16 posts tagged “bangkok”
Had to finish off the trip with a Hapa Spa experience, and for $95 each, we sweated it out in the infared sauna, got a full body scrub, an amazing oil massage, and a 'milk' jacuzzi...all which took a total of 3 hours, OMG....D is fast asleep right now, and I feel like I could party all night and every day, but only one night left in Bangkok now, and leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow!
Here's some images for fun, loosely related to Thai culture, or not...!?!
Time is running out now, so D and I cruised back to some shopping, checking out Gaysorn Plaza, another upmarket mall, with more interesting upper floors than lower ones (the usual suspects like Prada, Chanel et al on the ground floor again), a lovely pair of $4000 designer eye glasses in the Vision shop (!?!) and a lovely looking spa and some luxury but traditional influenced fashion and homewares stores sharing the top floor, interesting to look at the amazingly presented stores but not going into any here.
Then back to MBK and CentralWorld to pick up the last few pressies for the parents...back to see the silver guy who recognised we were Australian and started putting on a funny Aussie accent (niney nine baaaaaaht, G'Day mate, etc!), of course his stall was also good value, so we obliged. Then back a couple of stations to CentralWorld, where we heard music and headed for it, catching a fashion show "Elle fashion week 2008".
Cruising around that groovy end of the plaza into "Invincible Sword" and some other groovy shops...it was quite groovy, but how they could sell their t shirts for 1,000BHT when two doors down t-shirts were 170BHT I don't know, they weren't that much groovier!
Wat Phra Kaeo and the Grand Palace, the sites to see in Bangkok according to many...we were bedazzled by it's splendour...the amazing Ramayana murals...statues of exotic creatures from Thai mythology, shiny shiny wats and chedis...the Emerald Bhudda, tiny on it's huge raised platform of glistening gold, we ignored all prompts for 'need a guide' on the way in and 'boat trip' on the way out, etc., as advised in travel blogs, and toured ourselves around...having read background info in advance and with our trusty free map (included in entry fee) in hand...
We dressed respectfully, many others turning up in shorts and singlets were promptly sent to be 'dressed' appropriately.
Well it didn't have to be done, but we did it anyway out of curiosity, we went on down to Khao San Road, just to see the sights, after hearing so much about it, it seemed such a tiny street, lined with many stalls with same-same fisherman pants, sarongs, bikinis, leather-and-shell-bead jewellery, some farang getting their hair braided at street stalls or getting some dreds done, tailors (can't see what trade they would do in such a 'bohemian' street!?!) many guest houses and several bars like "The Irish Pub" et al, went to check out the back courtyard of our lunch place and caught a street dog drinking from the ladies loo...hmm...
Very out of sync with the rest of the business and shopping districts of Bangkok which are quite stylish and a long way from the flip flops and sarongs of Khao San.
D's shoulder wasn't feeling so good yesterday, so I left him to sleep and went off to MBK again, half an hour in and I'm already sat down in a silk stall by it's owner and planning to buy way too much..was having fun with the sales lady, but in the end she won on quantity of goods I ended up with, but did bring the overall price down quite considerably in the end, despite me having reading that MBK stallholders don't bargain, as prices are already good (mostly true) but now have slight concern for the weight of my suitcase!
As Deane was still sleeping and I had bought too much already, I went for Thai menu lunch (pad thai prawn) and an Americano iced espresso at Black Canyon, followed by a foot massage, which for $10 was amazing, and also seems to include leg, shoulder and some back and neck cracking also, interesting foot massage! Seemed to go for a long time, and felt great! His lordship then called to advise housekeeping had awoken him calling to ask if they could clean our room, so he'd meet me out for a watermelon freeze at Black Canyon MBK...mmmm nice and icy in this warm weather...
Day of rest, mostly...food courts are the best value for a longer stay in Bangkok, I'm talking about the coupon ones generally at the top of shopping malls, the ones that have great food from 40-80BHT....maybe slightly hidden behind something else that looks like a food court, but is actually a group of chain restaurants like MOS Burger, Burger King, Santa's, Swensen's, Piri Piri, '8' Hachiban Ramen, Pizza Hut et al, all who charge from 100-500BHT or more...look further, or maybe higher, next floor...buy coupons, refund any you don't need at the end, enjoy! The views can be nice too...
Wandered around The Emporium into Exotique Thai...looking at beautiful silk clothes, and some cloth that looked like it was woven with silk and real gold thread....checked price tag, equivalent to $6000AUD, I'd say it probably was real gold thread...walked out of Exotique Thai and into Jim Thompson store, then The Emporium department store...golden striped shower curtain? Scene of tropical island toilet seat? NASA space launch quilt cover? Hmmmm, many many baht for all...think I'll just go back to Suan Lum Night Bazaar for anything more than just browsing!
Emporium shopping, some gorgeous Thai folk art wrapping paper, tried on some groovy runners in The Emporium department store (cheaper than Melbourne and originals!), lunch at the top floor coupon food court, unbelievably cheap good eats for a rather luxury shopping centre with stores of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada on the ground foor!
An afternoon nap...watching "Primeval" series on DVD (also from Emporium department store, almost as cheap as 'special' DVDs around Bangkok, incredibly, and all originals!)....saving ourselves for tour tomorrow!
Pratunam Market, another labyrinth of stalls, mostly of small (Thai size) cute casual clothes, and of course the obligatory food and drink stalls, frosty coffee drinks, cups of corn, mystery meat on sticks, just passed through on our way to Baiyoke II Tower, where for just 200BHT (around $7) you get to head up to the 83rd floor in their transparent elevator...yes, even a view on the way up.....and receive your free drink at the Rooftop Bar, before heading upstairs to the revolving viewing platform on the 84th floor, great 360 degree views all around Bangkok, right out to the Gulf of Siam....for us, a view of a big black storm coming across, I like storms, makes pics look all moody/gothy.
On the way back through the Pratunam market labyrinth we saw "Platinum" shopping centre once free from the maze of stalls, we of course were curious so went in to have a look see, very Thai, not a farang in sight, was yet another labyrinth of stalls, just indoors! However, we did find comfort and caffeine in "Black Canyon Coffee"...sweet caffeine, that little boost we needed to actually make it back to the hotel...
Evening swim, very soothing, great night views from the hotel rooftop...room service (effort to go out..too hard!), Tom Yum Goong (spicy prawn soup) for me, Club sandwich for him...well it's raining outside, who wants to go searching for cheap eats in the rain?
Leisurely morning, weather not too hot so went for a stroll around Benjirisi Park (only 1 block from the hotel), a lovely spot with a lake, some sculptures of interest, lovely lush tropical plants, and a good bike track (could hire a bike for 20BHT an hour, i.e. 80 cents)...or hire a pedal boat that looks like a swan for 30BHT for 30 minutes...but did we? Nah...
Was easy to get to the show by M-train, followed by free shuttle from Thai Cultural Centre station. Show was super touristy but very spectacular, they take your picture on your way in, which you find out shortly after is yourself super-imposed with a costumed Thai girl on a 'fantasy' background from the show, in a little silk frame (for 200BHT of course) had to have it, and you have to pass a couple of shops of Thai merchandise which you can get cheaper at Chatuchak market (apart from the Siam Niramit t-shirts of course).
Show was a wowser, great costumes, a 'king' riding in on a real elephant, a river appearing from nowhere which a 'monk' paddled his boat down to get alms from villagers, it raining on stage in the Village scene and the rice paddies 'growing' before our eyes. A mythical forest with mythical creature, winged, golden, an enormous dragon-snake (will have to read up on my Thai mythology!). The Thai cultural idea of karma (i.e. do good in this life and get merit in the next, do bad and suffer bad consequences), represented by a "Fiery Hell' scene with hell demons beating poor dead/undead people who had been bad in a previous life with big spikey clubs, poking them with tridents and boiling them in oil, etc....followed by "Blissfull Heaven" complete with many 'flying heavenly angels'...taking us through some festival culture, including elephants parading in the aisle behind our seats, and pulling a few of us farangs from the audience to participate in placing floating flower & candle 'boats' into the river on stage...and more, scenes were quite amazing.
Today, lazy day, got up late, had lunch...incredible sashimi at Fuji @ Siam Paragon...then travelled to another world...downstairs to Siam Ocean World, an Australian built aquarium, yes we ate fish then we saw fish. I've seen Melbourne and Sydney Aquariums and love those, but have never seen some of the creatures at this venue, and some fanciful settings pseudo 'rainforest'...sort of...the otters were too cute, and there was a rather naughty/cranky old huge turtle that liked to splash anyone that got close enough for him to wet them, after I got splashed myself, I stood back and checked out the Japanese tourists who were next for a splashing...couldn't help myself! Sure it's not like scuba diving, or even just getting outdoors...but until I get my Padi...(maybe next year in Thailand?)
