.

Lower Ground Floor - Caribbean. This floor concept is Caribbean Beach Town, decorated with beach, sea anchor and lighthouse. It reserved for supermarket of Gourmet Market, quick service restaurants, banks, bookshops and convenient service shops.



Scalator that connects 2 levels
Terminal 21 - Bangkok, Thailand
Photo was taken through Iphone

Ground Floor - Rome. This reserved for luxury brands and brand name boutiques, concept is Heaven of Rome. It decorated sculptures with marble mythic of Roman statues and well-known paintings.

Mezannine Floor - Paris. It's Champs-Élysées Boulevard and Parisian Boutiques Streets concept, served for Thai designer's boutiques and beauty shops. It decorated sculptures with Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.

First Floor - Tokyo. This floor is concept of Nakamise-Dōri Market and Harajuku Town. It reserved for ladies' boutiques, decorated sculptures with Sumo, Torii and Maneki Neko.

Second Floor - London. This decorated sculptures with iconic red telephone boxes, London's double-decker busses, Tower Bridge and Union Jack Flag. It concept is Oxford Street of London, served for mini-shops of men's wears, jeans and sporting goods.

Third Floor - Istanbul. This floor is Istanbul Market Town concept, decorated with Istanbul's lamps. It reserved for mini-shops of shoes, bags, jewellery, gifts and decoration products.



Academy Award Statue
Terminal 21 - Bangkok, Thailand
Photo was taken through Iphone

Fourth Floor - San Francisco City. This concept is Chinatown of San Francisco. It decorated sculptures with San Francisco Trams and Golden Gate Bridge, served for Thailand's famous restaurants.

Fourth Floor - San Francisco Pier. This floor reserved for international restaurants and food court of Pier21. It decorated with seaports and fisherman village, concept is Fisherman Village of San Francisco.

Sixth Floor - Hollywood. Concept is Hollywood Studio Town, decorated sculptures with Hollywood Sign and Oscar Statuette. It reserved for 8 screens of SF Cinema City, health club of Fitness First, spa and IT & Mobile products zone of IT Terminal.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_21)

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Bangkok Transit System - BTS Skytrain

BANGKOK, Thailand - The easiest way to explore Bangkok is through the BTS Skytrain. It connects you to major streets, shops and malls.

BTS Sky Train
Bangkok, Thailand
Photo was taken through Iphone

The system consists of 32 stations along two lines: the Sukhumvit Line running northwards and eastwards, terminating at Mo Chit and Bearing respectively, and the Silom Line which plies Silom and Sathon Roads, the Central Business District of Bangkok, terminating at the National Stadium and Wongwian Yai. 

Besides the BTS, Bangkok's metro system also comprises the underground railway line MRT, and the elevated Suvarnabhumi Airport Link (SARL), serving several stations in the city before reaching the airport.

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Bangkok, Thailand - Truly a Shopping Paradise

Panorama view of Central World Bangkok
one of Thailand's biggest shopping mall
Photo was taken through Iphone

BANGKOK, Thailand - Whether you want to shop for branded items inside the mall or want to shop from the market, Bangkok, Thailand is one of the best place to go.

Bangkok is home of the third biggest shopping mall in the world according to wikipedia.org. Centralworld is a shopping plaza and complex in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the third largest shopping complex in the world. The complex, which includes a hotel and office tower, is owned by Central Pattana.



X-ACT Shop at Big C in Pratunam
Bangkok, Thailand
Photo was taken through Iphone

 I always visit Big C Supermarket (www.bigc.co.th) in Pratunam everytime I come to Bangkok.  I went there today to visit one of my favorite clothes' shop in Bangkok - X-ACT (www.xact.co.th). I am happy that everytime I come to Bangkok, this clothes' shop has promotional sale. Currently, clothes are on sale from 30-70% off.

I was able to buy 3 men's long sleeves at 70% off and 1 ladies' long sleeves at 60%. Truly a value for money whenever this shop is on promotional sale. The men's long sleeve was originally at THB 1,315 (USD 45) but I bought it at THB 395 (USD 14).

