Shopping Spree

Monday, July 11, 2011
Bangkok, Thailand
Andrew woke up at 6:45am and didn't manage to go back to sleep whereas I was flat out until he woke me up at 9am. We both felt really tired probably a result of the long journey the previous day. Anyway, I had a cool shower and got ready and although Andrew had already claimed that he didn't need a shower he made his way to the shower after me. I then got a bit of a shock when I went to brush my teeth as there was a naked woman stood at the door of a shower cubicle. I didn't really have a problem with people stripping off but the bathroom was communal and not female only so any bloke could have got an eye full! She didn't even flicker when I turned up and she left her towel and sarong outside of the cubicle so no doubt somebody did get a free stripper when they made a trip to the bathroom. Anyway, we got ready and set off walking towards the closest BTS station. We were starving along the way so we called off at a small cafe to get breakfast. We found the 'Saphan Taksin' BTS station but we weren't exactly well prepared as we didn't have any change for the ticketing machine, so we had to ask at the counter before buying a ticket to Siam. A train soon pulled up and we stepped inside the icy cold carriage, due to the very effective air-conditioning, which was more than welcome in the thirty-five degree heat of the day. A short journey later we arrived at Siam and after going down an escalator we were right at the entrance to 'Siam Paragon' shopping mall. Andrew was desperate for the toilet so we went straight inside, after passing through a metal detector security gate, and found the nearest toilet. The shopping mall was full of shops that were way out of our price range, including Armani and Marc Jacobs, so we decided to head for 'MBK Shopping Centre'. 
 
We eventually reached 'MBK' after following a raised walkway to luckily avoid the fuming traffic . It was quite a sight looking down at the multi-coloured road below us, as it was lined with pink, purple, yellow, orange and green taxis that shone brightly in the sun. We eventually reached 'MBK' and passed through another metal detector which beeped but the guard did nothing, so we entered to find the place bustling with people and a little manic. However, it did look a lot cheaper and more affordable so we set about ticking off our shopping list. Andrew managed to haggle himself five pairs of fake Calvin Klein boxer shorts for B400, which was around eight pound. I managed to find a pair of skinny jeans for B990, which was around twenty pound and a little more than I had wanted to pay but they were a good fit. We didn't come across any suitable footwear so we decided to head to a different shopping mall. We called into 'Siam Centre' but nothing stood out so we ended up at our starting point. We had a quick look at the directory before heading to 'Mango' and 'Zara' but we didn't find anything to buy. It was by this point around 3pm and we were starving so we made our way back across the walkway to 'MBK' as Andrew wanted nothing other than a Burger King . The place was heaving but I managed to find a spare table whilst Andrew ordered our usual Whopper meal. We had another wander around the shops in 'MBK' and Andrew bought a woolly hat whilst I bought a pair of black boots before we decided to call it a day. We walked to the closest BTS station, which was 'National Stadium' and got a train back to 'Saphan Taksin'. 
 
We walked back to our guesthouse and sat in the cafe with a nice cold drink. We felt shattered and our feet were aching so much we just chilled out until we felt a little hungry. I looked in the 'Rough Guide' for somewhere to eat close by and decided on 'Harmonique Cafe' which was just up the road from 'New Road Guesthouse'. We set off walking but ended up walking straight past the turning as it just looked like a back alley. However, on closer inspection we saw a yellow sign for 'Harmonique Cafe' which was the only thing in the alley. It was quite a random place as it didn't exactly look appealing because of the location but the entrance led to a nice open-air courtyard. We took a seat and we were a little overwhelmed by the menu. There was a written menu in addition to a picture menu, but for once the food pictures didn't put me off eating as everything looked appetising. I finally decided on 'Chicken Satay' and Andrew ordered 'Crab Meat Noodle Soup'. The food was pretty nice and as I fancied something sweet we shared a 'Sticky Rice & Mango' dish. We returned to our guesthouse and had a game of pool in the cafe, whilst Andrew had a Chang and I had a complimentary coffee. I was so tired that I went to bed before Andrew as he was engrossed in a magazine and he hadn't quite finished his beer. 
Other Entries

Comments

2025-05-22

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank