Another 5.30am internal wake-up call for me, but this time icicles were hanging from my eyebrows. My sis had turned the temperature down to freezer proportions. More Friends reruns.
Breakfast is becoming more efficient. We both just go for what we know we'd like. They had spring rolls today, rolls that even Tian could enjoy because they showed no hint of vegetables. I think I burnt my toast today but I simply scraped off the charred bits with my knife.
We hailed a taxi from the front door, and headed for the Grand Palace. I wasn't expecting much. Just the usual. You know? Boring temple like atmosphere, golden pointy rooftops, lots of statues and hot weather.
Well, it was all that but it was more fun than I expected. Lots of pictures from this visit. Tian seemed to like some faded building she kept snapping photos of. She likes to take pictures of windows too. And I thought doors were weird enough. The crowds were teeming, more than anywhere else in Bangkok and it was almost elbow space only in some areas, it's amazing that our photos weren't just of a mass of animated heads.
We tried to call back home from a payphone. No luck. Probably lunch time over there.
Hailing a cab back to the hotel proved to be more difficult than expected.
"100 Baht. I take you."
"Noooooo. That's ripping us off."
Finally, after walking like about a 100 metres, we found a cab that would charge us by the meter. The taxi was hot and muggy and I soon fell asleep. About twenty minutes later, I was woken with a start when the driver overshot the hotel turning, then screeched to a stop and dropped us off outside Coca restaurant. Impulsively, we decided to enter for lunch. It wasn't half bad though we got strange looks when we didn't order suki (steamboat). I wondered if I would bring the Sprite bottle home for my brother but finally decided it was too much of a hassle.
After lunch, we headed back to Novotel for a short rest then decided to visit Jim Thompson's house. Apparently, he was some OSS chap (that's more or less CIA) which makes him a spook who lived in Thailand and revived it's weaving industry. Tian was quite interested.
Wasn't much to talk about actually, just a bunch of old buildings which we weren't allowed to snap pictures in. Thompson apparently disappeared in Malaysia under mysterious circumstances at the age of 61 but that's about all that's interesting about him.
Apart from that, we finally chalked up another shopping centre to our list of contacts. Siam Discovery was equally fruitless but I did manage to snag some cheap Corinthian football figures.
We're due back in Singapore tomorrow. Gotta pack.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Day 3 - MBK Madness
The morning call was set at 8.30am this morning since we weren't in any particularly hurry. We've been watching this mini-series on Star Movies the past two nights. It's pretty interesting though we hadn't heard of it before. It's called The Lost Room and it's... oh go read about it. It's a three parter, so we'll hopefully catch the last two hours tonight and see how it ends.
However, I bizarrely wake up at 5.30am and don't go back to sleep. I kill time by watching Friends reruns till daybreak. I make a mental note to catch more next time. Sitcoms are passe, true but we did have fun while they lasted. Nowadays, it's all Lost and Prison Break and CSI and not so much Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier. People are getting bored. They either simply stop following one day or buy the DVD boxset.
But I digress. Back to Thailand. Breakfast today is an improvement. There's samosa, fried bread and the porridge actually looks good. There's still a thousand and one kinds of sausage. No pineapple juice today, so Tian starts preaching on the goodness of watermelon juice. We eat our fill, then pick up our bellies and stagger downstairs to the lobby.
We enquire at the concierge/cum porter desk about places of interest within the vicinity. MBK? Check. Siam Centre? Check. Siam Paragon? Check. Central World? Check. The porter manages to tell us about Emporium which is like 5 train stops away (with some difficulty and lots of gesturing). My sis is excited to finally ride the Skytrain. She's been yapping about taking a ride since Day 1.
A single trip train ticket to Phrom Pheng (Zone 3) costs 25 Baht. That's about one Singapore Dollar. The train is packed, but mercifully not as crowded as the one going in the opposite direction. The people on board don't shove their way in and out either and show a strange quirk of giving their seats up for little children. At one stop, three little kids enter the carriage and the fastest one scrambles for an empty seat. Immediately, the lady beside him stands up and without a word, steers his brother into the seat, likewise another lady does the same for their sister opposite. No words are said at all, and the Indian mother doesn't even acknowledge it.
