Going away for a holiday is always fun. But, coming back to routine becomes a problem. I stopped playing golf the week before Chinese New Year, and being away in Bangkok stretched the layoff to two weeks.
Last Tuesday, I played my first game and discovered how off I was. I could not tee off and lost all my muscle memory. My long game was short, and the short game and putting were off. It was terrible.
Despite all the misfortune, I had fun because the outing quickly became a laugh fest instead. To resolve my problems, I adopted the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy. Just hit the ball and pray for it to land somewhere safe (read fairway, not the rough, ravine, water, or sand bunker). Hahahaha.
I hope I won’t take too long to get my golf mojo back, for I have lined up several games for next week. Otherwise, the ‘Hit and Pray’ strategy will have to continue.
We spent five days in Bangkok during the first week of Chinese New Year. It was fun, tiring, eye-opening, and gastronomic. We walked more than ever to discover new places of interest, ate all kinds of food, and drank more coffee and macha tea than ever.
Hubby and I enjoyed ourselves and did not mind golf was not on the agenda despite being in Bangkok, a golf destination, for five days. The girls compromised and waited for us while we did a secondary golf-related activity on the fourth day – shopping at Thaniya Plaza, the golf shopping haven.
I bought the most expensive ball marker ever in my life! For the price I paid, I can buy a dozen new soft-range golf balls instead! For the unfamiliar, we’re talking Srixon Soft Feel 13 (2023), Wilson Duo Soft (2023), Titleist Trufeel (2022), and TaylorMade Distance +Soft (2020). Yikes, I can faint now thinking about it! It was too cute to resist, and I’m a sucker for cuteness.
The most expensive ball marker!
Hotel breakfast spreads are something I look forward to when breakfast is included with the stay, whether in Bangkok or elsewhere. On this trip, we stayed at ibis Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit 4, and their spread was not too bad. But, me being me, I ate the same things every day! I just loved the boiled rice offering.
My four breakfasts – same same but different
As for being in the city during Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon decorations took prominence, although not as elaborate as what I have seen in Malaysia. The dragon displays are indoors, outdoors, hanging, or placed on the ground. The biggest surprise was on the curbside of the road leading to the Grand Palace area. I thought the last one was very clever.
You can tell Bangkok was very enjoyable for us. We hope for the next trip, we can discover new and different attractions! We may stay in a different area to experience the neighborhood and surroundings. But certain places are still a must-do/go, like shopping for golf things at Thaniya and Chatuchak for great bargains. We will be back!
We made three short drinks and snack stops before visiting the Grand Palace on the third day in Bangkok. The first stop was for a macha green tea, followed by coffee and a pastry, and lastly, an ice cream. Fueled, we were ready for the adventure ahead.
Morning indulgence after breakfast
It was such a hot day! And oh-so crowded. You can tell that these visitors are tourists from all over the world. Just about every other person who walked past us was wearing elephant-print pants. A sure sign of a tourist!
The Grand Palace
The buildings and temples within the Palace grounds were magnificent. The Grand Palace itself was a grand piece of architecture. Unfortunately, some attractions were closed for renovations, but we didn’t mind. We just soaked in the overall grandeur of the place.
When we left the palace grounds, my legs were ready to fall off! Do we have to walk any more? We had to because there were hardly any taxis available nearby. Thank goodness for mobile data that helped us a lot during this trip. Using her mobile phone, M1 figured out which bus to take to leave the area. But the bus Number 2 we hopped on was going in the wrong direction! Hahaha. We didn’t know.
The shortest bus ride in Bangkok on bus Number 2
Nevertheless, what an experience to be on a bus with wooden flooring! How often would you get to be on one in a big city? And the conductor was kind enough to allow us to stay until the next stop without collecting any bus fare. Finally, we managed to hail a cab and headed to Siam Paragon for dinner.
Again, like the day before, it was late when we got back to the hotel. Thank goodness, the next day, the itinerary is a much more relaxed one. Phew.
My Fitness rings on my AppleWatch Series 5 have been off the charts with so much walking we have done. Perhaps it’s a good thing to burn all those calories consumed. My legs hurt to high heaven, but the food discovery continued. After the rest from the Chatuchak outing, we took a cab to Jodd Fairs Night Market.
Colorful food choices at the Jodd Fairs Night Market. Highly recommended to visit.Dinner was on the table liner. Spicy squid, pineapple fried rice, and ribs. The pork-neck bone soup was killer spicy with the mountain of green chili that I removed!
We seem to have discovered more places to eat during this trip. Even on our past golfing trips, food was not a priority. Jodd Fairs felt like a more organized Chatuchak. The food vendors were clustered, with all types of mouth-watering food, and the sights and smells were so tempting! It’s nice to find new things to try.
Some exotic edibles – insects, crocodile meat, snails, prawns, and squid.
The walkways between the stalls were more spacious than in Chatuchak, and we could browse slowly without blocking human traffic. However, nothing caught our eyes, for we had bought what we wanted already from Chatuchak. It was another tired-to-the-bone night when we returned to the hotel. As a result of such a schedule, I did not have the energy to write anything to upload and share.
I knocked out a little past midnight. The next day, it’s another full itinerary to visit the temples.
We all slept well–after all, it was a long and exhausting day–and were ready for the second day’s adventure! After breakfast in the hotel, we took the BTS to Chatuchak, the famed weekend market. Chatuchak is the place to go for discovering and buying things to your heart’s content.
