On Thursday, Ferne and I flew to Bangkok by Jetstar (my first time on no-fuss budget air -not as painful as I imagined) and two hours later, we were greeted by a heat wave as we stepped into the crackling hot dusty air. With my printed map, the Thai-speaking driver found Baan Thai Wellness Retreat easily - a serene and lush oasis in the concrete heart of bustling Sukhumvit - and we seeked cool relief in our ancient teakwood royal 'baan' followed by a delightful five-course Thai spa cuisine meal.
The food was insane, the carved vegetables and fruits so pretty and hospitality as warm as the weather - it was perfect untill we had to step out for some retail therapy at the nearby Emporium. But all was fine again when we returned for our soul-soothing saunas and massages; all the knots smoothed away with every firm knead by the male masseurs. Ahh...
In the evening, we checked out the highly recommended Chong Nam in Silom and gobbled down the bubbling pot of Tom Yam Khun (prawns), deepfried cotton fish with mango salad and green curry over white rice. I was gasping by the time F insisted on the dessert of coconut jelly served in the husk. "It's f%cking good', she pleaded and I was convinced after the first spoonful, second, third and tenth...
At 10pm, it poured like a bitch and dampened our party mood which we were mastering up for Q Bar and Bed Supperclub. The flooded streets, our lost cab-driver and drowsy state made us give up the clubbing itinerary despite the promise of free drinks at Q. Back at Baan Thai, I discovered that my luggage was damp and our walk-in wardrobe leaking (a drawback of staying in a 75-year old teakhome) - I whined at no one and the 'exotic' Thai figures on the bathroom laughed back. Luckily we were promptly upgraded to a bigger room downstairs by the horrified, apologetic staff.
The next morning, we were as bright as the bougainvillas outside our poolside windows and met up with the lovely C who brought us on the arranged morning tour of the local wet markets. The vegs and fruits were shiny, catfishes jumping and wrestling in mud and the whiff of spices and fermented specialties pervaded our nostrils.
Fuelled by the frenzy of sights, sounds and smells, I went mad and bought the half kilo palm sugar, bottles of chilli pastes and dried chilli flakes, while trying to snap the cute 5-year-old granddaughter of the provision shop auntie. She was as slippery as the catfish and refused to be shot!
We then arrived at The Blue Elephant where we whipped up four Thai dishes (including a devilish red curry) in an hour and I talked shop with the hospitable Herve over a sumptuous lunch. The dishes kept coming and I could only recall a flurry of a platter of fried appetiser, salmon in sweet basil dressing, foie gras with tamarind sauce, pomelo salad, tom yam khun soup, heaps of steaming rice - in addition to our self-cooked four dishes! I begged H to stop and he merely grinned and ordered a platter of Thai desserts and chocolate souffle, which I couldn't resist and smiled 'oui' to.
With a full belly, we rushed back for our sauna, scrubs and Asian Blend massages (I was praying that I won't throw up) and soon lulled into a blissful state in the cool of the scented room. Everything was divine, except for the buzzing mosquito that bit me on my cheek. The masseur reacted swiftly with an accurate karate chop on my face and we all laughed when I went 'ouch'! Later we went to the Suanlom night market at Lumphini for a spot of grilled chicken and shopping till midnight.
On Thursday, Ferne and I flew to Bangkok by Jetstar (my first time on no-fuss budget air -not as painful as I imagined) and two hours later, we were greeted by a heat wave as we stepped into the crackling hot dusty air. With my printed map, the Thai-speaking driver found Baan Thai Wellness Retreat easily - a serene and lush oasis in the concrete heart of bustling Sukhumvit - and we seeked cool relief in our ancient teakwood royal 'baan' followed by a delightful five-course Thai spa cuisine meal. 
The food was insane, the carved vegetables and fruits so pretty and hospitality as warm as the weather - it was perfect untill we had to step out for some retail therapy at the nearby Emporium. But all was fine again when we returned for our soul-soothing saunas and massages; all the knots smoothed away with every firm knead by the male masseurs. Ahh... 
In the evening, we checked out the highly recommended Chong Nam in Silom and gobbled down the bubbling pot of Tom Yam Khun (prawns), deepfried cotton fish with mango salad and green curry over white rice. I was gasping by the time F insisted on the dessert of coconut jelly served in the husk. "It's f%cking good', she pleaded and I was convinced after the first spoonful, second, third and tenth... 
At 10pm, it poured like a bitch and dampened our party mood which we were mastering up for Q Bar and Bed Supperclub. The flooded streets, our lost cab-driver and drowsy state made us give up the clubbing itinerary despite the promise of free drinks at Q. Back at Baan Thai, I discovered that my luggage was damp and our walk-in wardrobe leaking (a drawback of staying in a 75-year old teakhome) - I whined at no one and the 'exotic' Thai figures on the bathroom laughed back. Luckily we were promptly upgraded to a bigger room downstairs by the horrified, apologetic staff.
The next morning, we were as bright as the bougainvillas outside our poolside windows and met up with the lovely C who brought us on the arranged morning tour of the local wet markets. The vegs and fruits were shiny, catfishes jumping and wrestling in mud and the whiff of spices and fermented specialties pervaded our nostrils. 
Fuelled by the frenzy of sights, sounds and smells, I went mad and bought the half kilo palm sugar, bottles of chilli pastes and dried chilli flakes, while trying to snap the cute 5-year-old granddaughter of the provision shop auntie. She was as slippery as the catfish and refused to be shot! 
We then arrived at The Blue Elephant where we whipped up four Thai dishes (including a devilish red curry) in an hour and I talked shop with the hospitable Herve over a sumptuous lunch. The dishes kept coming and I could only recall a flurry of a platter of fried appetiser, salmon in sweet basil dressing, foie gras with tamarind sauce, pomelo salad, tom yam khun soup, heaps of steaming rice - in addition to our self-cooked four dishes! I begged H to stop and he merely grinned and ordered a platter of Thai desserts and chocolate souffle, which I couldn't resist and smiled 'oui' to. 
With a full belly, we rushed back for our sauna, scrubs and Asian Blend massages (I was praying that I won't throw up) and soon lulled into a blissful state in the cool of the scented room. Everything was divine, except for the buzzing mosquito that bit me on my cheek. The masseur reacted swiftly with an accurate karate chop on my face and we all laughed when I went 'ouch'! Later we went to the Suanlom night market at Lumphini for a spot of grilled chicken and shopping till midnight.
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