Throwback to my Thailand trip last year which I finally found the time to write about. The parents suggested Thailand so I just went along and decided to put Khao Yai and Hua Hin as destinations as well since I’ve never been there before. Check-in was at Terminal 2 and it has been my first time departing from this terminal since covid. Check-in was fuss-free and done quickly and we soon proceeded to Jewel for a quick brunch before our flight at 1.05pm

Brunch at The Hainan Story at Jewel which the chicken porridge and coffee was pretty delicious I must say

Then we went back to the terminal, strolled a little before getting to our gates

Hello SQ710 🙂

And since it was December, love all these small Christmas wreaths that gave off some festive feels

The weather was pretty cloudy that day. We ended up taxi-ing for 20 minutes before we finally took off

And soon it was time for meal service. It was also my first time having the new branded concept for economy class service that comes in paper boxes. To be honest, I’m totally fine by it. Cos having hot food on airplane is probably something you will appreciate alot after you taken a few airlines

Chicken Meatballs w Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables braised in Tomato Sauce

chose the meatball options over the seafood tomyum beehoon cos I was still full from porridge. I must say the meatballs were delicious. It was huge, tender, bouncy and the tangy tomato sauce was appetising

And soon before you knew it, it was time for arrival. The landing was so bad I got a shock. Like legit. Singapore Airlines is pretty known for their smooth landings so when the whole plane jolted, I thought I flew on some American airline to Bangkok #unacceptable

The luggages also took a long time to come out. I thought Changi Airport was bad. Wah, I found a worse-off airport. And it also kind of reminded me how this would be like without priority tags. Oh sighs

We went to find our driver next which would bring us to Khao Yai. We had booked this service via Peter Bangkok Taxi which cost ฿12,000 for the entire journey. This covers the drive back and forth Bangkok-Khao Yai and the entire 3D he would bring us around Khao Yai. I also opted for a SUV for the comfort of the whole journey, but in the end we got a van instead. lol

It was a huge van but yet clean and comfortable

The driver took us straight to our hotel cos we just wanted to check-in, have dinner and rest for the night. So we didn’t stop by any attractions along the way

Our home for the next 2 nights at Lala Mukha Tented Resort which well, basically felt like a glamping experience for us

We took the Deluxe Savana Tent cos having a bathroom inside the tent was very important to me

The tent was very well-equipped with all the basic necessities. TV and aircon included. lol

Moving on to the bathroom

which yup, was really well-equipped with the basics. Hot showers provided too

We dropped off our bags, and headed to their one and only restaurant for dinner

We were glad they had a full service for dinner cos the last thing you want was a place with no food. And it was already pitch black outside

We were the first diners and then subsequently more and more Singaporeans joined us. Well, welcome to little Singapore

Cocktails to start – Pina Colada

This was apparently the restaurant’s special

and Singapore Sling

The restaurant served a variety of Western and Thai dishes and I’ve decided to pick some from both sides. Thankfully I did

Smoked Duck Breast Salad ฿260

Gai Yang Samunprai ฿290

Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs w Thai Herbs

Goong Sauce Ma Kam ฿300

Saute Shrimps w Tamarind Sauce

Kao Phad Moo Kem ฿180

Fried Rice with Kale and Shredded Salted Pork

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs Glaze, BBQ Sauce, Sweet Corn, Steak-Cut Fries ฿450

Lets just say the Thai option was way much better. The food wasn’t bad. It was at most average but when you were hungry, beggars cannot be choosers. And I highly recommend to skip the Westerns. lol

So after dinner, we went to bed and got ready for an early morning the next day. We told the driver to pick us up at 7.30am cos we had to go somewhere far away and it was a full day for us

Taking a photo of our tent before we proceeded for breakfast

That’s tent 201 for us!