I like the brand, because the clothes that they sell has smaller sizes and fit me well like G2000.

Ladies Blazer sold at 90% off
Between Gaysorn and Big C Supermarket
Pratunam, Bangkok, Thailand

On my way to the hotel, I saw another shop on sale between Gaysorn and Big C Supermarket in Pratunam.

I was really surprised that items are on sale up to 90%.

Ladies blazers that are originally at THB 1,995 (USD 69) are now only THB 200 (USD 7).

To my excitement, I bought 5 for my wife which only cost me THB 997.50 (USD 35). Where in the world can you buy 5 nice blazers at only that price? Only in Bangkok.

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Events in Thailand - March 2013



Thai Airways International - TG 402

BANGKOK, Thailand - Onboard Thai Airways flight TG 402 from Singapore to Bangkok, I was browsing their magazine Sawasdee to look for events to expect in March while I am there.

The following events will be take place in March:

1. March 8-10: FIM Motocross World Championship Grand Prix of Thailand (www.thaimxgp.com). This will be held at Pinthong 3 Industrial Estate in Sriracha. This is the only Asian leg of the international off-road competition

2. March 13: National Elephant Day. This is held annually throughout the kingdom since 1998. It pays homage to the gentle giant, of which only about 5,000 are left in Thailand.

3. March 15-17: Pattaya International Music Festival. This music event is held every year and attracts fans from around the world. It is held along the Pattaya Beach Road in Chon Buri. Visit www.tourismthailand.org for more details.

4. March 25-30: World Teak Conference. This event, supported by Thai Airways International, is the result of works started by Thailand on the vast planting of teak throughout the country. For details, visit www.worldteak2013.org.

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Business trip to Amazing Thailand - March 2013

 

Siam Mini Park
Pattaya, Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand - Today is the start of my 3-week business trip to Amazing, Thailand. Onboard Thai Airways International TG 402 that left Singapore at 8:15 am (GMT +8), we arrived in Bangkok at 9:30 am (GMT +7).

While reading on Thai's Sawasdee magazine, I learn some interesting information about the country.

Population 

The total population of Thailand is 64,076,033, of which 31,529,148 are male and 32,546,885 are female. The Total population of Bangkok is 6,574,843 of which 2,692,954 are male and 2,981,889 are female. 

Manufacturing and Exporting Industries
Food and beverages, tobacco and textiles are the top manufacturing industries while automobiles, computers and spare parts, gems and jewellery are the top exporting industries. 


Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Bangkok, Thailand
Photo was taken through Iphone

 Religion
The majority of Thais (93.3% of th entire population) are Buddhists. A fair percentage consider Islam (5.1%), Christianity (0.1%), Hinduism (0.08%), Sikhism (0.02%) and Confucianism (0.01%) their main religion.

Currency  

Thai banknotes are issued in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 baht, as well as 25 and 50 centavos.

Climate

There are three seasons in Thailand. The summer months are usually from mid-February to mid-May. The rainy season normally occurs from mid-May to mid-October and the cool season typically lasts from mid-October to mid-February.



Bangkok City with
Baiyoke Sky Tower - one of the tallest building in Thailand

 Top 5 Labour Force Industries
1. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
2. Mining and quarrying
3. Manufacturing
4. Electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supplies
5. Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation services

Area

The land area is approximately 514,000 square kilometers. The maritime economic zone covers 72,200 square kilometers in the Andaman Sea and 140,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Thailand, totalling 212,200 square kilometers

GDP, Inflation and Export Value
The GDP as of Q3 2012 was 3.0%, the inflation rate is 2.9% and the export value is US$59.280 billion.

(source: Sawasdee Magazine, March 2013 - Thai Airways International's official inflight magazine)

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Grand President Hotel, Bangkok - Value for Money Hotel



Grand President Hotel chains

BANGKOK, Thailand - My colleague and I are staying at Grand President Hotel this time as the other hotel that our company has corporate rate is fully booked.

