eco bags from bangkok

back to posts about bangkok

my bangkok trip will not be complete without any shopping! and so with limited time to do some really serious shopping i would sneak from my group and do some shopping on my own

one thing that delighted me in bangkok “mall” shopping (e kasi nga no time to go to the bazaars) is that they are into re-using ang saving the planet too! because the emporium mall is just beside our hotel and office, this is where we would bump into each other while we do our shopping. i bought some dresses and remembered i forgot to bring in with me my reuseable bag because we came from the office. as i prepared to take my purchase, i was feeling bad kasi nga they will be put in a plastic, they handed these really nice paper bags made of recycled paper with some green reminders : think green, nature never goes out of style !

my favorite paper bag todate!

and then i saw this advertisement inside the mall that i can buy playhound’s limited edition eco/reuseable bag for only 400 bhat! so off i go to the basement level and looked for the bag. the bag is not an ordinary eco tote!

it's a body bag!

it has adjustable starps, you can easily tie it to what suits you. the fabric is so soft, you can fold it into a small square so it fits your purse and you can carry it along with you everywhere. the bag itself is a work of art so it’s stylish enough to carry with you anywhere.

upclose

green head is a dog!

more than that, emporium mall sell this very chic and durable re-useable bag as well for 299 bhat only , this is my pasalubong for my ate. she loves it and guess what, i can borrow it anytime i want

nice right?

emporium mall in thailand offers a complete range of shopping from clothes, to shoes, bags, home appliances and furniture and grocery, too! we bought cheese, dried fruit and nuts and some wine there as well…

mmmm.....

more bangkok experience on the next post.

bangkok this time around… the hotel

when it was officially announced that our training this year will be at bangkok, ang saya ko!

bangkok is my first out of the country destination. i love this city, the people are friendly, the food is great and shopping is the best! i never had the chance to do (too) much shopping but i did shop pa rin. the days start with breakfast with co-leagues since we are all booked at the same hotel and would end with dinner with them pa din. im not complaining, i like most of my colleagues and times spent in bangkok with them were good times.

the hotel we stayed at is the emporium suites, it is located beside a park. the office is located in the same building only in a different wing and the low rise part of the office building is a mall… need i say more?

the emporium suites stationery and pen

the room has its own kitchen and dining area for 2 fresh fruits and flowers are replenished every day.

the kitchen

dining area

fresh

sweet treat everyday

wifi is for free and my room has the best view night and day…

hmmmm who took this?

lovely view

btw -- the pool is great too

budget permiting, i will stay here again when i come back to bangkok

goodnight!

3rd time…

in bangkok! and this time, it’s business

totoo... buss trip talaga

promise tomorrow i will post more….. meantime, i’m sleepy na…………….

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………..

traditional korean village

i am originally scheduled to fly home early saturday morning. that was the best schedule with the airline that we used. the next one na is by late night and arrives manila by midnight. i hate flying at night… mas nakaka stress! at first i’m set on the schedule. then… nakipag dinner nga ako sa mga friends wednesday night and suddenly i felt the urge to stay longer. naman, andito na ko eh alangan naman hindi ako mag site seeing??? so my friends adopted me for one day and i slept in their condo (thank you kay!) — i had my flight re-booked and we planned for the itinerary for saturday.

so armed with my beloved camera, we went to the traditional korean village. para syang nayong filipino. the park showcases :

traditional houses

antiques

dioramas of the traditional korean way of life

a cultural show - this one they did a folk dance

korean crafts

artists in action

there a lot of activities for children (and children at heart like us!) as well :

mascots for photo shoots

various games

flag making

traditional games -- seesaw ata to na patayo

madaming pang features ang park like a mini museum, displays of their flag’s evolution, historical trivias…

at ang aking favorite attraction — trying on their traditional costume! for krw1000 only – feeling korean princess ka na love it!

with lovely girls -- kay and sheryl

loving it kahit super init

they were the ones who convinced me to try it!

it was soooo hot when we got to the park. i felt like made-dehydrate ako after one hour na puro pawis. but it was worth it – i took lots of good pictures

dining in seoul

so these are what i enjoyed most in seoul…

galbisal

good beef cooked straight from the hot coals…

these are really hot...

this meal was with office mates in a really nice restaurant — hindi ko kasi mabasa ang signage kaya “that korean restaurant” nalang

i spent one night dining with friends from previous work as well (like the last time), and i requested we go to the same place we were then. i think this restaurant is pretty famous because they are often full of people and bursting with energy.

we had pork belly cooked in a hot grill – they call this samgyeopsal…

hot plate is tilted para ma-drain ang oil...

pork is cooked depending on how you like it, then they are cut into small manageable pieces… then, you wrap them in fresh lettuce with onion, you add bean paste, garlic and other vegetables they serve you. sarap! then you eat with rice too

chili coleslaw

pickled radish

lettuce and chili served generously

bean paste, chili sauce and garlic...

