Barefoot in Bangkok: Part 2
About TIME this one came out. OTL;;
Day 2
Day 2 was let's-wake-up-early-cos-we-can day. OTL;;;
We were scheduled to go to the floating market! I was so excited, until my uncle told me that we had to be up early because of the long drive and that it was nice and not crowded earlier in the morning. =__=;;
I woke up at around 6am I think *can't remember* orz; But somehow, I managed to wake up, had breakfast, and off we went! The drive was a bit long - I even fell asleep. *felt bad for the driver*;; We had a pit stop at a petrol kiosk, where I got out to stretch my legs, and felt less sleepy after that as the sun began to warm up my skin.
Then we finally arrived!
There's a bunch of boat services, but we took this one with recommendation because of good service and longer rides. If you ever go to Thailand, and drop by the floating market, please do patronize Paew Boat Service. :3
The resident dog just when the souvenir shop opens! Even though I'm scared of huge dogs, this one was still so cute! ♥
It was my first experience on a motor boat in a real river. To be honest, I wasn't scared at first. Because the driver (we were on a motorised boat) drive slowly. It was nice to feel the morning air mixed with sea breeze and watching the market come alive - a refreshing experience.
Here's a video of how the experience was like for me. The motor was really loud (and old-school!), and watching the residents along the river wave at us while the boat cruised by was endearing! (Yes, I waved back, lol, as unfriendly as I may seem, I can be friendly at times too.)
There was a stopover at a temple, where you feed the fishes for good luck.
THOSE FISHES SCARED THE HELL OUTTA ME COS THEY'RE HUGE AND HUNGRY. D:
After the ride, the crowds started to come in. We did some souvenir shopping/looking around in the vicinity.
I really feel happy that I had this experience, because I never expected it.
After that, we drove to Chatuchak (weekend market). My last experience there wasn't pleasant because for one, it was crowded, and secondly, we went into the souvenir section of the place. The place is so huge, they even had a directory map of it! o__o;;
So this time, we parked at the parking lot, and took an old-school chartered bus! I regret not taking a picture of it, but it's not exactly a bus - it's a huge lorry with seats and a canopy behind it that charters people around to certain destinations. The one for Chatuchak market was for free! Another new experience! :)
We got off, and somehow found a map of the place. We went to the young people's fashion section and it was really nice! It wasn't that crowded, and I found a lot of things that I liked. 8Db
Something new was the pet section. At first I was excited at how they had a pet section. Then I heard some puppies' barks in the distance, only to discover that it was a whole area dedicated to PETS. Like, selling pets! Selling pet's supplies! But a LOT of pets! Mostly puppies, birds, and rabbits. But what unsettled me was: some of them were in wire cages. And the living conditions were horrible. Most of these animals are pure breed (I assumed by looking at them - I mean, Siberian Husky puppy?), and so I felt so sad and a little angry at the conditions they were in - stuffy and hot, and wire cages?? DD: The animal activist-ish side of me started coming out as my heartstrings started to threaten to rip apart, and I wanted to buy ALL these animals and away from this place. Of course, I can't afford that, so my only resolution was to hurry up and get out of the place.
Until I saw a bunch of kittens in a cage. At first, by instinct, I said "Ohhhh mom, look at how cute they are!" They were sleeping, but two of them woke up and started mewing at us.
TAT!!!
Was my reaction. One of them drank water and fell back asleep after mewing at me in futile. The other didn't give up and kept mewing at us, as if saying "Please take me/us home! T_T" It really broke my heart, and I told my mom "Okay, I am very close to grabbing the whole cage and running away with all these kittens and actually bringing them home, so can we please walk away as much as that hurts too?"