The hotel is located at Sukhumvit Soi 11 (Street 11) and the nearest BTS station is Nana station.

I would recommend this hotel because:

1. The rooms are spacious. There is a living room, kitchen, and bedroom. There are 2 television sets, one in the living room and the other in the bedroom. Because of the space, I would say, it can accommodate up to 4 persons, 2 can stay in the living room and 2 can stay in the bedroom.

2. Prices are very reasonable. Rates start at THB 2,200 (USD 75) per night.

Living Room - Grand President Hotel Tower 1, Bangkok

3. Interrnational calling rates are cheap. Calling abroad is usually expensive for most of the hotels that I stayed. But international calling rates are also very reasonable. Overseas calls to Southeast Asia starts at THB 14.00 (USD 0.50)

4. Convenience of a service apartment.  Amenities in the kitchen includes microwave cooker, bread toaster, refrigerator, thermos, and a complete set of plates and cookeries.

5. Complete hotel amenities. The hotel has gym, sauna, steam room, swimming pools, that you can after office hours and weekends.

Bedroom - Grand President Hotel - Tower 1, Bangkok

6. Best location. Everything is accessible as soon as you go out of the hotel. There are a lot of restaurants around, bars, street vendors, 24-hour stores like 7 eleven, money changers, tailor shops, spas, night market and more. Nana BTS station is just few hundred meters away and can connect you to the whole of Bangkok.

7. Hotel restaurant and room service prices are reasonable and good. I would say "tom yum goong" (spicy prawn soup) in this hotel is one of the best I tried so far. It is also very reasonable compared to the other hotels I stayed before.

8. Complimentary laundry services. I am not sure if it is offered to all customers, but because we are long staying guests, we are given complimentary laundry services for 3 clothes. This saves a lot of our laundry expenses.

9. And a lot more. You have to try it to believe it.

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Changi International Airport - Singapore, Truly World-Class

CHANGI AIRPORT, Singapore - When I came to Changi Airport Terminal 1 today to take my flight to Bangkok, Thailand, I came across the new attraction, the hanging decorations that move in synchonize direction which they called "Kinetic Rain". Changi airport keeps the title as one of world's top airport by worldairportawards and always wows travelers.

Terminal 1 used to be the oldest among the now-3-terminals at Changi International Airport (the Budget Terminal was closed to give way for the Terminal 4 construction). But with the renovation Terminal 1 underwent it is now comparable to the newer Terminals 2 & 3.



Panorama view of shopping area at Changi Airport Terminal 1, Singapore
Photo was taken by Iphone

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Tampines Sports Complex - A place for relaxation

 

Panorama view of Tampines Swimming Complex, Singapore
Photo was taken through Iphone

SINGAPORE - Tampines Sports Complex is a good place for relaxation after a week of busy schedules at work or in school. Most people come on weekends to engage in several sporting activities. In general, the sports complex in Singapore are nice and properly maintained with very reasonable prices to the public.

 

Tampines Swimming Complex
Tampines, Singapore
Photo was taken through Iphone

Tampines sports complex have:

1. Swimming complex with olympic size swimming pools and kiddie pools. The entrance fee ranges from S$1.00 on week days and S$1.30 on weekends.

2. Gym with complete amenities. Adults pay S2.50 to enter the gym while students pay S1.50.

3. Sports Hall for badminton and table tennis lovers. The sports hall has more than 16 badminton courts and several table tennis courts. Reservation is required to use the court. Based on my experience, we need to schedule 3 weeks in advance and hourly rate is S$7.00.

4. Sports Stadium

5. Tennis court

6. Open ground where people either play cricket or soccer.

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The Great Fashion Sale - Singapore Expo

The Great Fashion Sale
G2000, Adidas, Fox and Pumpkin Patch Sale
Singapore Expo

SINGAPORE - My Saturday afternoon became busy when I've known about The Great Fashion Sale at Singapore Expo. The Great Fashion Sale includes G2000 (AT-20), Adidas, FOX and Pumpkin Patch from February 22 - 24. 

