Day 218, Bangkok, Thailand
We’re still adjusting to the time change, so set off in the afternoon for two of the larger malls in Bangkok. The first, MBK was seven stories high with a huge number of mostly smaller stalls lining narrow hallways. It felt a little claustrophobic initially, but you adapt and join the flow of the shopping stream. The girls usually don’t have endless stamina for shopping, but today was different, more interesting.
By the end of the day, we each have some elephant print pants, can’t leave Thailand without those. When Paul bought a pair of boots, and they gave us a sweet coupon for our next purchase. We bought Cali a purse, but they gave us another coupon. So next we got Madi a wallet and told them to please not give us any more coupons. Great prices for the quality. I see why people love to shop here.
There was a row of Japanese restaurants as authentic as if we were in Japan. We chose one and gave Paul a taste of some typical Japanese fare. After that I got a $12 pedi. I was sitting next to two Japanese businessmen. We were having a Nippon moment until their business buddies came in to harass them and take pictures for fb.
There is an area that is more compact market style, but only with clothing. That’s where we got the elephant print pants for the girls.
Later we went up to entertainment level with restaurants, movie theater, bowling alley. We went to Starbucks so Cali could have a chocolate chip macchiato and Paul had some banofee pie, which he’s been searching for this entire trip. He thought he’d find it in London, but had to wait until a Thailand Starbucks. As we are in Starbucks we hear of the attacks in Istanbul. We were in that high tourist area close to the Blue Mosque only a few days before.
Paul also found some wine, which is difficult to do here. He happily lugged a couple of bottles around for the rest of the day, no complaints. From MBK mall we went to the largest night market in Asia, Asiatique, open from 5-12 in the evenings.
It’s on the river and comes complete with the ferris wheel which we can see from our balcony. There were many unique stores and restaurants. First the girls and Paul did a fish foot cleaning, where you stick your feet into a tank of little fish that eat the dead skin off. We were told by others doing it that it tickles. After fifteen minutes of fish nibbling, their feet were softer than my recently Thai pedi’ed feet. Cali said if only the fish could put on nail polish, that would be a better way to go. While I was sitting there waiting for them to finish, someone came up to me to try to pay. I guess I blend here, although it was an American making that mistake, not someone from here.
We ate dinner at one of the outdoor restaurants on the river, the temperature was perfect. Cali and I had been wanting pizza all day, and we found a wood-burning oven pizza place. We sat for a long time, unwinding. Cali wanted to play a game of what each of us have liked best about the trip so far, and what we were looking forward to the most in the countries yet to come. Madi’s favorite, the Panem setting in France from the movie Mockingjay Part 2, looking forward to Japan. Cali’s favorite was living in Costa Rica and learning to surf, looking forward to snorkeling in the Philippines or other clear water locations. Paul’s favorite was Paris, looking forward to going back to St. Victor la Coste in Southern France. My favorite is Thailand, looking forward showing Paul Japan for the first time.
Our taxi driver on the ride home was a funny older man. He didn’t know any English. We told him we were going to the Ivy Condominium, he just kept repeating it and laughing in a way that was oh so slightly maniacal. We stopped at a corner and he called to a man to come over, Paul showed him the name of our condo, he told the cab driver and now he seemed to recognize the name. Ohhhh. But then he returned to repeating “Ivy Condo” over and over, then laughing. He got us there in record time, because he went a direct route, laughing all the way. Our favorite cabbie yet. Madi has been enjoying the PS3
in our condo and dealt with some zombies before going to bed. A teen’s version of a bedtime story.
Now when we look at the ferris wheel from our balcony, we know what surrounds it.
