Bangkok, Thailand: Street Food Stalls in Central World Shopping Center

It was my first day in Bangkok and I was honestly overwhelmed with the food carts and street food all over the city. I’ve seen cooked meals with rice for late lunch, finger foods and a lot of fruit juices. The afternoon was searing hot – the type of hot that would make you want to stay inside an air conditioned room all day long - and those thirst quenching fruit juices were selling like hotcakes. I had a small bottle of cold pomegranate juice and it was perfect! We have been walking back and forth going through malls then under the sun again to take care of some errands; currency exchange, internet service provider etc. You know, usual traveler stuff.

After taking care of my needs, we decided to do my favorite activity of the day; explore the street food stalls in front of the Central World shopping center.

How to Get There

Central World is the tenth largest shopping complex in the world (Wikipedia). It is located along Ratchadamri Road with its exact address as Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. It is approximately a 7-minute walk from Chit Lom BTS Station and a 10-minute walk from Siam BTS Station. There are a lot of buses that passes right in front of the complex. It is also accessible and a few minutes' walk through the Pratunam Pier if you choose to get there via express boat.

With my brother-in-law and his fiancée before we leapt into the sea of hungry diners in the Central Plaza Street Food Stalls, Bangkok

The Food Stalls

As for the street food stalls, here are some that took my attention: Pomegranate and other fruit juices to quench the afternoon thirst...

Fruits and dried products that's good to take home to family and friends, also what we Filipinos call as "pasalubong".

And various Thai cuisines and meat and seafood products fried and grilled to perfection.

After going around and taking forever to choose from all the food options, we’ve finally decided on what we’ll have to satisfy our hunger: Pad Thai for THB 50, Moo Ping (skewered pork) for THB 20 and an ice cold soft drink for THB 20.

This was me enjoying my Pad Thai, Moo Ping and ice cold soft drink. The combo was perfect!

With all these food options, I’ll definitely see more of Central World street food stalls in my next few weeks here in Bangkok.

Have you had any experience in Central World with all these food options? What’s your favorite? Feel free to share and recommend on the comments below.

Travel Date: July 10, 2017

My Traveler’s Checklist: Things to Keep in Mind on Flight Date

Photo by Alan Light via Flickr

Mentally checking my travel checklist as I got in a cab for my early morning flight, I felt excited, nervous, nauseous and anxious all at the same time. Day one of my first, of hopefully, many adventures. It was just my second out-of-the-country trip and my first time doing it solo. I was not able to get a shut-eye hours before because I was scared I would miss my flight :p

I was already in a cab at 2AM for my 6AM flight and even requested the driver to drive-through a Jollibee branch to buy some much-craved food ’pasalubong’ for the brother-in-law and his fiancee; chicken joy, jolly spaghetti and jolly hotdog. Honestly, if I haven't had any chicken joy on a regular basis for more than a year, I might have asked the same thing!

This was not my first time to fly to Thailand as a tourist hence I was pretty much aware of what I needed. So with my baggage all packed and ready, here’s my checklist that might be of help to you on the day of your flight:

1.  For international trip, ensure you have all the documentary requirements ready; passport, visa (if applicable), other documents needed by the immigration for your departure and destination countries.
2. You need to be at least 3 hours early so you will have ample of time in case you will experience delay in any of the counters. 
3. To avoid hassles and stresses, always follow the airport/airline rules and regulations e.g. items allowed for hand carry versus items to be checked in, no bomb jokes etc.
4.  As soon as you pass through the first x-ray machine, go to;

• the travel tax counter and pay your taxes or you may also pay this online in advance (applicable for Filipino tourists)
• the bag-drop and check-in counter for your boarding pass
• the immigration counter and prepare to answer questions by the immigration officer
• the final and more stringent x-ray machine for a more thorough check

Inside the plane

All ready for a shut eye

Our plane took off a little after 6AM and 2 hours later, I am in Suvarnabhumi Airport. First thing I did after checking in at the immigration counter was to connect to the airport’s wifi to get in touch with my brother-in-law. And soon enough, I was with family who were there to pick me up. Off we go to their condo which will be my home for more than a month.

With my brother-in-law and his fiancee, at the airport

After settling in, with assistance, here are the first few things I did to help me easily get around:

1.  I went to a trusted currency exchange branch and had my money exchanged. You might need to do it at the airport if no one will pick you up. Those currency exchange branches usually have lower rates compare to when you are already in the city. Keep this in mind as you handle your finances while on your trip so you can decide wisely.
2. To easily get around the city and access maps and information, I bought a data sim. Since I’ll be staying in Bangkok for more than a month, I chose to get the package with the highest data (12gb for THB 799) with free calls and messages, usually a package the service provider offers to tourists. This was not a wise decision on my end since my phone is locked to a service provider in the Philippines and I will only be using the pocket wifi when I go out. I should’ve bought the package with the lower data limit for less since I will also be able to reload if needed. Before purchasing a data pack, estimate your usage and make sure you’ll be able to maximize the service to avoid wasting cash. As for me, it’s a lesson learned I’ll keep in mind in the future.
3. And thirdly, I went to the groceries to get whatever I need that didn’t fit my bag; e.g. hygiene kit, slippers etc.