So we did. Not until I saw squirrels on display by being tied to a cage by their hind legs (a string was attached to a big fruit at the bottom of the cage, and its other end was tied to the little fella's hind leg) - one of them even looked pissed that people kept walking past it, an iguana (I think) in a cage, and more puppies yipping excitedly (perhaps, also asking peoples to buy them home??). I was so sad at the end of this little trip, that I swore to help kitties whenever I can, even if it will be at my expense. ;A;
Of course, the argument is that I'm from a city, where you need a license to sell pets, and also have your premises checked regularly if it's still according to the law, and that it's in good condition. So seeing things like that was sure to affect me, since the country is of a different culture from mine. So at that, I had to let it go, but it doesn't mean that it didn't break my heart to see such images. :'( Please do not be mean to animals, even if you (for instance) are scared of dogs, they have feelings too. Don't kick a cat just because it threatened to scratch your eyes out. Don't hurl vulgarities at a bird who shitted on you. D: Animals are animals, but I believe they have feelings too.
[/end-mini rant]
Anyways, the day got hotter and we decided to go to somewhere with air condition. We returned to our hotel room to have a little wash of our faces (and to dump our shopping bags lol), and then took the train out. I requested to go to CentralWorld again. Because, you know, of how I didn't get to buy anything from there due to my stomach pains. OTL;;
The view from the train station. I secretly love taking photos of lamp posts/electrical lines and alleyways. xD
So we went to my mom's favourite store first - Naraya. They sell bags, pouches, in all shapes and sizes and designs. And at very affordable rates too. It's the best place to buy things that you'll later discover have no use for (but looked pretty on the shelf), and souvenirs for your friends and families back home (I saw some tourists with 4 big bags full of merchandise). xDDDD
After choosing some pretty things, we made our way to B2S (Books 2 Stationery) - the Thailand equivalent of Borders, I think. Anyway, the last time I was there, I bought a lot of CDs for myself, so I was completely looking forward to committing the same crime again. xD!! Alas, I was in for disappointment. Japanese CDs were sparse because of the Korean Wave, and in Thailand, it's hitting hard too. I was quite unhappy, and only ended up buying Yamapi's [Loveless] single and some Korean CDs for my sister. D: After spending about 45 minutes in the store, I gave up, and walked away with my purchases....
We then go hungry, though only slightly, (we hadn't had lunch yet) and went around the mall searching for food. Along the way, I stumbled across this animanga store that I stumbled across the last time I was there (sheesh, though I've completely forgotten the name orz). 8D It sells a lot of mangas and some artbooks and merchandise, though the books would all be in Thai (of course). I still spent a good amount of time in there, simply looking at the vast collection they had. In addition to the store being quaint, its collection is actually very widely covered, and they even have a shelf for their local doujinkas. I found that totally cool, because, in Singapore, there is no such store. Even so, our manga collection is pathetic (only those who read Chinese will beg to differ with me). T___T~
So lol, after side-tracking there, we found this CUTE and ADORABLE little cafe that sells SCONES. I practically squealed inwardly when I saw it, and I bet my uncle was groaning in agony inwardly because it's a girly thing. OTL;;; Luckily nothing was pink in deco, and the only girly features about it is probably the tableware and cutlery used.
SCONES! \o/~
Some of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. Yes, I am a sucker for pastries and sweet things. And cute things. So this is ALL IN ONE!
EXCUSE THE FAIL CUTE POSE, PLZ OTL;;; I-I couldn't resist, because the place just made me feel so happy. ;;;;;
Shortly after being happy with our guzzle of tea, we got on our ride again and drove to Phrat Phong/Khao San! This place is popular with tourists, and backpackers. But when I got there, I honestly didn't buy anything. OTL The one thing that did interest me was that Phrat Phong is the nightlife area. Meaning, clubs and bars and pubs. And strip clubs. OTL We were a little early, so no, I did not have any feast for the eyes (LOL), but I did catch some glimpses of girls dancing in their bikini's on the bar tops. That was... Educational. LOL!