Emporium is still closed. It'll open at 10am but we're 15 minutes early. We can see the guard sitting on the other side of the locked entrance from the skytrain walkway. We walk down to ground level and take a walk around the building, ending up inside Emporium Suites, which is apparently some kind of workplace, where businesspeople scurry to and fro. I buy a Strawberry Smoothie from au bon pain which is like everywhere in Bangkok. I wonder what's the significance of it's name. Here comes the Pain?
It's finally 10am and we head in to the welcoming coolness of the building's interior. Looks like high end stuff on the ground floor too. It's open and spacious and Tian wants to window shop at ground level. I head for Level 3, where there are two bookstores, an Internet Cafe and a Sports shop for statters.
They actually serve cookies and coffee with your internet! Only for 100 Baht. I think I'll pass.
There's nothing much to be bought and we soon head back to the hotel for a breather, once more via the Skytrain. We'd originally planned to visit the Grand Palace but found out they close at 3.30pm. That's mighty early, isn't it? What are they going to do after? Scrub the floors?
We decide to give MBK another shot. Painful as it might be, we've still got stuff we want to buy. Bargain or no bargain, we're going in. We stop for lunch at a Japanese outlet called 8, which serves ramen which tastes like instant noodles. Thankfully, it's instant noodle affordable too.
We get some shirts and Tian buys a skirt or two she's been eyeing since the first visit. Unfortunately, negotiation isn't her forte. She shows the EQ of a wombat. Let me explain.
When the shopkeeper's fierce, she tends to make her offer sound like a question.
*Cue soft voice* "200 Baht?"
"No! 1000 Baht"
I tell her she needs to be firm so she tries it out.
Next stop is a Chinese snack store. She marches up to the counter.
"100 Baht!" She snaps. Sigh, I give up.
Tian misses her sunflowers back in Singapore.
However, I bizarrely wake up at 5.30am and don't go back to sleep. I kill time by watching Friends reruns till daybreak. I make a mental note to catch more next time. Sitcoms are passe, true but we did have fun while they lasted. Nowadays, it's all Lost and Prison Break and CSI and not so much Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier. People are getting bored. They either simply stop following one day or buy the DVD boxset.
But I digress. Back to Thailand. Breakfast today is an improvement. There's samosa, fried bread and the porridge actually looks good. There's still a thousand and one kinds of sausage. No pineapple juice today, so Tian starts preaching on the goodness of watermelon juice. We eat our fill, then pick up our bellies and stagger downstairs to the lobby.
We enquire at the concierge/cum porter desk about places of interest within the vicinity. MBK? Check. Siam Centre? Check. Siam Paragon? Check. Central World? Check. The porter manages to tell us about Emporium which is like 5 train stops away (with some difficulty and lots of gesturing). My sis is excited to finally ride the Skytrain. She's been yapping about taking a ride since Day 1.
A single trip train ticket to Phrom Pheng (Zone 3) costs 25 Baht. That's about one Singapore Dollar. The train is packed, but mercifully not as crowded as the one going in the opposite direction. The people on board don't shove their way in and out either and show a strange quirk of giving their seats up for little children. At one stop, three little kids enter the carriage and the fastest one scrambles for an empty seat. Immediately, the lady beside him stands up and without a word, steers his brother into the seat, likewise another lady does the same for their sister opposite. No words are said at all, and the Indian mother doesn't even acknowledge it.
Emporium is still closed. It'll open at 10am but we're 15 minutes early. We can see the guard sitting on the other side of the locked entrance from the skytrain walkway. We walk down to ground level and take a walk around the building, ending up inside Emporium Suites, which is apparently some kind of workplace, where businesspeople scurry to and fro. I buy a Strawberry Smoothie from au bon pain which is like everywhere in Bangkok. I wonder what's the significance of it's name. Here comes the Pain?
