Saturday, September 3, 2011

Bangkok & Krabi Thailand, Day 3

Checking out of our hotel in Bangkok
Well as you probably already know...I love me some fried chicken...back at home, I have to admit that I do love Popeyes Chicken ...the Mo and I usually grab Popeyes before we head into a Red Sox game since that is the closest location to us. If we can't get there, I settle for 2nd best fried chicken, KFC. Sometimes I think I was supposed to be born black.



Now, I prefer to segregate my fried chicken into 2 categories: Fried chicken wings and just fried Chicken (pretty much the rest of the chicken minus the wings). I know this probably doesn't make sense..but it does to me...I mean come on now, how can you compare buffalo wings to a fried crispy chicken breast?

So the theme of today is fried chicken..in Bangkok (well for the first half of the day).

We headed out to KFC for breakfast (don't judge)...I got a fried chicken and egg sandwich with a biscuit and the Mo got a fried chicken breakfast burrito. I got an ice coffee with my meal and it was perfect, it had the right amount of cream and sugar. The ice coffee resembled one you would get at a Vietnamese restaurant or a bubble tea shop. After trying mine, the Mo had to get one for himself. However, the food was not that great and left me disappointed. The chicken was soggy and the biscuit was hard. The Mo didn't care for his burrito either.
KFC Menu Board

Chicken & Egg sandwich with Biscuit

Chicken Breakfast Burrito Wrap

KFC in Bangkok
KFC, Subway, McDonalds, and Burger King are extremely popular in Bangkok, catering to both tourists and locals alike.

After breakfast we browsed through department stores then headed back to our hotel for a swim. I was expecting the few days in Bangkok to be heavy down pours since it is Monsoon season after all, but to my delight, we just had hot and humid days with lots of sunshine.
Hot and Humid Bangkok

We soaked in as much sun as we could before we headed back to our room to pack our things so we could check out before noon. Since our airport transfer wasn't for another 2 hrs, we left our things with the hotel and went to grab lunch.
The Mo Reading his "Smart People" book in the pool

I prefer to sunbathe
Roof Top Pool in Bangkok

We actually didn't eat fried chicken for lunch but I did have fried shrimp. We found a mom and pops place called, "Penthai" where the woman had over 30 various precooked dishes to choose from. Think, Yummy Express in Lowell. I got the shrimp and a stuffed pork bitter melon soup and the Mo got crispy sweet pork and tamarind shrimp paste. We both loved our meals and most importantly haven't got sick..yet.
Food Stall in Bangkok

The Mo's Lunch, "Fried Pork" and "Tamarind Shrimp paste"

Kim's Lunch, "Fried Prawn and Lobster"

Kim's Soup, "Bittermelon stuffed with pork"

We grabbed our things and went to go meet up with our driver to take us to the airport for our domestic flight to the Krabi Province (yes..finally..some beach action). On the shuttle I met a really nice woman, also named Kim but with a "y"..so "Kym". She has been to Thailand 3 times in the past year and offered some awesome advice. I think people with the name "Kim" loves food because She also owns a bagel & biscuit shop in Aussie. Maybe the Mo and I will visit one day?
Bangkok airport grounds

Sure enough, our flight has been delayed 30 minutes so the Mo and I shared Popeyes as a small meal. We got the rice bowl combo set, basically a rice bowl with fried chicken and gravy and 1 pcs of fried chicken. This was not the Popeyes that I was used to. The chicken was rather plain and lacked the Cajun/creole seasoning that I was accustomed to. Two thumbs down for both KFC and Popeyes in Thailand.


Our hotel, Aloha Inn in Ao nang was another hour drive from the airport so by the time we checked in, it was well past 9. Our room was cute and comfortable. It had a Hawaiian theme decorated with leis, orchids, and seashells.
Our "Tiki" Room, home for 4 days
We unpacked our things and took a shower before heading out to find dinner.

Ao Nang in the rain

This beach town was completely the opposite of what we were used to in Bangkok. I kind of felt like it was the Martha's Vineyard of Thailand. All the restaurants looked formal with matching linen and decor and had a romantic candlelight ambiance. We walked around town to try to find something more within our price range.
Ao Nang, Krabi Bars
We stumbled across Sara Thai cart on the road. She has an extensive menu of noodles and stir fry with every dish costing less than $1.75. This place would never pass for a ServSafe certification, but we figured we would test our limits. When in Thai, eat like a Thai! The Mo and I shared sweet and sour chicken and garlic pepper chicken with white rice. We also order fried shrimp tempura to go. The food was good but the rice could have been warmer. The fried shrimp was amazing! We will definitely be back for more.
Menu Board for street Food Vendor

Kim's Sweet & Sour Chicken

The Mo's Garlic and Pepper chicken


Fried Shrimp Tempura appetizer


As we waited in line for banana pancakes in a nearby cart, it started to drizzle so we skipped out on the sweet treats and headed back to our hotel. It's amazing how all the street vendors can close up shop when it rains. We ended the night by picking up a few bottles of Singha to brine back to our room and just put in a DVD. We're not lame...we are just resting up for tomorrow, after all, we spent 7 hrs traveling today.

Expense Report
Food $23.30
Drinks $3.50
Transfers $18.50
Miscellaneous $21.50
Hotel Balance $81.50
Total:$148.50