first day in bangkok

I arrived in Bangkok past midnight on 25 April 2012. In the morning, I woke up to this view.

This is not a hotel. It's much, much better.

One of my favorite rooms in this beautiful home is the kitchen. So sleek, organized and functional-- I love it!

But of course, nothing beats the living room. These people have their own private swimming pool next to their living room-- and they're my friends. Woohoo!

For my first meal in Bangkok, we went to Kalpapruek On First at the Emporium Mall. I had some amazingly tender steak with sticky rice. What is that weirdly delicious sauce?

Note the Som Tam. Of course I had to have a papaya salad right away.

It isn't a proper Thai welcome lunch without Tom Yum Gung.

I think the main reason we ordered the fried chicken wings was to have something to dip in the fantastic sweet chili sauce.

Bunny Rabbit had the first of many, many versions of Khao Pad.

Verdict: Kalpapruek On First is an excellent Thai restaurant. It's not cheap (about 300 baht per person), but their Thai classic dishes are simply delectable, the portion sizes are quite generous and, most importantly for us on that sweltering day, they have air-conditioning. I was happy.

Thank you so very much, you guys. I'll be back, and I'll be sure to bring some Purefoods corned beef and Joy dishwashing liquid with me.