It's finally 10am and we head in to the welcoming coolness of the building's interior. Looks like high end stuff on the ground floor too. It's open and spacious and Tian wants to window shop at ground level. I head for Level 3, where there are two bookstores, an Internet Cafe and a Sports shop for statters.
They actually serve cookies and coffee with your internet! Only for 100 Baht. I think I'll pass.
There's nothing much to be bought and we soon head back to the hotel for a breather, once more via the Skytrain. We'd originally planned to visit the Grand Palace but found out they close at 3.30pm. That's mighty early, isn't it? What are they going to do after? Scrub the floors?
We decide to give MBK another shot. Painful as it might be, we've still got stuff we want to buy. Bargain or no bargain, we're going in. We stop for lunch at a Japanese outlet called 8, which serves ramen which tastes like instant noodles. Thankfully, it's instant noodle affordable too.
We get some shirts and Tian buys a skirt or two she's been eyeing since the first visit. Unfortunately, negotiation isn't her forte. She shows the EQ of a wombat. Let me explain.
When the shopkeeper's fierce, she tends to make her offer sound like a question.
*Cue soft voice* "200 Baht?"
"No! 1000 Baht"
I tell her she needs to be firm so she tries it out.
Next stop is a Chinese snack store. She marches up to the counter.
"100 Baht!" She snaps. Sigh, I give up.
Tian misses her sunflowers back in Singapore.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Day 2 - Places Missed
The 7am morning call we set last night jarred us awake. Oh man, It's so comfy here. I can't be bothered to answer that phone.
The ringing stops and I warily crack open an eyelid and spy my sister arranged haphazardly on the bed beside. No luck there either. We've slept nearly 9 hours and we're still dog tired.
The phone rings again and I groan inwardly. Tian gets up and takes it off the hook. It's the start of a new day. I'm 21. Yeeha.
We're down at the breakfast table by 8. I heap poached eggs, bacon, ham and three different kinds of sausages on my plate and make an imaginary mountain. The sushi on offer tastes stale but who cares? The orange juice is freshly squeezed too, but Tian opts for pineapple juice. Yuck. We discuss the day ahead. She wants to go to Safari Park. I feel it's too far away.
We're met in the lobby by a male guide. Ban is his name, or at least that's how I think it's spelt. We're supposed to wait for another couple but after a few minutes, we're told that they've canceled. On to the minivan then for the half day city tour.
We're going to see two temples and a gem dealer. That's all they can cram in half a day. We reckon the last stop is commission for the guide. But first, Ban tells us we've to pick up some more tourists at another hotel.
The next hotel is smack in the middle of a couple of crowded alleyways where people are busy setting up stalls. Some kind of market, it sure looks busy.
The new additions file on to the bus, a frail old woman and her daughter from Manila and the latter's cousin, a retired schoolteacher from Hawaii. They flew in last night and they'll be gone by tomorrow. They're dismayed to find out how little ground they'll cover this morning. They offer us sweets and the old woman cackles as she tells us the other two have come to Thailand just to buy sweets.
"Last night, it was so late and yet they told me they were going down to 7 Eleven to buy candy!"
"It was only 8.30!" protests her daughter, "but of course she was already dressed and tucked up in bed."
We proceed to our first stop. The Marble Temple looks impressive. The gold tiles on the roof glint brightly in the morning sun while we enter through a front gate guarded by two dragon like creatures. They've been surrounded by barbed wired railings and extra wire is laid across their backs. I wonder if they're there to prevent people from stealing them but my sister comes up with a more likely explanation. "They don't want you climbing on them to take photographs."
We join a school group snapping pictures in the main sanctuary. They're all snapping away happily. My camera keeps telling me it's run out of batteries, then promptly changes it's mind. I snap off a few shots, the best of which depicts a stained glass above the window.
Ban stays outside the temple, a scene we're going to encounter at every stop. Tian thinks he's sick of all the places, but I still think it's strange behaviour. He's the guide, no?
We snap off a few more pictures in the temple grounds. Tian likes to be in her shots but I refuse to let her drag me into the frames. Some of them turn out pretty nice. The woman from Hawaii likes taking pictures of doors. She wants to make a photo collection of them. Weird.