malapit na maluto...

and of course tofu and kimchi!

yup yup… they serve a lot of side dishes as you can see. sabi ng co-league ko who is korean, because they know too much meat is not good for the body so they tend to eat a lot of vegetables too, to balance them out. nice… kaya pala ang papayat ng mga girls dun.

one thing i really, really love about seoul is the food and how locals dine. very down to earth (so ang ka-artehan ko, tinabi ko muna) – shoes off… you cook your own food… you use your bare hands…

our table

the way to eat in seoul

food are served in common plates for everyone to share… you dine sitting on the floor and you stoop as you eat because the tables are too low. a good way to enjoy a fine meal

coming soon : a visit in a traditional korean village

seoul this time around

the visit to seoul this time ay due to work pa rin (hehehe… 2way ticket na economy pa lang costs $750  kasi), same as the last time. my 2009 trip was scheduled dapat for the first week of december this year so i can experience seoul’s winter season again. i enjoyed it the last time and wanted to experience a cold weather again sana. but since the office is paying for my trip — work is the priority and not my personal preference (naks! sana nabasa ng mga boss ko).

 

i took the same bus from the airport to the city… stayed at the same hotel… got the same view from my hotel room (sa likod na naman)… had dinner at the 2 favorite restaurants i ate from last time … shopped at the same 24hour shopping mall i went to the last time … and spent time with the same friends as i did last year

view from rm 1540

that korean restaurant

sale at doota!

but seoul is different at this time of the year…

beautiful blooms... lovely kids

it’s summer there!  it was hot and humid… ang daming flowers! fashion is cool – a lot of girls in shorts and short skirts. most stores are on sale! although it rained the first 2 days i was there, the sun came out the 3rd day, people loved the heat… they went out and enjoyed the heat (umitim nga ako eh) before autumn and winter comes along. people just have smiles in their faces especially the kids…

this one made me smile too

coming up : dining in seoul

where was i last week?

konting clue

Annyeong haseyo

 more on next post… meantime, i need sleep………

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………………………….

pasalubong from baguio

i meant to post this immediately after returning from baguio… sobrang busy lang talaga. pero ngayon i made it a point to find time for this. i took a lot of photos in baguio, not as many as i wished i could have done kasi nga umuulan pero i took some good ones pa din.

dahil, madalas na-miss ko ang mga family and friends ko at virtual friends ko (kasi nga hindi ako nag oonline dun)… ang mga ito eh para sa mg blog buddies ko

para ke rhea, dahil pareho tayong mahilig mag-coffee at alam kong magugustuhan mo sa gecko.

spiced brewed coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg

 para ke thets, dahil fashionista ka na , pero parang di mo isusuot kaya photo nalang!

native accessories

para ke daileen, kasi alam kong walang ganitong mode of transportation dyan at malamang miss mo na ang sumakay dito… tama ba?

biyaheng baguio!

para ke dodo (na silent reader ko…), isa sa mga alaga mo… at na-influence mo sa photography gaya ko.

JM trying to see throught the fog too

para ke doc gelo… dahil pareho tayong mahilig sa food at i know you will love this cake from gecko cafe, too. we were told this was baked that morning lang and heated before served to us. hay… sarap!

the best carrot cake!

para ke oscar dela hopia, kasi isa kang music fanatic!

guitar souvenirs

para ke grace (sabi nya frequent reader daw sya ng blog ko…), i know you love to read like me and i want to share this shot with you. so serene and peaceful…

parang hindi sya giniginaw

at para sa mga kapatid ko…

for our everyday peace of mind

when summer is done

visiting the summer capital of the philippines – baguio nowadays is not an ideal vacation for most filipinos… who would want to go to baguio when there’s a typhoon brewing? who would want to go there when it’s raining non-stop? who would go there when according to news — mababa ang fog? who???

KAMI!!!

so medyo crazy decision nga but this was pre-planned already and we are all looking forward to it! bakit hindi kami tutuloy??? signal number one lang naman eh. pag-asa were most of the time wrong (peace!)… anyway, at the start we are a group of 14, then we ended up to be 9 nalang

so what was the experience like?

headlights during the daylight

it's hard to read al fresco

blooms galore!

 

red and yummy

we still saw baguio’s beauty and despite the cold, cold weather… we love it. we love dressing up in layers for a change and we love the uphill and downhill walks along the streets

we love baguio!

 more photos in my flickr photostream.

snap shots from puerto princesa, palawan

here’s the last installment for the palawan post series…

snorkling site

peacock at baker's hill

taken at butterfly farm

taken from badjao restaurant

iwahig prison

souvenirs

beautiful palawan - aerial view

do visit puerto princesa soon.

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nice thing yesterday (kasi i just woke up and pasimula palang ang araw ko today…) : dinner at dampa (near mall of asia) last night with officemates. our treat to our admin assistants

only 11 people shared this much food...