That's me joining the throngs of tourists in Khao San. xD
After walking to and fro the street, we made our way to find some dinner. We found a restaurant and decided to eat there. We made a mistake. The service was so slow, that we only got served food 45 minutes after we ordered! By then, we weren't hungry anymore, and couldn't finish eating our food, so we ate whatever we could, and then asking for the bill took another 15 minutes! It was really frustrating, that there was a clear service standard problem there. D:
Anyways, drove back to the hotel, where I completely knocked out after my shower. 'Twas a loooooong day, and the next would be another long one. 8Db
Oh, you know how we sleep in hotels with the television switched on, right? xD;; It was nice at first to have channel [v] play nice songs throughout the night. But it got annoying when Alicia Keys was playing about 8 times in 3 hours, along with a host of other artistes such as Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Super Junior, 4minute looping throughout the whole night repeatedly playing the same bunch of songs. =3=;; So that actually made it difficult for me to fall asleep, or I'd sometimes wake up in the middle of a song, as if I wasn't supposed to be sleeping in the first place. Interrupted sleep is not proper rest, yo.
Day 3
We woke up early again, but not as early as the day before. At first I didn't know where we were going. I saw the car in the carpark, and got excited, lol. Later my uncle told me that we were going to go on a sorta island! *w*!!
The place was called Kao Kred, which is situated along the Chao Phraya River. :3 It was the first day of the Chinese New Year, so the roads were crowded with those celebrating - I heard some firecrackers along the way! I guess some of you may not know, but in Singapore, firecrackers are banned because of how in the past, it set fire to some places, and people got injured. So we banned them altogether. ^^;; Anyways, it was a new experience for me.
That day also happened to be Valentine's Day. I don't celebrate Valentine's (I personally think that it's over-hyped - Hallmark holiday), but it was nice to be spending the first day of Chinese New Year/Valentine's on a boat along the Chao Phraya River! :)
Anyways, we rented a boat with a guide. He realized we were Malay-Muslims when we told him we couldn't understand Thai, and he spoke to us in Malay during the tour! :D It was freaky-fun - I'm sitting in a boat the same size as the one we took on the Floating Market (max 6 pax, I think), but this time I was in a REAL RIVER WTH WAVES AND OTHER BIG-ASS BOATS, and the motor boat was travelling at top speed! @___@ Because of those factors, the boat skipped along the river, and because I am LIGHT AS A FEATHER~ .....I had to grip the boat for dear life, for fear of practically flying out of the vehicle. OTL
We first stopped at a house by the river. At first, I was puzzled - are we intruding? Lolz. But eventually (we had to remove our shoes and socks first), I realized that the house was also a souvenir shop. It was a traditional Malay-Muslim wooden house atop stilts, with a shop at the front selling hand-made souvenirs such as batik-dyed bags and scarfs and the like. They also sold hand-made snacks which we bought. It was extremely enriching to witness first-hand how fellow Muslims lived their lives in a different part of the world. I actually felt at home there. :)
The mosque across the river made me feel peaceful, and at that time, the call to prayers was heard.
Waiting for the boat to pick us up.
Here's the picture of my feet! xD;;;
Our boat then picked us up and we then headed to a tourist-restaurant down the river. Again, removed our footwear, and had our lunch there, of course! It was a family restaurant, with pictures of the generations of the owners, and live making of their desserts!
Our food was simple fare. I wasn't very hungry, so I had a little of whatever everyone was having. xD;;; There was this dish that was really interesting - it's rice in ice water with rose petals in it, to be eaten with a side dish (to make it taste more appetizing). Firstly, I have never eaten ice-cold rice before! x) Secondly, the guide told us that this is a dish served in the royal household. 8D!!
This dish is actually akin to Singapore's laksa dish. It's my uncle's favourite food - however the Thai's ate it without beansprouts. My uncle asked for beansprouts, and he said everyone gave him a bemused look, but gave some to him anyways. xD I tried a bit of it, and it actually tastes the same as the laksa here! Perhaps with less oil, I reckon.