The next stop is the Temple of the Standing Buddha. We enter pass the obligatory shrine and Tian points out urns embedded in the walls surrounding it. The Standing Buddha is indeed huge and towers above us but is remarkably unremarkable. Photo opportunities are scarce. We mosey around till it's time to go but not before we spot some Thais putting coins into like a hundred bowls placed in front of 8 idols on a table, one after another.
Ban explains that the 8 idols represent days of the week and the Thais start from the idol symbolising the day they were born. From right to left, the idols symbolise Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Day, Wednesday Night, Thursday, Friday and finally Saturday. He also tells us the place was built by King Rama V, who incidentally also built the Marble Temple and almost everything else he mentions. Swell fellow, this Rama V. Must have been some architect. There's also an entertaining tidbit about Thaksin. King Thaksin is apparently spelt the same as the billionaire former prime minister Thaksin. But the former is pronounced Thaaaksin while the latter Taksin. Okay, cool.
The gem trader is similarly boring, but we get a Thai silk purse set for Grandmother and flee. The complimentary van from the trader's gets us to Siam Paragon and we, following earlier directions from Ban, visit Central World Shopping Centre. It's huge too, and I find to my delight, an Arsenal Store. Heaven indeed.
Lunch at Paragon is at Sweet Delights. I order Chicken Cordon Bleu while Tian tries the Mexican Chicken. My portion tastes good, with cheese oozing out but my sister can't finish hers. We finish off with pretzels from Auntie Annies. Strange that we never tried them in Singapore even though there's supposedly a store at Ngee Ann City. We won't make that mistake again.
The ringing stops and I warily crack open an eyelid and spy my sister arranged haphazardly on the bed beside. No luck there either. We've slept nearly 9 hours and we're still dog tired.
The phone rings again and I groan inwardly. Tian gets up and takes it off the hook. It's the start of a new day. I'm 21. Yeeha.
We're down at the breakfast table by 8. I heap poached eggs, bacon, ham and three different kinds of sausages on my plate and make an imaginary mountain. The sushi on offer tastes stale but who cares? The orange juice is freshly squeezed too, but Tian opts for pineapple juice. Yuck. We discuss the day ahead. She wants to go to Safari Park. I feel it's too far away.
We're met in the lobby by a male guide. Ban is his name, or at least that's how I think it's spelt. We're supposed to wait for another couple but after a few minutes, we're told that they've canceled. On to the minivan then for the half day city tour.
We're going to see two temples and a gem dealer. That's all they can cram in half a day. We reckon the last stop is commission for the guide. But first, Ban tells us we've to pick up some more tourists at another hotel.
The next hotel is smack in the middle of a couple of crowded alleyways where people are busy setting up stalls. Some kind of market, it sure looks busy.
The new additions file on to the bus, a frail old woman and her daughter from Manila and the latter's cousin, a retired schoolteacher from Hawaii. They flew in last night and they'll be gone by tomorrow. They're dismayed to find out how little ground they'll cover this morning. They offer us sweets and the old woman cackles as she tells us the other two have come to Thailand just to buy sweets.
"Last night, it was so late and yet they told me they were going down to 7 Eleven to buy candy!"
"It was only 8.30!" protests her daughter, "but of course she was already dressed and tucked up in bed."
We proceed to our first stop. The Marble Temple looks impressive. The gold tiles on the roof glint brightly in the morning sun while we enter through a front gate guarded by two dragon like creatures. They've been surrounded by barbed wired railings and extra wire is laid across their backs. I wonder if they're there to prevent people from stealing them but my sister comes up with a more likely explanation. "They don't want you climbing on them to take photographs."
We join a school group snapping pictures in the main sanctuary. They're all snapping away happily. My camera keeps telling me it's run out of batteries, then promptly changes it's mind. I snap off a few shots, the best of which depicts a stained glass above the window.
Ban stays outside the temple, a scene we're going to encounter at every stop. Tian thinks he's sick of all the places, but I still think it's strange behaviour. He's the guide, no?
