Bangkok, am i absent-minded this time?

travelling in one place, mind splitted in two,
1,2,3, i gotta stop thinking of you...

everywhere i go, i thought i saw a familiar shadow,
i turned my head, it was as if a dejavu,

i missed my station, when i was looking for you in my memory,
4,5,6, i think am getting down with a flu...

travelling in one place,
mind splitted in two...

2/9/2006: siamese i was, in my previous life...

it's d best air-asia flight i've ever taken, from the moment it took off til it touched down, the journey was as steady as traveling on ground. tht's wat i needed the most as i only slept for 2 hrs before i went on board. i slept like passing out n i reached the city of angel - bangkok in no time...

the weather was clear and sunny through out. the moment i entered don muang international airport, i could feel the cells in my body started to multiply and getting hyper. i took d airport bus to town centre, after the airport expressway, the traffic slowly built up. i looked out of the window, my heart beat increased its pace... i jus don hav a clue why am so excited bout this city.

am staying at sukhumvit area this time. the long stretch of sukhumvit road is devided into few unique sections - from soi (means lane) 1-3, is with middle east/arabian touch; soi 7-11 got quite some indian cuisines available; pubs and cafe located nearby one and another at soi 21-23...

am staying at soi 57, where there are many japanese/ korean restaurants and supermarkets around the corner (just right for me!). the hotel is more like a guest house, as usual am conned by the pic i saw from the net, (see, am working in advertising but i never learn the lesson. pathetic.) everything is homey and simple, the lobby is like a living room of any other house. the room looked familiar to me, at one thought i thought i was at my own bedroom...

i smelled like a squid so i took a shower before i went on a pilgrimage to everyone's favourite market - chatuchak market. the crowd never subsides at this place, i tried to walk slowly but most of the time i was pushed by the crowd and forced to speed up within the small lanes. i normally hate crowded places and physical contacts with strangers, but in chatuchak, am totally willing to sacrifice for it's variety of goods, and for it's unbeatable price tht u cant be offered elsewhere. i spent omos all my money here, during the very first day of this 4d/3n visit. i find it's a guilt if you don shop in chatuchak market, (well, unless you r born with silver spoon in ur mouth or, a very straight man, like u, ed) otherwise no one could resist the choices and the price range here. most of the shops closed at 6.30-7pm, so i called it a day and headed back to d hotel with bags bags bags in my both hands.

i had seafood omelett noodle for dinner, another item i just blindly pointed at the hawker stall nearby the hotel, so far food communication is my only problem here. the noodle was not bad, but a bit too 'ordinary' for me... u know, everyone expects great thai food when they visit thailand. i returned to hotel with a horrible smell from head to toe. i showered n scrubbed every inch of myself right away. i tought of taking a nap then walk out to see wat's in this area at night, by the time i woke up, it's oredi the next day 5am something.

i woke up with a big hollow in my heart, this time, travelling alone didnt seem tht easy for me anymore...

3/9/2006: a day as a local here, well, omos one.

6.30am, the sky here oredi as bright as 8.30am back home. i took a walk to a local wet market just few steps away from the hotel. the smell from the hawker stalls made me really hungry, they sell spicy and sourish salad, grilled meat and fish wrapped in banana leaves, barbecued skewed meats from early morning throughout whole day, if am here for a long stay, i guarantee i'll be a fatty in no time, who could ever resist tht??? but, but, being a rational person i am, i managed to pin myself down to go for a clear soup fish paste noodle in a restaurant instead.

the clear soup wasnt tht 'clear' anyway, there r some spices and crushed pea-nuts sprinkled on top. nice!

i must say it's d big menu board with all dishes layout neatly with the pics, tht attracted me to walk into the shop, tht was the first time i didnt hav to take risk in wat i eat here, i pointed and said: "this and this." there settled my breakfast on the 2nd day here.

after breakfast i strolled along the street and i saw many people offering food, drinks and flower to the monks. they use holy water to wash hands, kneel down and say a little prayer... it's calming to see this in the morning. i walked all the way up to sukhumvit 35, then i noticed it's a sunday, no wonder it's so quiet everywhere, i was standing at a jucntion, then i yawned.... i decided to go back n sleep again.

giving is blessing, it's always good when u r able to give.

i woke up at 11am, i walked up to thonglor soi. there're lot of japanese and korean restaurants here, plus few supermarkets selling japanese and korean household and food products. i guess there must be lots of japanese and korean expatriates in this area. i went to playground!, a hip and funky store selling cds, books and big range of magazines, there r oso few fine cafes and restaurants inside, a perfect place to hang out with friends and chat for all day long.

i had a strawberry sorbet at baskin robin on my way back, i wanted more, but my sign language only made them understand one scoop, so, i sucked it up again.

nevermind i said, i buried myself into starbuck cafe with my favourite mango frappucino (no one could get this wrong right?). the long walk under the hot sun was paid off after i had my lunch at a japansese restaurant, the grilled salmon set filled up my stomach with no room left. i dragged myself back to the hotel, took a shower and sleep again...

oh i shoud hav shown how clean were all the bowls when i finished this lunch!

woke up again at 5 something in d evening, i have never slept so much n so well back home... i was lying on bed flipping the free magazines i grabbed along the way. spending a day totally wasted, is my ultimate pleasure.

i went to suan lum night bazaar around 7pm. it'll be fun to come with a bunch of friends for there r many nice n interesting f&b outlets here.

the fun fair at suan lum night bazaar - fancy a round upthere?

the stuffs here r similar to wat u can find in chatuchak market, prices r a bit more expensive here n i find the clothings here is not as funky as those in chatuchak market. but if you would like to trade it with the heat and the crowd, suan lum night bazaar can be right for u.

i checked out a few home-ideas stores selling interior decorative items, there r many nice, exotic n unique designs of furnitures available, prices r expensive! i didnt stay for too long, i left for dinner at around 9pm. i had a tomyum ramen at a japanese restaurant.

by the time i was all clean n lying on bed again, it was around 10.30pm. i got a terrible homesick all of a sudden... i made a call home, the voice at the other end sounded miserable too...

lone ranger, can u travel alone again i wonder...