They also sold snacks which many tourists bought before leaving on their respective boats. I shall mention that there weren't really many foreigners in this area. Most of the tourists were mainly locals, possibly from other states and provinces of Thailand. I guess I enjoyed myself immensely - I love travelling to places rarely visited by major tourist groups, because I love blending with the locals and soaking up the culture, tradition, and atmosphere.
Our next stop was Kao Kred - it's an island situated in the middle of the river, and is really interesting! When we arrived, there was a performance with drummers. And a THRONG of tourists walking in the tight alleyways of the houses/shops. Plus the humid weather, I quickly felt stuffy. @__@
Anyways, we made some stops at some shops. We bought some display glassware and magnets (my mother's favourite kind of souvenirs). I bought a T-shirt (that you can't get from the mainland!), and some postcards (self-printed by the residents). The unique thing about these shops were that they were actually homes. With a shopfront. Some had dogs here and there, and most of them sold handmade things.
Eventually, the stuffiness led us to this quaint little cafe, which had a modern feel, despite the display of old LPs and this record player.
Here's an idea of how small the alleyways were. You gotta hustle in step, or be stranded in the middle of the sea of people and heat.
When we were done, we waited for our boat on the habour. I started to feel my migraine acting up - the result of excess exposure to all that heat and afternoon sun. We were also hungrier by this time, and so we cut our tour short and made our way back to the city. ^^;;
We went into town, and loitered around the celebrity area. It was a mini Japan town, but we didn't find any good food there, and most of the places were closed because it's after lunchtime and before dinnertime. We made our way to Emporium, and ate at Fuji - one of the best Japanese restaurants on par with Singapore's Sushi Tei. What made it a winner was that it was CHEAP. :Db
I was actually more interested in eating all that food rather than taking pictures of them. OTL;;; My uncle insisted I took some pictures before I regret it. xD!!
After eating our fill, we went around the mall. I dropped by Kinokuniya to find good reads, and bought Christian Siriano's [Fierce Style]. He is my favourite winner from [Project Runway], and definitely I have respect for his character and design.
We went to a shop next door to the mall - NARAYA! xD Two storeys high too! This one definitely had more designs in stock, and so we spent a good hour looking through all the things, and bought some more cute things which we didn't know what to use them for. orz;;;
We then made our way to Suan Lum Night Market as I wanted to see one more time the designer I bought the shorts from. Alas, I didn't realize that she could be closed on Chinese New Year's! OTL So we walked around and well we still managed to bag some more clothes. xD
Soon after, we made our way back to the hotel - on a tuk-tuk! 8DDD It was so fun! We stopped at the McDonald's outside and bought dinner.. And hesitantly packed for our flight home T___T
Day 4
The usual - had our breakfast, and made our final checks of baggage before checking out of the hotel. We headed towards the airport, but not without a lunch pit-stop along Rama area. It was a Muslim coffeeshop! I tried the Thai version of roti prata - hot and served with condensed milk AND I GOT ADDICTED TO IT!! ;w;~~ In Singapore, it's usually served with curry, or some prefer sugar, but condensed milk is just so so good! x3!!
After having had our fill, we headed for the airport and obviously milled around the transit area for any other extra buys (mostly food and snacks). Our flight was the afternoon/evening flight back home, with no in-flight entertainment, so I spent most of the flight sleeping and fiddling with the plane window as the setting sun (albeit extremely beautiful from the sky) was hot and annoying my eyes. Dx
And then, that was it. HOME SWEET HOME! (I guess lol?) As I'm writing this bit of the entry, a lot has since happened since I was there. For one, Central World (a part of it) was burnt down as a result of the protests that occurred in the past months. Thankfully, everything is over, and peace has been restored. Business in Bangkok will take some time to return again. It does sting my heart a little, to see the news reports of how the area has been affected, and I guess at the same time I do feel blessed that I got to experience whatever it was that I did during my trip in February. It is still a nice place to be, and I do hope to return again in the years to come. :)
Day 2
Day 2 was let's-wake-up-early-cos-we-can day. OTL;;;
We were scheduled to go to the floating market! I was so excited, until my uncle told me that we had to be up early because of the long drive and that it was nice and not crowded earlier in the morning. =__=;;
I woke up at around 6am I think *can't remember* orz; But somehow, I managed to wake up, had breakfast, and off we went! The drive was a bit long - I even fell asleep. *felt bad for the driver*;; We had a pit stop at a petrol kiosk, where I got out to stretch my legs, and felt less sleepy after that as the sun began to warm up my skin.