We snap off a few more pictures in the temple grounds. Tian likes to be in her shots but I refuse to let her drag me into the frames. Some of them turn out pretty nice. The woman from Hawaii likes taking pictures of doors. She wants to make a photo collection of them. Weird.
The next stop is the Temple of the Standing Buddha. We enter pass the obligatory shrine and Tian points out urns embedded in the walls surrounding it. The Standing Buddha is indeed huge and towers above us but is remarkably unremarkable. Photo opportunities are scarce. We mosey around till it's time to go but not before we spot some Thais putting coins into like a hundred bowls placed in front of 8 idols on a table, one after another.
Ban explains that the 8 idols represent days of the week and the Thais start from the idol symbolising the day they were born. From right to left, the idols symbolise Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Day, Wednesday Night, Thursday, Friday and finally Saturday. He also tells us the place was built by King Rama V, who incidentally also built the Marble Temple and almost everything else he mentions. Swell fellow, this Rama V. Must have been some architect. There's also an entertaining tidbit about Thaksin. King Thaksin is apparently spelt the same as the billionaire former prime minister Thaksin. But the former is pronounced Thaaaksin while the latter Taksin. Okay, cool.
The gem trader is similarly boring, but we get a Thai silk purse set for Grandmother and flee. The complimentary van from the trader's gets us to Siam Paragon and we, following earlier directions from Ban, visit Central World Shopping Centre. It's huge too, and I find to my delight, an Arsenal Store. Heaven indeed.
Lunch at Paragon is at Sweet Delights. I order Chicken Cordon Bleu while Tian tries the Mexican Chicken. My portion tastes good, with cheese oozing out but my sister can't finish hers. We finish off with pretzels from Auntie Annies. Strange that we never tried them in Singapore even though there's supposedly a store at Ngee Ann City. We won't make that mistake again.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Day 1 - Expectations
Flight TG402, heading for Bangkok from Singapore. It isn't my first time travelling without my parents, but this time I'll have my sister for company. Tian's not feeling all that well, but with University starting soon, it's a now or never opportunity. 5 days in Bangkok, shopping and eating. What better way to take a break from the mundane routine of National Service?
Besides, I haven't been to Bangkok since 7 years ago. That's a long time. I've had good memories from that trip back in 2001, so hopefully it'll be great fun again. I can hardly wait.
Thai Airways will be our carrier of choice this time round. No best airline in the world this time round, but surely it's comparable to our national carrier. We're almost late at the gate no thanks to some dwaddling at the departure lounge. Tian gets some off the counter medicine from 7 Eleven and that delays us a little. By the time we reach the gate, the lights are out and the staff are a little worried.
"You guys going on the flight?" the official asks.
"Yeah. We late or something?"
"Oh yes. Three of you. Just you two? Okay there's still one more person."
Apparently, we were that close to hearing a public announcement for us over the system. Damn, missed opportunity.
Seats were comfortable enough. Tian took the aisle seat since she felt that it was only chivalrous of me to sit beside the male stranger who was busy pecking away on his laptop.
A smooth takeoff later, Tian dozes off, while I check out the flight details. Strange. I always thought Singapore and Bangkok were in the same timezone. Apparently not. There's one hour's difference.
Drinks are served and I grab a glass of orange juice. I wake Tian up and she prefers apple juice. I should have asked for that. Too late.
As my sister dozes off again (yes she's not used to waking up at 5am in the morning), the guy beside me gets served his Muslim meal. Those croissants look inviting. When's my meal coming? I'm willing to ignore the fact that it's standard airline fare. The burger I had at the airport seems eons ago.
The meal is served finally while there's some really minor turbulance going on. The pilot seems capable though, it lasts no more than a few seconds, but the seatbelt sign comes on anyway.
We're given an option of Omelette or Noodles. I'm game for the Omelette. Tian asks for the same, "No noodles for me. Bleah." To our surprise, they seem to have run out and the sterwardess offers her a special set. 'Chicken Congee' the special label proclaims.