I was all set. Then the fun ensued…

With my brother-in-law and his fiancee

Restaurants in Iloilo City: Reviews and Experiences

Are you now in Iloilo City looking for a great restaurant to try? Or maybe you already have your plane ticket to soon explore the City of Love and sample its famous Ilonggo dishes? Then this page is for you.

As a food enthusiast, I love to enjoy great food, good ambiance and get my money’s worth in terms of servings and stellar service when I visit restaurants. But really, who doesn’t? Hence not so long ago, I decided to start reviewing the most recent places I have been to and share my thoughts to other food lovers who are hunting for new places. My husband is from Iloilo City and, with the family, we have tried several restaurants which I have already written reviews for. Here’s a list of the places I have tried and reviewed so far. This list might continue to grow in the future if we find ourselves back in Ilonggo soil out searching for new foodie adventures.

PYT Stop (Cafe)

PYT Stop (Café) Restaurant is a place that caters to small and big groups keen on devouring food through a good ol’ boodle fight set-up. Read our experience and my review below.

To celebrate my dear husband’s birthday, we visited the PYT Stop Native and Seafood Restaurant, used to be PYT Stop Cafe, along Burgos Street, La Paz, Iloilo City, Philippines. There were ten of us who went out for lunch after church; my husband and I, his parents, his sister and a five-member family of his uncle including three teenagers who absolutely enjoys eating. We were looking for an affordable restaurant (continue reading)

Kogi & Vegi

Kogi & Vegi is a Korean Restaurant located in Smallville, accessible to customers taking a stroll along Esplanade. Read our experience and my review below.

Sundays are now considered family time and we, Filipinos, with our family-oriented background, aside from spending one to two hours in the church, would usually be spending the day with our families. As for ours, after-church family time would mean eating together in our usual favorite restaurant or trying out a new place. So last Sunday, (continue reading)

Choobi Choobi Seafood Restaurant

If you’re looking for seafood with all its deliciousness served in bags western style, this place is for you. Read my review below.

For my mother-in-law’s birthday, we decided to try out Choobi Choobi Seafood Restaurant in the newly constructed wing of one of the biggest malls in Iloilo City. It was a Sunday, and we just came out of a church service that ended late, so we were famished and in a feasting mood. (Continue reading)

Punot

This Ilonggo restaurant is located in high-end Smallville, accessible to customers walking along Esplanade. It is known to serve native cuisines good enough to attract a good number of regulars. Read our experience below.

It’s another family Sunday and most of us were anticipating another afternoon of family fun and good food after church. This time, our family decided to have lunch at Punot, a seafood and Ilonggo restaurant located along Esplanade Boardwalk, Diversion Road, Iloilo City. Prior to our visit, I have already seen a travel show featuring the food in this restaurant. I have to admit, (continue reading)

Ponsyon by Breakthrough

This restaurant is located in Plazuela Iloilo and is also known to serve Ilonggo and native cuisines. Read our experience below.

It was one of those restless Sundays when we cannot seem to make up our mind where to dine. We eventually decided to go to Plazuela de Iloilo to try one of the many restaurants in the venue. We had our eye on one restaurant but... (continue reading)

Nanay Sela's

Nanay Sela’s is a native cuisine restaurant located outside of Iloilo City. This place usually attracts customers who are travelling in and out of the city. Read my experience and review below.

In one of our family’s little weekend adventures, we decided to try out a restaurant just outside the city. It’s called Nanay Sela’s Restaurant and it serves native dishes and seafoods. It was recommended by nanay, my mom-in-law, and we were our usual food-loving group of six. (continue reading)

Balisong Beach: The Unexplored Beach in Pilar, Capiz

Looking for an unexplored beautiful beach in the Philippines? Planning to visit the Visayas region on your planned vacation? This is for you.

We recently celebrated my ma’s 57^th birthday. To make her day extra special, we decided to gather all our relatives on her side of the family and spent a day in a beautiful undeveloped beach approximately 30 minutes away from our place by car. We are about 30 people including ma’s siblings and my cousins. As early as 4AM, our whole house was already awake to help prepare the needs and cook the food for the big group – my mom declined my offer to have the food catered since she wanted to cook most of the food herself. Our relatives arrived in our hometown President Roxas from Bailan, Pontevedra at about 7AM. We then proceeded to Balisong Resort in Pilar, Capiz.

How to Get There

If you’re from out of town and will be passing through Roxas City, our provincial capital, President Roxas is an hour away by van or bus. Once you get to the town plaza of President Roxas, also known as Lutodlutod, just drive straight to Pilar, Capiz via Iloilo East Coast Capiz Road. Once you get to Pilar, keep driving along the national road until you reach a roundabout with the statue in the center then turn left. Drive few hundred meters until you reach the end of the road then turn right. Go straight and make sure to pass by two bridges. A couple hundred meters after the second bridge, you will see the label “Balisong Resort” on the left side leading to a much smaller road. Turn left until the end of the path then another left. You will see a vast open space leading to the cottages and the beach.

It's about 15 kilometers from President Roxas to Balisong Beach in Pilar, Capiz.

The Beauty of the Unexplored Beach

Once you get to Balisong Beach Resort, here’s what you can enjoy… (sharing some of the pictures we’ve taken in Balisong Beach from our recent visits in the last few months)

A Beautiful Sunset in Balisong Beach, Pilar, Capiz

 As for mama's birthday celebration, here's a video of our recent escapade...