Then we finally arrived!
There's a bunch of boat services, but we took this one with recommendation because of good service and longer rides. If you ever go to Thailand, and drop by the floating market, please do patronize Paew Boat Service. :3
The resident dog just when the souvenir shop opens! Even though I'm scared of huge dogs, this one was still so cute! ♥
It was my first experience on a motor boat in a real river. To be honest, I wasn't scared at first. Because the driver (we were on a motorised boat) drive slowly. It was nice to feel the morning air mixed with sea breeze and watching the market come alive - a refreshing experience.
Here's a video of how the experience was like for me. The motor was really loud (and old-school!), and watching the residents along the river wave at us while the boat cruised by was endearing! (Yes, I waved back, lol, as unfriendly as I may seem, I can be friendly at times too.)
There was a stopover at a temple, where you feed the fishes for good luck.
THOSE FISHES SCARED THE HELL OUTTA ME COS THEY'RE HUGE AND HUNGRY. D:
After the ride, the crowds started to come in. We did some souvenir shopping/looking around in the vicinity.
I really feel happy that I had this experience, because I never expected it.
After that, we drove to Chatuchak (weekend market). My last experience there wasn't pleasant because for one, it was crowded, and secondly, we went into the souvenir section of the place. The place is so huge, they even had a directory map of it! o__o;;
So this time, we parked at the parking lot, and took an old-school chartered bus! I regret not taking a picture of it, but it's not exactly a bus - it's a huge lorry with seats and a canopy behind it that charters people around to certain destinations. The one for Chatuchak market was for free! Another new experience! :)
We got off, and somehow found a map of the place. We went to the young people's fashion section and it was really nice! It wasn't that crowded, and I found a lot of things that I liked. 8Db
Something new was the pet section. At first I was excited at how they had a pet section. Then I heard some puppies' barks in the distance, only to discover that it was a whole area dedicated to PETS. Like, selling pets! Selling pet's supplies! But a LOT of pets! Mostly puppies, birds, and rabbits. But what unsettled me was: some of them were in wire cages. And the living conditions were horrible. Most of these animals are pure breed (I assumed by looking at them - I mean, Siberian Husky puppy?), and so I felt so sad and a little angry at the conditions they were in - stuffy and hot, and wire cages?? DD: The animal activist-ish side of me started coming out as my heartstrings started to threaten to rip apart, and I wanted to buy ALL these animals and away from this place. Of course, I can't afford that, so my only resolution was to hurry up and get out of the place.
Until I saw a bunch of kittens in a cage. At first, by instinct, I said "Ohhhh mom, look at how cute they are!" They were sleeping, but two of them woke up and started mewing at us.
TAT!!!
Was my reaction. One of them drank water and fell back asleep after mewing at me in futile. The other didn't give up and kept mewing at us, as if saying "Please take me/us home! T_T" It really broke my heart, and I told my mom "Okay, I am very close to grabbing the whole cage and running away with all these kittens and actually bringing them home, so can we please walk away as much as that hurts too?"