It is indeed bland airline fare. The omelette looks like a staler version of the fried egg I had the previous night while my sister's chicken serving comes in the form of chicken balls. She gingerly picks at her porridge while I take a bite of omelette then abandon it for the soggy hash browns. A few minutes later, we give in the the warm and buttery croissant. At least that's good. The yougurt's not half bad either though the fruits have seen better days.
Two hours later, the flight lands in Bangkok, the pilot bringing the lumbering beast down from the skys so smoothly there's not much more than a few bumps and the usual sound of engines backfiring. I wake with a start. Apparently I dozed off sometime after the meal too.
We're travelling light so once the doors are open, we make a beeway for immigration. Our plan is to burn rubber and get out of here as soon as possible. A long wait at the counters does not appeal.
True to form, we make it in double quick time and are soon picking our luggage up from the conveyer belt. I take the lead as we head for the meeting point marked on our map. My sis is horrible at directions, she tells me she got lost whenever her friend told her to navigate back during her trip to Australia.
We turn up at the meeting place, but the exit is blocked and there's no one to be seen. A mistake on our part surely? Ten minutes of wandering around the area later, we're still nowhere near resolving the puzzle. Tian suggests that we backtrack and sure enough, we find our guide near some railings a few exits away. We seem to be the only ones she's waiting for. My name on the sign is misspelled but I'm not surprised.
She confirms some details with us and packs us off into a waiting minivan and we make our way to the hotel. The driver tries to play an introductory dvd welcoming us to Thailand but it hangs repeatedly. Tian seems more interested in the pink taxis zooming past. The scenery is nothing to talk about. She mentions something about it resembling Malaysia.
A while later, we turn up on the doorstep on the Novotel, Siam Square. Our room's not bad, but the view is horrible. I knew we should have asked for something better, but as always, we've already passed that point.
Once the luggage is brought up to our rooms, we get our stuff in order and head off for our first stop of the day, the famous MBK shopping centre. Getting directions from the concierge, we set off on foot. I kind of remember the place vaguely from my last time round. My hopes are high. Hopefully, we'll be able to grab some bargains.
Sure enough, the place is huge and we're soon lost among the stores. There's plenty to see on the floor we're at and we spend some time flitting in and out of the shops, mostly window shopping and not buying anything. We spot some cute Ts and make a mental note to head back again later.
Two floors later, we're starting to get disillusioned. The stores are repeating themselves and there's only so much similar dresses and Ts you can take in a short time. It's not what I imagined. Kind of like Hong Kong. It's not as good as you remembered.
Tian comes across a bracelet she likes, "How much?"
"150 baht." The woman gestures.
"Erm, how much discount..." my sister's obviously not used to negotiation.
"No discount. No discount. 150."
"Uhh... 50 baht?" My sister tries, remembering my mother's advice to bargain as much as possible.
The storekeeper's eyes widen and my sister offers a 100.
"120 baht. No more."
A deal is struck. Not bad. That's about what? A bit over 4 dollars.
However, when we move off, my sister glances back and her face falls. "I think we've been scammed."
Sure enough, the storekeeper is gleefully going around to her neighboring stores and chattering excitedly with the notes and another bracelet in her hand.
"Ahh whatever. It's only a couple of dollars. We'll be wiser the next time." I comfort my sister.
There are plenty of shops selling jerseys. I make for one and enquire about an Arsenal jersey.
"Good quality! 190!" the storekeeper, a bald man exclaims excitedly, "Better quality 450!"
Ahh. Okay. Good. Better. Even Better. Got it.
I enquire about printed jerseys and he asks me what player I'm looking for.
"Erm, Nasri?"
He asks for the shirt number and I realise Arsenal's latest import hasn't been assigned one yet. Darn.
We have lunch at the foodcourt on the top floor. It's cheap but it's disappointing. The duck rice is edible but not filling. My sister's Tom Yum Goong fried rice is better but it's quite salty.
We've enough of MBK and we move on, after I purchase two books for extra reading.