Passing by the loft tree house on the way which looked pretty cool as well

The huge campfire ground infront of the front desk. My guess is there would be campfire nights as well

Breakfast starts at 7am. We were there at 7am. But we were so early the food hasn’t been even heated up

And not everything was ready yet

We decided to choose a table indoor cos it was quite a chilly morning

So the food was all pretty cold – the siew mai was cold, sausages were cold and I was cold. The best thing was the fried egg. Thankfully it was cooked on the spot

And then we went to locate our driver who was already at the porch waiting for us. Our first destination of the day was to visit the sunflower fields in Saraburi since they were supposed to be in season. It was about 1hr 15 mins drive from where we were so I guess that equated to short nap on board. lol

After a long drive, we finally found one in the Saraburi area that had some sunflowers peeping out

Though the driver told us this was not the best. There was another one he went last week but all the flowers had wilted already. And I was like wah, sunflowers also wilt that quickly? I guess beauty has a short time span

But I guess some sunflowers were better than nothing. Afterall, we drove 1hr 15 mins there

Even though these flowers also looked like they were going to wilt anytime soon. lol

We paid a visit to Hokkaido Flower Park next which was supposed to be a picturesque place

There was a little cafe selling whatnot and some food and drinks. But given lunch was on the itinerary next, we decided to save the stomach space

Though having some matcha icecream with fresh strawberries did sound very inviting under that sun

The sun was too bright so it made everything too contrasted. So we didn’t stay long here cos it looked better on photos anyway. We took some quick shots and decided to be on our way

Lunch was at this cafe called Within Khaoyai which the driver told us he had drove past many times but never went in before. lol

There was a separate slow bar from the cafe which you could tell this place takes their coffee quite seriously

Indoor seats were limited though they had an abundance of outdoor seatings. We wanted to hide from the sun so we stayed indoor instead

Dirty Coffee, Will You Marry Me and Iced Latte

The coffee was really good. The parents claimed this was the best coffee they had in 2 days. I would recommend anyone to come here for their coffee. Well, coffee only

Moving onto food..

Mushroom Soup ฿150

Shitake, Shimeji, Champignon, Sajor-Caju Mushrooms

It was a family reunion in this mushroom soup

Spicy Seafood & Chorizo Pasta ฿280

Capellini, Seafood, Chorizo, Garlic, Dried Chilli

Fish & Chips ฿280

Fried Sea Bass, Fries

Kurobuta Pork Charcoal Burger ฿300

Kurobuta Pork in Galbi Sauce, Kimchi Coleslaw, Grilled Tofu

The food was pretty.. normal. lol. So just come here for the coffee

But I bought their beans home for the friend and the friend claimed she really liked it alot. So, you can also consider getting the beans from here

We proceeded outside to explore and take photos of what that made this place so insta-worthy (other than the coffee of course)

And found this Stonehenge-inspired monument outside

I’m entertained. lol. You can pretend you are somewhere in England

And then it got so hot outside I decided to order another drink to cool myself down, which the drink was really thirst-quenching

And since we had some time to spare before our next destination, I decided to drop by Yellow Submarine which was pretty known for its architecture

Cash only

I guess this place must be rather popular on social since this was basically a Singaporean hang-out place

But I guess you can always try out other cafes. There’s a list to choose from

We had a 3pm reservation at PB Valley Khao Yai Winery which the guide told us it’s a pretty popular place and we need to make our reservations early. But I guessed it’s popular cos there’s not that many wineries in that region and there’s not many things to do in Khao Yai

You register at the front desk and they would give you a seat number and which tram you were allocated to

The tour was pretty full and was conducted in both Thai and English

And we were brought around the factory where rooms for harvesting, fermentation and ageing were deemed to take place

Then we were brought to see some of their best wines. Unfortunately which we did not manage to try

We went on to their tasting rooms

which you could actually choose the alcoholic option or the non-alcoholic option (which was grape juice)

When I heard what were the grapes that were being used, I knew the wine wouldn’t be great

so I opted for the grape juice instead. lol. Which was a tad too sweet but definitely better than the Syrah given the less then satisfactory response