So we did. Not until I saw squirrels on display by being tied to a cage by their hind legs (a string was attached to a big fruit at the bottom of the cage, and its other end was tied to the little fella's hind leg) - one of them even looked pissed that people kept walking past it, an iguana (I think) in a cage, and more puppies yipping excitedly (perhaps, also asking peoples to buy them home??). I was so sad at the end of this little trip, that I swore to help kitties whenever I can, even if it will be at my expense. ;A;
Of course, the argument is that I'm from a city, where you need a license to sell pets, and also have your premises checked regularly if it's still according to the law, and that it's in good condition. So seeing things like that was sure to affect me, since the country is of a different culture from mine. So at that, I had to let it go, but it doesn't mean that it didn't break my heart to see such images. :'( Please do not be mean to animals, even if you (for instance) are scared of dogs, they have feelings too. Don't kick a cat just because it threatened to scratch your eyes out. Don't hurl vulgarities at a bird who shitted on you. D: Animals are animals, but I believe they have feelings too.
[/end-mini rant]
Anyways, the day got hotter and we decided to go to somewhere with air condition. We returned to our hotel room to have a little wash of our faces (and to dump our shopping bags lol), and then took the train out. I requested to go to CentralWorld again. Because, you know, of how I didn't get to buy anything from there due to my stomach pains. OTL;;
The view from the train station. I secretly love taking photos of lamp posts/electrical lines and alleyways. xD
So we went to my mom's favourite store first - Naraya. They sell bags, pouches, in all shapes and sizes and designs. And at very affordable rates too. It's the best place to buy things that you'll later discover have no use for (but looked pretty on the shelf), and souvenirs for your friends and families back home (I saw some tourists with 4 big bags full of merchandise). xDDDD
After choosing some pretty things, we made our way to B2S (Books 2 Stationery) - the Thailand equivalent of Borders, I think. Anyway, the last time I was there, I bought a lot of CDs for myself, so I was completely looking forward to committing the same crime again. xD!! Alas, I was in for disappointment. Japanese CDs were sparse because of the Korean Wave, and in Thailand, it's hitting hard too. I was quite unhappy, and only ended up buying Yamapi's [Loveless] single and some Korean CDs for my sister. D: After spending about 45 minutes in the store, I gave up, and walked away with my purchases....
We then go hungry, though only slightly, (we hadn't had lunch yet) and went around the mall searching for food. Along the way, I stumbled across this animanga store that I stumbled across the last time I was there (sheesh, though I've completely forgotten the name orz). 8D It sells a lot of mangas and some artbooks and merchandise, though the books would all be in Thai (of course). I still spent a good amount of time in there, simply looking at the vast collection they had. In addition to the store being quaint, its collection is actually very widely covered, and they even have a shelf for their local doujinkas. I found that totally cool, because, in Singapore, there is no such store. Even so, our manga collection is pathetic (only those who read Chinese will beg to differ with me). T___T~
So lol, after side-tracking there, we found this CUTE and ADORABLE little cafe that sells SCONES. I practically squealed inwardly when I saw it, and I bet my uncle was groaning in agony inwardly because it's a girly thing. OTL;;; Luckily nothing was pink in deco, and the only girly features about it is probably the tableware and cutlery used.
SCONES! \o/~
Some of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. Yes, I am a sucker for pastries and sweet things. And cute things. So this is ALL IN ONE!
EXCUSE THE FAIL CUTE POSE, PLZ OTL;;; I-I couldn't resist, because the place just made me feel so happy. ;;;;;
Shortly after being happy with our guzzle of tea, we got on our ride again and drove to Phrat Phong/Khao San! This place is popular with tourists, and backpackers. But when I got there, I honestly didn't buy anything. OTL The one thing that did interest me was that Phrat Phong is the nightlife area. Meaning, clubs and bars and pubs. And strip clubs. OTL We were a little early, so no, I did not have any feast for the eyes (LOL), but I did catch some glimpses of girls dancing in their bikini's on the bar tops. That was... Educational. LOL!