Next stop is Siam Paragon. I can't say I've heard of it before but my sister has, apparently.
High end stuff apparently. The place is resplendant, the shops give off a sense of wealth and oppulence. Kind of like Singapore's own Paragon. We walk for awhile and snap a few shots. My camera shows a low battery. Uh oh, I forgot my charger and extra batteries. Strange it's running out since I charged it the night before.
We eye the Ocean World in the basement, but decide to leave it for another day. We move on to Siam Centre where the shops are more midrange. My sister's happy. I tag along and read wherever I can find seats. What's it with girls and shopping? Me I just see what I like, grab it and make the purchase. Some local singer's performing downstairs, but we're busy laughing at her effiminate escort.
We head back to the hotel to freshen up after that and then it's back to Siam Paragon for dinner. Food at the foodcourt here's much better and the selection much more varied. We eat facing an aquarium full of Koi. I come upon a perfect moment and snap a little child trying to touch the fish through the glass.
To our amazement, we find BreadTalk around the corner. Wow, taste of home, that.
Tomorrow's the city tour so we'll have to be ready by 9. It's my 21st too. Whee! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...
Besides, I haven't been to Bangkok since 7 years ago. That's a long time. I've had good memories from that trip back in 2001, so hopefully it'll be great fun again. I can hardly wait.
Thai Airways will be our carrier of choice this time round. No best airline in the world this time round, but surely it's comparable to our national carrier. We're almost late at the gate no thanks to some dwaddling at the departure lounge. Tian gets some off the counter medicine from 7 Eleven and that delays us a little. By the time we reach the gate, the lights are out and the staff are a little worried.
"You guys going on the flight?" the official asks.
"Yeah. We late or something?"
"Oh yes. Three of you. Just you two? Okay there's still one more person."
Apparently, we were that close to hearing a public announcement for us over the system. Damn, missed opportunity.
Seats were comfortable enough. Tian took the aisle seat since she felt that it was only chivalrous of me to sit beside the male stranger who was busy pecking away on his laptop.
A smooth takeoff later, Tian dozes off, while I check out the flight details. Strange. I always thought Singapore and Bangkok were in the same timezone. Apparently not. There's one hour's difference.
Drinks are served and I grab a glass of orange juice. I wake Tian up and she prefers apple juice. I should have asked for that. Too late.
As my sister dozes off again (yes she's not used to waking up at 5am in the morning), the guy beside me gets served his Muslim meal. Those croissants look inviting. When's my meal coming? I'm willing to ignore the fact that it's standard airline fare. The burger I had at the airport seems eons ago.
The meal is served finally while there's some really minor turbulance going on. The pilot seems capable though, it lasts no more than a few seconds, but the seatbelt sign comes on anyway.
We're given an option of Omelette or Noodles. I'm game for the Omelette. Tian asks for the same, "No noodles for me. Bleah." To our surprise, they seem to have run out and the sterwardess offers her a special set. 'Chicken Congee' the special label proclaims.
It is indeed bland airline fare. The omelette looks like a staler version of the fried egg I had the previous night while my sister's chicken serving comes in the form of chicken balls. She gingerly picks at her porridge while I take a bite of omelette then abandon it for the soggy hash browns. A few minutes later, we give in the the warm and buttery croissant. At least that's good. The yougurt's not half bad either though the fruits have seen better days.
Two hours later, the flight lands in Bangkok, the pilot bringing the lumbering beast down from the skys so smoothly there's not much more than a few bumps and the usual sound of engines backfiring. I wake with a start. Apparently I dozed off sometime after the meal too.
We're travelling light so once the doors are open, we make a beeway for immigration. Our plan is to burn rubber and get out of here as soon as possible. A long wait at the counters does not appeal.
True to form, we make it in double quick time and are soon picking our luggage up from the conveyer belt. I take the lead as we head for the meeting point marked on our map. My sis is horrible at directions, she tells me she got lost whenever her friend told her to navigate back during her trip to Australia.
