just came back from a short holiday to bangkok a week ago.. although this is my second visit but i still did lots of shopping. and this time round, i went to visit one of their famous temple, wat phraw kew. all i could remember was my legs were very tired from all the walking and the sun was blazing hot.
on my first day, we went to the shopping malls nearby for a start. like my first visit, we went to the supermarket to stock up on some drinks and snacks. the beers there are so cheap, heineken costs a dollar each can. we also went to siam center and mbk, but we didnt buy anything much knowing that chatuchak would have it at a cheaper price.
second day, we went to khao san road, where you'll find lots of imitation jackets, clothes and footwear. and also cheap dresses, tops and bikinis! in the mid afternoon, we went to wat phraw kew. from the map, its pretty nearby. we spoke to one of the store owners when we got to khao san road and she said its 10mins away. but after 30mins, we were still trying to find the place. we asked a couple of thais but they werent able to answer us. the last gentleman we asked said "oh.. you want to go there, follow me." he looked like he is in his late 40's, very humble, wearing shirt and pants (rarely seen) and his hair neatly combed back. we followed him across the road and he brought us into a building which i was initially skeptical about. the guards at the door stand to greet him and they looked at us in an odd manner. curious, we asked if he worked here. he told us that this is the supreme court and he is working as a judge. we were like wow! lucky us. haha. finally, we managed to find the famous wat phraw kew. later in the day, we went to chinatown which is not too far away. my bro's gf told us to tell the cab driver yaowarat rd if he didnt understand where chinatown is. theres nothing much to shop in chinatown. but i managed to get something for BB, new bed and chain. the bed was such a good deal i had to buy it although i know there might be a problem storing it in my luggage. the must to do in chinatown is to try their bird nest and shark fin soup. but the driver let us off at the wrong place so we had to walk around alot before we found a shop sellling the delicacies. the shark fin soup was so good cos it was served hot in a claypot! and with a satisfied stomach, we end the day.
day three, saturday! of course we had to go to chatuchak. the one advice is to visit the loo before you go there because the entire place is a maze, to find a toilet even with a map could be a big challenge. we walked and walked and we find ourselves walking back to the same stretch of stores for like 6 times or more. the soi numbers are all jumbled up. this time round, it wasnt as tiring as the first time when i came, prob bcos its my first destination for the day. we were supposed to leave like 3pm or so but we ended up leaving an hour later. lots and lots of cheap clothes, watches, handicrafts, hats and footwear. i brought a bag to put in my shopping items and i had to buy another bigger one there. but i thought the bag was very worthwhile. for the price of 150 baht, you can buy the huge china nylon bag and my bag costs only 300 baht after haggling. before we end the day, we went to platinum mall and pratunam market but was disappointed to find out that the mall was closing. the cab drivers said that the shops in pratunam start only around 3pm. the market looks fairly dead, not as vibrant as i thought it would be but we still managed to get some good deals. and for the first time, we tried their street food-sotong dipped in chilli. the vendor asked if i wanted chilli and i said a little and it turned out to be so spicy i teared. i cant imagine how spicy it would be if he poured the chilli into the bag like we saw for the previous customer. last stop for the day, suan lum night market. one cab driver said suan lum is like a duplicate of chatuchak, just more expensive. but we just had to complete the whole experience. the shops are more organised, you still can find fairly cheap t-shirts and handicrafts. there were also a number of stores selling imitation lighters, car key holders, key rings, key chains, tiffy & co money clippers and jewelleries. with that, we finally got around to have our dinner. its very similar to glutton bay but bigger and they have a huge stage right in front and people in weird hair colours jumping up and down singing. we had to purchase vouchers from the counter before getting our food. we were so tired, we settled for one of the nearby thai food stalls. the food wasnt fantastic, my mum can cook better. but at least its good enough to fill our stomach.
last day, we went to platinum mall for last min shopping and pratunam market to search for the polo-t my bro asked me to get. after much walking, we asked an auntie wearing the exact polo-t, where we could get it. she said theres no more shops selling them in pratunam market, we asked if there is anywhere we could buy them. jokingly, she said the police station cos the people have all been arrested. with that, we went to mbk cos thats the one last place that i know has it but its much more expensive. after all the rush, we finally bought everything that we have to get. we went to the hotel to pack our bags and head to the airport.
home sweet home..