That's me joining the throngs of tourists in Khao San. xD
After walking to and fro the street, we made our way to find some dinner. We found a restaurant and decided to eat there. We made a mistake. The service was so slow, that we only got served food 45 minutes after we ordered! By then, we weren't hungry anymore, and couldn't finish eating our food, so we ate whatever we could, and then asking for the bill took another 15 minutes! It was really frustrating, that there was a clear service standard problem there. D:
Anyways, drove back to the hotel, where I completely knocked out after my shower. 'Twas a loooooong day, and the next would be another long one. 8Db
Oh, you know how we sleep in hotels with the television switched on, right? xD;; It was nice at first to have channel [v] play nice songs throughout the night. But it got annoying when Alicia Keys was playing about 8 times in 3 hours, along with a host of other artistes such as Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Super Junior, 4minute looping throughout the whole night repeatedly playing the same bunch of songs. =3=;; So that actually made it difficult for me to fall asleep, or I'd sometimes wake up in the middle of a song, as if I wasn't supposed to be sleeping in the first place. Interrupted sleep is not proper rest, yo.
Day 3
We woke up early again, but not as early as the day before. At first I didn't know where we were going. I saw the car in the carpark, and got excited, lol. Later my uncle told me that we were going to go on a sorta island! *w*!!
The place was called Kao Kred, which is situated along the Chao Phraya River. :3 It was the first day of the Chinese New Year, so the roads were crowded with those celebrating - I heard some firecrackers along the way! I guess some of you may not know, but in Singapore, firecrackers are banned because of how in the past, it set fire to some places, and people got injured. So we banned them altogether. ^^;; Anyways, it was a new experience for me.
That day also happened to be Valentine's Day. I don't celebrate Valentine's (I personally think that it's over-hyped - Hallmark holiday), but it was nice to be spending the first day of Chinese New Year/Valentine's on a boat along the Chao Phraya River! :)
Anyways, we rented a boat with a guide. He realized we were Malay-Muslims when we told him we couldn't understand Thai, and he spoke to us in Malay during the tour! :D It was freaky-fun - I'm sitting in a boat the same size as the one we took on the Floating Market (max 6 pax, I think), but this time I was in a REAL RIVER WTH WAVES AND OTHER BIG-ASS BOATS, and the motor boat was travelling at top speed! @___@ Because of those factors, the boat skipped along the river, and because I am LIGHT AS A FEATHER~ .....I had to grip the boat for dear life, for fear of practically flying out of the vehicle. OTL
We first stopped at a house by the river. At first, I was puzzled - are we intruding? Lolz. But eventually (we had to remove our shoes and socks first), I realized that the house was also a souvenir shop. It was a traditional Malay-Muslim wooden house atop stilts, with a shop at the front selling hand-made souvenirs such as batik-dyed bags and scarfs and the like. They also sold hand-made snacks which we bought. It was extremely enriching to witness first-hand how fellow Muslims lived their lives in a different part of the world. I actually felt at home there. :)
The mosque across the river made me feel peaceful, and at that time, the call to prayers was heard.
Waiting for the boat to pick us up.
Here's the picture of my feet! xD;;;
Our boat then picked us up and we then headed to a tourist-restaurant down the river. Again, removed our footwear, and had our lunch there, of course! It was a family restaurant, with pictures of the generations of the owners, and live making of their desserts!
Our food was simple fare. I wasn't very hungry, so I had a little of whatever everyone was having. xD;;; There was this dish that was really interesting - it's rice in ice water with rose petals in it, to be eaten with a side dish (to make it taste more appetizing). Firstly, I have never eaten ice-cold rice before! x) Secondly, the guide told us that this is a dish served in the royal household. 8D!!
This dish is actually akin to Singapore's laksa dish. It's my uncle's favourite food - however the Thai's ate it without beansprouts. My uncle asked for beansprouts, and he said everyone gave him a bemused look, but gave some to him anyways. xD I tried a bit of it, and it actually tastes the same as the laksa here! Perhaps with less oil, I reckon.