Exciting placeLook at the plump chicken on display! We had noodles for lunch and pork belly on-the-go
Everyone was on a mission to buy things on their lists. The offerings there, in terms of choices and colors, were so much; too much until it confuses you! Hahaha. Be sure to stick to your intentions – otherwise, you’ll end up with too much or too little.
Happy with my pouch purchases!
So, I managed to buy my things, plus some others. I couldn’t resist, and it was a good bargain! Nevertheless, we had a fun but tiring day in the hot conditions – walking, seeing, haggling the price, eating, and absorbing all the colors and smells of the weekend market.
When the will to continue walking and shopping dropped to zero, it was time to return to our hotel to rest. By nightfall and somewhat rested, we were ready for the next adventure.
On the first day of the Chinese New Year, we flew to Bangkok, a first for us to be abroad during this festive time. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning was not ideal, especially after returning home late from the Reunion Dinner. But it was unavoidable because we had to be at KLIA early. There were news reports that the airport could not cope with the volume of travelers, so it was better to be early.
Beautiful dragon display at KLIA
Luckily, it turned out well, and our departure was on time. Yay, the holiday has begun!
It has been some years since our last trip to Bangkok, and it was nice to be back. Although it was muggy, humid, and hot, it did not matter. We were ready with USB-powered fans to keep us cool. There was so much to do, see, and eat!
Always amazed with the electrical cables in Bangkok!
Soon after we checked in, we did not waste time and got going. We walked to check off the list covering coffee, gelato (an impromptu stop), and kakigori stops. The flavors were good, for lack of a better word, and fueled us to keep moving.
Discoveries this trip
We continued our walking discovery of the vibrant city, and before we knew it, we were at The Commons for dinner. Another check off the list. Dinner was safe comfort food, but we did try a Peruvian ceviche, which was excellent with the varied flavors in a mouthful. It had been a long day by then. Time to get back to the hotel!
Comfort food and tried a new dish
Sleep beckoned the minute we entered the room. After the hot shower, it was time to hit the sack to recuperate from the day’s adventure. I clocked in more than 20 thousand steps! Yes, I was dead tired. What a start to the holiday.
The past few days were tiring! I did not have time to gather my thoughts on the golf trip, and before I knew it, we were back in KL yesterday.
The third day’s schedule was slightly better, waking up a wee later for an eight o’clock tee-off. I found Suvarna Golf Club not as picturesque as Royale Jakarta. But the course was challenging, as I ended up in the sand bunkers more than ever.
Suvarna, the satay was super delicious!
I was aghast each time my ball went into the sand bunkers until I developed a phobia! Shivers. It was a forgettable round of golf with far too many bunker nightmares. Oh well, we had one more day of golf.
The last round was at the links course, Sedayu Indo Golf. I’ve never played at a links course before, and it was quite an experience. How quickly the golf fortune changed with a different golf course and new challenges.
My Bebek lunch was good, course was excellent
There were no bunker issues but the wind! Despite the strong wind and the undulating terrain, the last game was most enjoyable. The course layout next to the ocean also made this experience the best compared to the other two courses.
The five days, four nights golf trip was coming to an end. After three games, I did not lose any balls to the course challenges, which was a morale booster. My putting had its ups and downs, but generally pleased. However, sand bunker shots need improvement, likewise, my approach shots.
Our tour operator treated the group to a sumptuous farewell Indonesian dinner on the last night. Soon it was time to say goodbye to new friends and the city. The horror stories of being stuck in the traffic jam were not too bad. Kudos to the tour operator for selecting Hotel Santika, which was quite central to the three courses we played at.
Messy power cables
The city impressed me, although certain older parts reminded me of Bangkok. Generally, Jakarta looked like a developed nation’s big city, if not better, and not what I envisioned. Golfing in Jakarta is now a happy memory stored away. Hubby and I enjoyed ourselves tremendously and look forward to returning soon or another golf escapade.
The last time we traveled was in November 2022 for M2’s graduation. Immediately after that trip, I went to Bali with my high school friends for an all-girls getaway. And no more trips abroad for several months until the travel bug bites.
This morning, hubby and I flew off to Jakarta for golf, our first time here, as it has always been Bangkok, Thailand, as the preferred destination. Exciting is the word for this escapade with a group of golfing friends.
The last time I came to Jakarta, I was just a little kiddo. So yeah, it was dinosaur years ago. And I cannot recall anything about that trip. It’s okay, for I’ll have a new adventure this time.
It has been a long day, and I look forward to the coming games.
The mid-term school holidays are coming up and this will be the first time, if we decide to go somewhere, it is just the three of us.
The last time the family traveled together, prior to M1’s leaving for university, was to Bangkok, Thailand. It is weird to plan now. Where shall we go?
Bangkok? Again? We were just there. Bali? Nah… Been there. Hong Kong? Too hot. London? Certainly not. Singapore? Hmm…
For every destination that comes to mind, M2 would have a comment and we feel incomplete without M1 around. Maybe we should just stay put and enjoy the comforts of home.
Last night we got home by 11.00pm and M2 was not asleep. So it was good to have a little catch up with her.
“Where did you go again, Mommy?” she said.
“Tawau, Sabah.” I replied her.
“Oh.” Then a longer one, “Oooohh…” as it dawned on her.
In her world of her own to be on the internet without constant supervision and my telling her wifi is sparse, it looks like she has been oblivious to where we have been the last four days!
“I thought you went to Bangkok again!” she sheepishly admitted.
“Haha… Did you wanted the Rolls Royce again?” I pulled her leg.
“Err, no. I found a new car and thought of asking you to get it instead!”
Angieneering 
Remarks