Bhuping Palace, Suthep

Bhuping Palace

Suthep, Muang

Chiang Mai

Hours

0830 - 1530 daily

Entrance Fee

Foreigner: 50B

Adult: 20B

Also spelled as Bhubing or Phu Ping Royal Palace locally, this winter palace is located on Doi Suthep. It also double as royal guesthouse for prominent visitors. One can't miss the palace on the way up towards Hmong Village or Khun Chang Kian. You can take songthaew or hire private car or scooter to get here.

  Kalau nak bandingkan dengan Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Istana Bhuping atau lebih tepat lagi taman ni kurang popular. Banyak pakej yang bawa ke Wat Phra That Doi Suthep sahaja. Mungkin sebab bunga mekar cantik ikut musim. Jadi ada masa yang agak sendu dan kurang menarik untuk dikunjungi.

Note: Please dress conservatively. You're visiting a palace.

Ticket booth is near the parking area. After purchasing your ticket, cross the road and present your ticket to the staff. 

  Staff kat sini nampak macam pegawai tentera. Mungkin memang tentera agaknya. Kata istana kan? Lepas dah tunjuk tiket, jemput jalan kaki. Tak ada trem atau basikal atau apa. Jalan nak masuk tu macam jauh tapi tak terasa pun sebab ralit tengok bunga. 

My favourite area gotta be the rose garden. Colourful roses were blooming and gave off sweet scent. Some of them didn't have any scent but most were very fragrant! They even have different smell.

Rose Garden

Green House

Visitors will get to see the gorgeous royal garden filled with beautiful and colourful flowers and my favourite sweet-smelling roses. You can also take photos of the palace but won't be allowed to go near.

  The green house is near the rose garden and there are many interesting spots that will make gorgeous backgrounds for your photos. There is no specific route to follow. Just wander as you wish.

Notice the huge tree behind the signage?

Path across the palace area

At the end of the climb

A bridge

There is also a water reservoir you can check out. I didn't because... look at those stairs! But pics from Google looked pretty nice.

  Katanya ada fountain show juga tapi tak tahu la masih wujud ke tak.

Visit if:

• You have the time
• You enjoy gardens and parks
• You're dressed appropriately (no shorts, no sleeveless)
• You're willing to walk. A lot
• It's the "right" time of the year. I visited in late Jan and the flowers were blooming

Some people found the royal garden magical while others thought it was a waste of their time.

I don't mind. It's not expensive and the weather was nice

If you go, expect to spend about a couple of hours to explore the place properly.

Khun Chang Kian, Chiang Mai

Khun Chang Kian

When I first heard about Thailand sakura, I was excited and a bit skeptical. They looked SO pretty but are the pictures for real?

  Bukan kita tak tahu ada sites yang pakai gambar tempat lain untuk promote destinasi berbeza. Betul ke sakura Thailand cantik macam dalam gambar yang ditunjukkan?

  Kebetulan, I dah nekad nak pergi berjalan in January. I pun buat research tempat yang best untuk dikunjungi bulan January dan Chiang Mai adalah antara destinasi yang tersenarai.

  It is recommended to visit Chiang Mai in December or January for it is "winter" season. Of course there is no snow but the temperature is colder even though the sky is sunny.

  Orang Malaysia boleh bayangkan suhu di Cameron Highland. Matahari terik tapi sejuk berangin. Yang bestnya bukan setakat di kawasan tinggi, tapi di dalam bandar juga. Kalau pagi-pagi tu, suhu mencecah 16º - 18ºC. Cuma bila keluar berjalan-jalan, sila pakai sunblock sebab matahari tetap terik menjelang tengahari dan petang.

Getting to Khun Chang Kian 

It is up in Doi Suthep. Doi means mountain but some people actually meant a famous temple there when they talk about Doi Suthep. The temple is called Wat Phra That and tour packages will include this place because it has nice view of Chiang Mai town. It is also easy to get to Doi Suthep using Uber or public transport.