They also sold snacks which many tourists bought before leaving on their respective boats. I shall mention that there weren't really many foreigners in this area. Most of the tourists were mainly locals, possibly from other states and provinces of Thailand. I guess I enjoyed myself immensely - I love travelling to places rarely visited by major tourist groups, because I love blending with the locals and soaking up the culture, tradition, and atmosphere.
Our next stop was Kao Kred - it's an island situated in the middle of the river, and is really interesting! When we arrived, there was a performance with drummers. And a THRONG of tourists walking in the tight alleyways of the houses/shops. Plus the humid weather, I quickly felt stuffy. @__@
Anyways, we made some stops at some shops. We bought some display glassware and magnets (my mother's favourite kind of souvenirs). I bought a T-shirt (that you can't get from the mainland!), and some postcards (self-printed by the residents). The unique thing about these shops were that they were actually homes. With a shopfront. Some had dogs here and there, and most of them sold handmade things.
Eventually, the stuffiness led us to this quaint little cafe, which had a modern feel, despite the display of old LPs and this record player.
Here's an idea of how small the alleyways were. You gotta hustle in step, or be stranded in the middle of the sea of people and heat.
When we were done, we waited for our boat on the habour. I started to feel my migraine acting up - the result of excess exposure to all that heat and afternoon sun. We were also hungrier by this time, and so we cut our tour short and made our way back to the city. ^^;;
We went into town, and loitered around the celebrity area. It was a mini Japan town, but we didn't find any good food there, and most of the places were closed because it's after lunchtime and before dinnertime. We made our way to Emporium, and ate at Fuji - one of the best Japanese restaurants on par with Singapore's Sushi Tei. What made it a winner was that it was CHEAP. :Db
I was actually more interested in eating all that food rather than taking pictures of them. OTL;;; My uncle insisted I took some pictures before I regret it. xD!!
After eating our fill, we went around the mall. I dropped by Kinokuniya to find good reads, and bought Christian Siriano's [Fierce Style]. He is my favourite winner from [Project Runway], and definitely I have respect for his character and design.
We went to a shop next door to the mall - NARAYA! xD Two storeys high too! This one definitely had more designs in stock, and so we spent a good hour looking through all the things, and bought some more cute things which we didn't know what to use them for. orz;;;
We then made our way to Suan Lum Night Market as I wanted to see one more time the designer I bought the shorts from. Alas, I didn't realize that she could be closed on Chinese New Year's! OTL So we walked around and well we still managed to bag some more clothes. xD
Soon after, we made our way back to the hotel - on a tuk-tuk! 8DDD It was so fun! We stopped at the McDonald's outside and bought dinner.. And hesitantly packed for our flight home T___T
Day 4
The usual - had our breakfast, and made our final checks of baggage before checking out of the hotel. We headed towards the airport, but not without a lunch pit-stop along Rama area. It was a Muslim coffeeshop! I tried the Thai version of roti prata - hot and served with condensed milk AND I GOT ADDICTED TO IT!! ;w;~~ In Singapore, it's usually served with curry, or some prefer sugar, but condensed milk is just so so good! x3!!
After having had our fill, we headed for the airport and obviously milled around the transit area for any other extra buys (mostly food and snacks). Our flight was the afternoon/evening flight back home, with no in-flight entertainment, so I spent most of the flight sleeping and fiddling with the plane window as the setting sun (albeit extremely beautiful from the sky) was hot and annoying my eyes. Dx
And then, that was it. HOME SWEET HOME! (I guess lol?) As I'm writing this bit of the entry, a lot has since happened since I was there. For one, Central World (a part of it) was burnt down as a result of the protests that occurred in the past months. Thankfully, everything is over, and peace has been restored. Business in Bangkok will take some time to return again. It does sting my heart a little, to see the news reports of how the area has been affected, and I guess at the same time I do feel blessed that I got to experience whatever it was that I did during my trip in February. It is still a nice place to be, and I do hope to return again in the years to come. :)