Items are discounted up to 70% and an additional S$10 off is deducted when DBS or POSB credit cards are used for every payment amounting to S$80.

Suits with usual price of S$229 and above are sold at S$89. Long sleeves and pants with usual price of S$69 are sold at S$23. Come to Singapore Expo to check out the Great Fashion Sale and other sale happening in the area.

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Trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Chinese New Year 2013

 

Chinese New Year Lanterns
Pavillion Mall, Kuala Lumpur
Photo was taken through Iphone



KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - While spending my Saturday on February 9, 2013, I realized that it will be not exciting if I spend the whole 4-day long weekend holidays in Singapore. The malls in our area were open on that day but most of the shops and restaurants are closed. And then, came 5:00pm, everything has been closed.  Also, there are less people outside the streets because most are either preparing for the Chinese New Year celebration or maybe out of the country for holiday. I'm already thinking of going to Kuala Lumpur because it is the cheapeast that I can travel, but it was only on Sunday when I finally decided. I didn't have the ticket nor booked my accommodation yet. It was totally unplanned.

I woke up at 5:30am, did the laundry and prepared for my travel. I left the apartment at 7:20 am and went to the bus station at Golden Mile Complex. I bought my one-way ticket there (which is more expensive compared to normal days). Return ticket was even more expensive by more than 50%. So I decided not to buy yet.

We left the station at 9:15 am. I missed the 8:30 bus because I still exchanged my Singapore dollar to Malaysian ringgit and bought breakfast. Though I've been to Kuala Lumpur several times, this is the first time that I am taking the bus from Singapore. Based on my research, the total traveling time from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur is about 4 hours and 30 minutes. But due to time spent at both Singapore and Malaysia immigration and one stop before coming to KL, it all came to about 5 hours and 30 minutes.

 

Facade of Pavillion Mall, Kuala Lumpur
Photo was taken through Iphone



We arrived Kuala Lumpur at 2:30 pm. The bus dropped us at Berjaya Times Square. I quickly went to a restaurant, Rasa Utama, to have late lunch. Thank God the restaurant has a wifi. I browsed for available hostel and found out that the one I was about to book at www.hostelworld.com website, when my Singapore 3G connection was cut and changed to Malaysia roaming partner, has all been taken. But finally, I was able to find one, which is more expensive than the earlier selection but still with rating that is above average. It was at Changkat Thambi Dollah. I first went to Bukit Bintang to look around. Then I asked the concierge of the mall if the address of my hostel can be reached by walking. She was not familiar with it so I took a taxi. The taxi went back to where I first came and it was just at the back of the Berjaya Times Square mall.

I checked in at the hostel. It was at Classic Inn Budget Hotel. Based on reviews I read, it was quite good and nice. It really was and the location is excellent. The mall was just infront of the hostel. Monorail "Imbi" Station  was also right infront of the mall and there are metered taxis around so going exploring the city was easy. I noticed that the Malaysian ringgit I exchanged before I left Singapore may not be enough so I exchanged more. After receiving the ringgit, I realized that the bills have new designs. They incorporated the plastic element on the bill, similar to what Australian and Singapore dollars have.



Top is the old MYR 1 bill
Below is the new MYR bill

I then walked around the city and went back to the hostel at 12 midnight. My 3 roommates were all sleeping when I came. I woke up at 9:30 am the following day and then had shower. My 2 roommates have already left. I then took my breakfast. It was a good breakfast with 2 pieces of local delight (I dont know the name), bread, apples and tea with cream. I would rate the hostel as 8 out of 10 with the amenities they have, the location, security and friendliness of the staff. One of the staff actually introduced himself to be half Filipino and was from Sabah, Malaysia.



Breakfast at Classic Inn Budget Hotel
Some portions have been consumed

I checked out at the hostel at 11:30 am. But before I left, I first checked the airfare rates  at Tiger Airways (www.tigerairways.com). I noted that it was only MYR 88 (USD 30) including taxes and administration fee. It was still cheaper than the return bus ticket if I buy from Singapore at SGD 55 (USD 45). Also, the total travel and waiting time at the airport would be 1 hour and 30 minutes less than taking the bus. So I decided to take the flight back to Singapore. I arrived Singapore at 8:10 pm. It was an enjoyable travel so far.

