THE DATE: January 31, 2018
THE TRIP
10:00-12:00 Our fam decided to forego Ayutthaya for a shopping day in Pratunam. However, the weather was not on our side that day. It rained so hard thatthe two entrances of the condo became flooded. Belle, Paul, and I went out to buy some food when the rain became manageable. We bought raincoats in 7-11 in front of the condo and walked to Big C Supermarket located a few meters away. After buying food and souvenirs, we went out and were surprised that the flood was already deep. It seemed that we will have to wait for hours before the rain stopped and the flood subsided so we braced ourselves and walked in the flood, which was already a foot deep. We wouldn’t have done it in Manila, but because Divimom and Ash were already hungry, we had to return to the unit asap. We waited for another hour in the condo for the rain to stop. It was already noon when we felt that we could go to CentralPlaza for lunch and for the free shuttle service ride. Souvenir: 450 THB
12:00-15:00 We had lunch again in CentralPlaza’s food court. After lunch, we waited for the shuttle service. We waited 30 minutes… then another 30 mins… We kept asking the personnel for the approximate time when the shuttle will arrive. He kept saying that it’s on its way back and that the delay was due to the traffic. Divibaby and I went to explore the mall while the others waited for the shuttle. On the top floor, there was a Pororo Aquapark. Yes. A water park inside (sort-of) the mall! And there was a promo too! Instead of 400 Baht per adult and 280 Baht for the kids, they reduced the entrance fee to 300/adult and 200/kid. Lucky us! Divibaby really wanted to swim in the condo’s pool but we didn’t have spare time to do that so I told her that we will go to the water park instead. We went down and I told the fam my plan and asked Ash if he wanted to join us. He didn’t want to shop so he agreed to swim with us. Ash and I went back to the condo to get our swim wear, towels, and toiletries. It was already 3:00 pm when we arrived at the water park. Meals: 250 THB for me and divimom
15:00-18:00 The cold water didn’t stop Divibaby from enjoying the kiddie slides. Because of the rain, there were only 2-3 other families in the water park. We practically had the park to ourselves! The water park was divided into several areas. We stayed in the kid’s area the longest while Ash explored the other areas and the slides. I will write a separate review for this but for now, I will rate it a 5 out of 5. Entrance Fee: 300 each for Me and Paul; 200 for Divibaby
18:00-20:30 I called Belle as soon as we got out of the water park. I was surprised to know that they were still in the mall. Apparently, they waited for another hour for the shuttle while simultaneously booking an Uber. There were no Uber cars available and the shuttle didn’t arrive. So they just wandered around the mall. We tried looking for a restaurant for dinner but they were all expensive. So, again, we ate at the food court for dinner. Divimom wanted to buy pasalubong for our family members back in Manila. However, the malls were already closed and there were no open night markets that day. I remembered Khao San road. It’s not really your go-to place for souvenirs but I know that there are stores there that open til the wee hours in the morning. We exchanged our last few pesos in SuperRich Central Bangna, which was inside the mall’s department store. The exchange rate was low (0.58) compared to the SuperRich in the the airport (0.61) and in Siam station (both 0.62). Anyway, Divimom and I waited, again, for the shuttle while the rest head back to the condo. We waited for an hour. No shuttle. We had no choice but to ride a bus or wait for a taxi along the main road. We got out the main entrance and the situation was really bad. There were a lot of people waiting for buses. I can only compare it to a transport strike in Manila. I hope that it is not the normal situation everyday and that it’s only because of the rain/flood. We crossed the street and was able to flag a taxi within a few minutes. Thank goodness! We were in Udom Suk station in ten minutes! Meals: 250 THB; Transportation: 53 THB
20:30-21:45 Udom Suk to National Stadium station. From National Stadium, we took a taxi to Khao San. Transportation: 59 THB each for BTS; 71 THB for taxi
21:45-23:40 
Khao San was as lively as I remember it almost six years ago. It was full of life and energy. People were dancing and chatting and drinking and just letting themselves go. As expected, stores selling souvenir clothes and accessories were still open. We rushed to every store looking for the cheapest price. Since it was Khao San, the famous tourist area, items were generally overpriced so we really had to haggle. Some gave in, others didn’t. After buying everything in Divimom’s mental checklist, we rushed back to the main road and looked for a taxi. Like in the Philippines, some drivers wanted to fix the fare. They were asking for 200 Baht. It was too much. Good thing there’s no shortage of taxi in the area and we got one who used the meter. Within ten minutes, we were already in Phaya Thai, the nearest BTS. Souvenir: 1,200 THB; Transportation: 55 THB
23:40-24:30 Phaya Thai to Udom Suk. From Udom Suk, we took a taxi to the condo. Transportation: 59 THB each for BTS; 55 THB for taxi
THE EXPENSES
For consistency’s sake, 1 PHP is 0.61 THB.