  If you are customising your tour and they don't drive to Khun Chang Kian, ask to be dropped at Bhuping Palace instead of the temple. The palace is further up the mountain past the temple and it is probably cheaper to get a songthaew from here.

  Dah sampai Doi Suthep, boleh berhenti dulu di Wat Phra That atau terus naik ke Bhuping Palace. I naik terus ke Bhuping Palace sebab lebih berminat dengan nature view berbanding view bandar. Depan Bhuping Palace ada songthaew yang akan bawa pengunjung ke Khun Chang Kian.

Is it necessary to hire a songthaew? 

  The road condition isn't the best. It is narrow, full of potholes, dusty and missing altogether at some area. Don't risk it. Hire an experienced private driver if you must. Some are willing to drive up to Khun Chang Kian.

  

The rate displayed was 150B one way per person. There's a camping ground there and some *might* choose to hike down so that's why they offered one way rate. Return trip is 300B per person and while it is not cheap, I thought it was fair considering the scary road and the distance. The bone-jarring ride took almost half an hour. 

   Mula-mula, I macam menyesal sikit sebab tak minta kurang. 300B seorang bukannya murah. Lagi pun, I pergi hujung bulan Januari dan drivers songthaew tu sendiri yang cakap yang bunga dah tak banyak. 

  They can't speak English well so one of the drivers pointed to Khun Chang Kian picture on their rates board and gestured that only 10% of flowers left. The rest had fallen. It was so cute!

  Bagus la kan dia jujur cakap bunga dah tak ada. Sebenarnya ada je lagi cuma tak banyak. Mungkin untuk elakkan kena marah dengan pelancong yang expect bunga pink merata-rata.

  Anyway once I realised how far Khun Chang Kian is and how skilful one need to be to negotiate the winding and bumpy road, I thought the price was worth it. Practically sabung nyawa kut nak drive ke atas tu. 

According to my private driver, Amie, the flowers started blooming in early January this year. The exact time varies each year so you might want to check with a local or time your visit in middle of the month maybe. Idk.

  Pada I cantik je walaupun bukan tengah-tengah musim semi. Macam awal musim gugur gitu. Lagipun, I datang sebab nak tengok Chiang Mai Flower Festival =D 

Our first stop was at a village. Only a couple of trees had flowers still blooming. There were some souvenirs and coffee shops in the area but they were mostly empty. One lady opened a simple stall selling strawberries in cup.

I didn't stay long in the village because I get uncomfortable visiting attractions which are actually people's homes. 

  Rasa macam ganggu privasi pun ada.

  The next stop was a park we had passed on our way to the village. I think it is the research institute.

  Kat taman ni masih ada banyak lagi bunga. Ada orang jual strawberries juga. Murah tapi macam banyak je untuk I makan sorang. So I tak jadi beli walaupun nampak menarik.

I told the songthaew driver that I want to stop at the view point. Not sure if it is one of the stops but it was our last stop. If you want to stop somewhere in particular, let's say the Hmong Village or the castle ruin, bring pictures to show them. 

  Kalau ada gambar kan senang sikit sebab mungkin kita tak tahu nama atau sebut pun salah. Yang penting, nego harga awal-awal supaya masing-masing puas hati. Macam Hmong Village tu, masuk simpang lain jadi mungkin harga pun berbeza.

Expect to spend at least a couple of hours here. If you plan to visit most of the attractions in Doi Suthep, you can easily make it a full day-trip. Take your time and enjoy the beauty of nature.

  Datang waktu pagi supaya ada cukup masa untuk jelajah tempat-tempat menarik di Doi Suthep. Sejam dua mungkin tak cukup kalau nak pergi semua tempat. 

  So, plan wisely and prioritise your interests!