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Dalian - China's Romantic City

 

China Eastern Airline
(Photo was taken through Iphone)

DALIAN, Liaoning, China - On board Singapore Airline flight SQ828 on January 7, 2013 at 7:30 am from Singapore, I arrived in Shanghai, China Pudong International Airport. It was a 5-hour flight and I landed at 12:30 pm. I transferred from terminal 2 to terminal 1 to take China Eastern airline to Dalian. This is my third time to come to China but it is my first time to take connecting flight via Shanghai. My previous trips to Dalian were through Beijing.

I arrived in Dalian at 6:30 pm after a 1- and-a-half hour flight. The temperature then was -8 degrees. This is my first time to experience this very cold weather. The coldest I had was in New York and in Seoul, Korea in 2007 at -3 degrees. Despite the cold weather outside the airport, my driver still asks me to walk for about 300 meters to go to the car park. It was really freezing outside.  



Dalian City
(Photo was taken through Iphone from my hotel room)

Dalian is the second biggest city in Liaoning province (north China). Prior to my assignment to Dalian, I didn't know anything about the city. But I was surprised that the city is very progressive. I can say that business development and beauty of nature are both maintained in the city.

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Sunset Series - Renmin Square - Dalian, China



Sunset at Renmin (People's) Square, Dalian, China
Photo was taken through Iphone

DALIAN, Liaoning, China - To continue with the photo of sunset series.

4. Sunset at Renmin (People's) Square - Dalian, China. I was walking around Dalian city during the cold winter season in January 2013 when I came across the sunset at People's Square. It was very cold at -11 degrees during that time but I was still manage to stay for a while and take photos of the sunset.

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Interesting Places in the World - Part 1



Merlion at
Singapore Changi Airport 

SINGAPORE - Interestingly, I've been to several cities and countries that are considered top performing in their own areas. However, Singapore, was one of the countries included in all the three categories of world's top airports in 2012, most expensive cities in the world - 2013 and least corrupt countries -2013.

1. The World's Top Airports 2012 according to

www.worldairportawards.com. The results are based on 12 million passenger surveys completed during a 10-month survey period, covering over 385 airports.
The survey evaluates the total passenger experience across 39 airport service and product features, from arrival at an airport, through transit and departure processes to the boarding gate. Based on the results, I've been to 5 out of the top 10 in the list.

1. Incheon (Korea) International Airport

2. Singapore Changi Airport

3. Hong Kong International Airport

4. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

5. Beijing Capital International Airport

6. Munich Airport

7. Zurich Airport

8. Kuala Lumpur International Airport

9. Vancouver International Airport

10. Central Japan International Airport

2. Most Expensive Cities to Live in the World - 2013 - The Economist ranked the cities included based on the cost of products and services, such as gas, food, rent and transportation. The whole report was published at www.huffingtonpost.ca. I've been to 4 out of the 10 in the list. 

Tokyo Japan
Photo was taken while on the way
to Narita Airport



1. Tokyo
2. Osaka
3. Sydney
4. Oslo
5. Melbourne
6. Singapore
7. Zurich
8. Paris

9. Caracas (almost, when I was still in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)

10. Geneva 
3. The Corruption Perceptions Index (www.transparency.org) ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean.


Wellington, New Zealand
Photo was taken through Iphone

A country's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories included in the index. This year's index includes 176 countries and territories. Certain countries have the same scores with other countries on certain spots. I've been to 5 out of 15 countries in the list.

1. Denmark

1. Finland

1. New Zealand

4. Sweden

5. Singapore

6. Switzerland

7. Australia

7. Norway

9. Canada

9. Netherlands

11. Iceland

12. Luxembourg

13. Germany

14. Hongkong

15 Barbados

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