We went back to the tram which took us around the wineyard

And we could have some photos with the grapes

Before the hour-long tour concluded

We popped by Primo Piazza which was a themed area in Khao Yai for photo takings

But lets be honest, where in Khao Yai wasn’t meant for photo takings? lol

Okay they did have a few spots for you to feed your socials

They have a small barn up the hill for you to feed the animals

They stinked. lol

I took a few shots and ran away

The whole place was pretty small so unless you doing a full day photoshoot with different outfit change, else 30 minutes here was more than enough

Last item on the itinerary was of course dinner and we went to Prime 19 due to good reviews online

It’s known for as a steakhouse though they have a great selection of food on menu

and wine as well

They also had a hidden cellar which you could go in and pick your own wine

And so we bought a bottle to takeaway since the wines sold here were so cheap

Prosciutto Parma w Melon ฿560

We started with some parma ham. The melon was unbelievable sweet and the portion of the ham was thinly sliced and generous. It was a great start to the meal

Pan Seared Salmon w Thai Spicy Salad ฿480

The salmon was well-cooked and the Thai sauce made it really appetising. Though this dish in general as compared to the rest was pretty forgettable

Rice w Stir Fry Prawns Basil & Fried Egg ฿380

Ooh, this was so good. Prawns were huge and sweet and the basil was so satisfying

Braised Chicken Massaman Curry Pot Pie ฿280

It reminded us of curry chicken and the pot pie was done so well

Chateaubriand ฿1580

I thought the chateaubriand was good but not the best I’ve tried

Everyone had a favourite dish here. Beef for the dad, prawns for the mum and pot pie for me. It turned out this was one of the best meals for us the entire trip and I would recommend anyone to come here (and buy some wine too)

Last morning here at our tent so we went around to explore the ground

which we found the swimming pool we never got to use

before we check-out and proceeded on to our first destination of the day

Suwan Corn Farm

I thought we would be visiting a farm to see some corns but unfortunately we did not have access to the farms so we just browse the supermarket

And sold everything corn related. They were quite known for their corn milk which I got some to try as well. Well, it’s quite an interesting taste

They sold alot of snacks/souvenir which you can buy back home or drop by the cafe next door for some hot drinks

Visited Ban Mai Chay Nam next which had a museum, hotel and restaurant altogether in one

Entrance to the museum

You could choose one of the refreshments at the end of the museum tour

Basically, this place was covered in antiques, dust and slice of history

Some might be entertained. I was quite bored cos the amount of dust just put me off

So we crossed the bridge and explored the hotel

which I thought the architecture and design was quite cool

and came back to the restaurant for lunch

We had Coconut Icecream, Longan Juice and Thai milk tea for our refreshments. The coconut icecream was abit too creamy and lacked coconut fragrance, longan juice too sweet and the milk tea was equally sweet too though the fragrance of the tea leaves were quite evident

Moving onto food next

Fried Chicken Wings

These fried chicken wings were so good. It was fragrant, crisp and tender and even though these were skinny wings, you don’t feel shortchanged cos you still get to enjoy the meat. So delicious

Souffle Fried with Crabmeat

Most disappointing. The egg was so oily and I felt like I was just eating oil off the egg. Point to note: if the dish did not appear as a picture on the menu, do not order. lol

Thai Fish Cakes

I love these fish cakes too. They were so generous with the filling and I love the mixture of the Thai herbs in it

Tom Yum Soup

Legit tom yum soup with big fresh prawns. It was serving after serving non stop

Fried Sea Bass w Fish Sauce

I thought the fish was average. You could give this a miss. It appeared as a picture on the menu though. lol #noteverythingasapictureisgood

Stir Fry Kang Kong

You could taste the wok key in this. It was a plate of veggies nicely done

We were so full after lunch but it was time to head back to Bangkok so we decided a grab a cup of coffee before our long drive back

I found Unspecial Roaster randomly on Google and it turned out they served quite a good cup of coffee too

There’s really no lack of good coffee places in Thailand

And this marked the end of Part 1 of my Thailand trip