La Baguette French Bakery, EmQuartier Bangkok

La Baguette

The EmQuartier Mall

Ground floor, The Glass Quartier

Sukhumvit Road

10110 Bangkok

Thailand

Hours

1000 - 2200 daily

Note: NOT a pork-free outlet

This gorgeous chandelier-lit cafe is in the EmQuartier mall, near our hotel in Bangkok. It was late and we were looking for a cafe to hangout in. Most of those on our list were going to close by the time we arrived so we opted to find something in the shopping mall itself. That was when we saw this classy cafe and were mesmerised by the selection of cakes on display.

Taste - Good cakes. Meh beverages

Price - Standard Bangkok mall cafe

Ambiance - Gorgeousness! I think Audrey Hepburn would look at home here.

Overall 3 <3<3<3 of 5

It is not a cafe that you must visit while in Bangkok. But if you happen to be nearby and craving for some good fancy cakes, try this place. Their service was excellent although you probably have to think very hard to remember a poor service experience in a Thai restaurant.

Kinkao, Terminal 21 Bangkok

Kinkao

Terminal 21

4008 Level 4

Hours

1000 - 2200 daily

Note: Pork-serving restaurant

Kinkao serves traditional Thai cuisine. It is quite popular so you might have to wait for a bit if you visit during lunch hour or dinner. They have a variety of seafood and non-meat dishes but please note that this is NOT a pork-free outlet if you're strict about that.

Pomelo Salad

Crab with Egg in Thai Sauce

I love that they served our drinks in the old-style mangkuk tingkat thingy (it's not the tiffin la but from the same set). Service was also good. Although the restaurant was busy, the staff were very helpful and courteous.

Taste

Good

Price

I can't remember. It was a treat by Dr. A

Ambiance

Comfortable. No weird smell. Didn't really notice the decor as I was too busy eating

Overall 4 <3<3<3<3 of 5

Chatuchak Market, Bangkok

Chatuchak Market

Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road

Chatuchak, Bangkok

Hours

Wed & Thu: 0700 - 1800

Friday: 1800 - 0000

Sat & Sun: 0900 - 1800

Note: There is Chatuchak Night Market on Friday - Sun till past midnight!

Chatuchak Market needs no introduction. It is THE shopping destination for many tourists and locals in Bangkok. You can take the skytrain, bus or taxi/Uber. The place is huge so even if you plan to just window shop, don comfortable footwear and outfit. 

  You might also want to get hold of the map for the market. If you already have something specific to buy from a certain shop, the map will be useful. It is however, not very helpful if you're searching by goods category as they can be all over the place. So if you want to buy a handbag for example, you still need to walk from one soi to another to see the options. But, take note of the soi number so you can find the shop selling the handbag you love most again.

  If you have no plan, just head towards the clock tower and start there.

Gorgeous pastels!!! *eeeksss*

A bit like the Chowrasta in Penang eh?

There are many eateries in the market should you get hungry. Dessert carts too. So feast to your heart content and if you need the washroom, there are many public toilet dotted around the place.

Some of the outlets look fancier than the others. Their price wasn't too cheap but still affordable (or at least make sense considering the gorgeousness they were offering)

If only I am as slim as the mannequin...

Halal Food in Chatuchak Market

We had lunch at Saman Islam. It is near the clock tower and very hard to miss. I thought the price was reasonable because their portion was generous. If you have an average appetite, you might want to consider sharing your plate with one or a couple other friends.

 

Aside from Saman Islam, there are a few more halal places nearby. Kah Jak is just a few soi away (to the left if Saman Islam is at your back and you're kinda sorta facing the clock tower). There is also a Muslim prayer room close by.

There are many cafe selling coffee and fruit juice here so if you're tired, you can have a break. I stopped for juice at a very pretty pink & purple-ish cafe =D

Expect to spend HOURS here. Do not believe the kaki shoppings who say that they are gonna be in Chatuchak for "just an hour".

  When your feet are ready to collapse, stop by one of the many Thai/foot massage centre and let the skilled masseur do their thang. Then, you can either continue to shop till you drop or hail a taxi home. Before getting in, ask if the driver will use meter. If the taxi driver won't use meter, simply smile, thank him/her and walk to the next waiting taxi near the entrance. Or book an Uber.