We turn up at the meeting place, but the exit is blocked and there's no one to be seen. A mistake on our part surely? Ten minutes of wandering around the area later, we're still nowhere near resolving the puzzle. Tian suggests that we backtrack and sure enough, we find our guide near some railings a few exits away. We seem to be the only ones she's waiting for. My name on the sign is misspelled but I'm not surprised.
She confirms some details with us and packs us off into a waiting minivan and we make our way to the hotel. The driver tries to play an introductory dvd welcoming us to Thailand but it hangs repeatedly. Tian seems more interested in the pink taxis zooming past. The scenery is nothing to talk about. She mentions something about it resembling Malaysia.
A while later, we turn up on the doorstep on the Novotel, Siam Square. Our room's not bad, but the view is horrible. I knew we should have asked for something better, but as always, we've already passed that point.
Once the luggage is brought up to our rooms, we get our stuff in order and head off for our first stop of the day, the famous MBK shopping centre. Getting directions from the concierge, we set off on foot. I kind of remember the place vaguely from my last time round. My hopes are high. Hopefully, we'll be able to grab some bargains.
Sure enough, the place is huge and we're soon lost among the stores. There's plenty to see on the floor we're at and we spend some time flitting in and out of the shops, mostly window shopping and not buying anything. We spot some cute Ts and make a mental note to head back again later.
Two floors later, we're starting to get disillusioned. The stores are repeating themselves and there's only so much similar dresses and Ts you can take in a short time. It's not what I imagined. Kind of like Hong Kong. It's not as good as you remembered.
Tian comes across a bracelet she likes, "How much?"
"150 baht." The woman gestures.
"Erm, how much discount..." my sister's obviously not used to negotiation.
"No discount. No discount. 150."
"Uhh... 50 baht?" My sister tries, remembering my mother's advice to bargain as much as possible.
The storekeeper's eyes widen and my sister offers a 100.
"120 baht. No more."
A deal is struck. Not bad. That's about what? A bit over 4 dollars.
However, when we move off, my sister glances back and her face falls. "I think we've been scammed."
Sure enough, the storekeeper is gleefully going around to her neighboring stores and chattering excitedly with the notes and another bracelet in her hand.
"Ahh whatever. It's only a couple of dollars. We'll be wiser the next time." I comfort my sister.
There are plenty of shops selling jerseys. I make for one and enquire about an Arsenal jersey.
"Good quality! 190!" the storekeeper, a bald man exclaims excitedly, "Better quality 450!"
Ahh. Okay. Good. Better. Even Better. Got it.
I enquire about printed jerseys and he asks me what player I'm looking for.
"Erm, Nasri?"
He asks for the shirt number and I realise Arsenal's latest import hasn't been assigned one yet. Darn.
We have lunch at the foodcourt on the top floor. It's cheap but it's disappointing. The duck rice is edible but not filling. My sister's Tom Yum Goong fried rice is better but it's quite salty.
We've enough of MBK and we move on, after I purchase two books for extra reading.
Next stop is Siam Paragon. I can't say I've heard of it before but my sister has, apparently.
High end stuff apparently. The place is resplendant, the shops give off a sense of wealth and oppulence. Kind of like Singapore's own Paragon. We walk for awhile and snap a few shots. My camera shows a low battery. Uh oh, I forgot my charger and extra batteries. Strange it's running out since I charged it the night before.
We eye the Ocean World in the basement, but decide to leave it for another day. We move on to Siam Centre where the shops are more midrange. My sister's happy. I tag along and read wherever I can find seats. What's it with girls and shopping? Me I just see what I like, grab it and make the purchase. Some local singer's performing downstairs, but we're busy laughing at her effiminate escort.
We head back to the hotel to freshen up after that and then it's back to Siam Paragon for dinner. Food at the foodcourt here's much better and the selection much more varied. We eat facing an aquarium full of Koi. I come upon a perfect moment and snap a little child trying to touch the fish through the glass.
To our amazement, we find BreadTalk around the corner. Wow, taste of home, that.
Tomorrow's the city tour so we'll have to be ready by 9. It's my 21st too. Whee! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...
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