4/9/2006: the shopping finale...

it was a busy monday morning, the street was in a big contrast compared to yesterday sunday morning. i reserved the shopping finale at siam area on monday cos i thought many people would be at work, so i wouldnt have to stuck with the crowd. but my anticipation didnt echo with the reality, the passengers were packed like canned-sardines in d sky train, n many people oredi waited at the square in front of siam paragon. when the security open the main entrance at around 10am, the crowd marched in as if there is no tomorrow...

siam paragon is B.I.G. it comprises 2 main sections:

the paragon departmental store which occupies most of the space in siam paragon, contains numerous international and local fashion brands inside, jus the ladies lingerie department (they call it lingerie salon, how exclusive is tht!) oredi took my breath away, i have never seen so many bras and undies hanged so organisedly in front of me. wat really made me crazy, is the gourmet market n the food halls... i gasped the moment i entered this floor, i walked around for so many ROUNDS, yet i couldnt make up my mind wat to eat! this is food heaven...

the siam paragon shopping complex consisted of many shops in the same building, besides the departmental store. unlike the shopping complexes back home, where u'll find repetitive fashion brands in d departmental stores and d boutiques outside, the variaties here make u dizzy n simply donno where to start the shopping journey. they hav the widest range of world class brand names and designer's boutiques, not only fashion, but jewelry, watches and even optics. normally in situation like this, i only hav one wish in my mind - tht am married to a fiflthy rich man who allows me to shop til i drop.

they hav the siam ocean world in the building but i didnt check it out. i went to watch a movie instead. the theatre hall is grand, the ticketing n waiting hall look like a lobby of a 5-star hotel, n not forgetting to mention the toilet, even the basins look like a designer's item.

the grand paragon cinema

nearby siam paragon is siam square, siam discovery centre...etc shopping centres, this area is a shopping paradise indeed (well, second to chatuchak market) i left with a big hole in my wallet n with my credit card limit burst.

next stop was dinner at the cabbages and condoms restaurant. this is not jus any other restaurant, it has another division which is the resort as well. both restaurant and resort were created to provide financial support for the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) , Thailand's foremost non-governmental charitable organization. Money spent at our resort contributes to Thailand's rural development, education and scholarships, HIV/AIDS education and environmental protection. Our Resort is an environmentally conscious establishment and our endeavors ensure protection of the environment, by recycling wastewater for its gardens and trees (info taken from the cabbages and condoms official website , pls click the link for more detail)

there is a sounvenir shop and a information counter with banners and posters right before the door entering the restaurant. the staffs are friendly, u can ask them any questions regarding the organisation if u would like to understand more about this place.

i ordered mixed veggie soup n baked yam rice with dried shrimp n sweet pork. the food is nice, the service is good, n the price is set at a reasonable range. the overall ambience is comfortable and relaxing, you can dine or chill with friends over a beer or two at the outdoor garden too. this place is worth for a second visit, especially with a bunch of buddies. when i called for the check, to my surpsrise the change came not only with the receipt, but a condom too! ha, wat a nice thought to match this themed restaurant.

i had an early flight to catch the next day. i slept after writing my last postcard at around 12midnight.

5/9/2006: home, am goin home...

if u were like me, who thought of taking the airport bus to save some money, this is a tip for u - better make at least 2 hrs time allowance before your flight, especially if u r taking morning flight. according to the schedule, the airport bus shud arrive in every 15mins, but i waited for omos an hour. i was panic n i decided to take a cab instead. the traffic was bad in the morning cos everyone rushes to work at tht hour, the cab driver was at ease at first then i must hav showed him my infamous fuck-face subconsciously, he sped up n took few short-cuts in the end. i was all prepared to miss the flight but luck was on my side, i checked in at the very last minute before the counter closed. phew!

the goin back experience wasnt quite as nice as the best air asia flight i claimed earlier on the day here, they had some power failure problem n the flight delayed for about 35mins... it was hot n stuffy in d cabin. luckily no one with body odor was on board tht day, i could have died if there were any... my feet touched home ground after 1hr n 45mins later. my beloved furkids, n my dear, am home.

animals in bangkok

i saw cats n dogs along the streets omos everywhere in bangkok. some of them may look dirty and like a stray but i hardly saw any of them in skinny or bad shape. they r all well-fed, secured and contented animals. sometimes i saw one sleeping in telephone booth, sometimes one standing right in front of 7-11 entrance, stealing the cool air in a hot day, some even sleeping besides the customers at hawker stalls. no one wil chase them away. the dogs on the streets never bark at the people, they wont even avoid u when you walk near to them. the cats here r not afraid of people, u call them they wil come forward to stroke their bodies on u. all these need great deal of trust between the animals and the human. maybe this is one of the reason i like bangkok so much, i believe a nation who can tolerate n live peacefully with animals, is a nation with kind spirit.

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it's animals are treated."
- Mahatma Ghandi

misc in bangkok


sex change is not a taboo here


hey! has some respect ok? it's my idol doreamon!

!!!

gateway to everywhere.

this is wat i call bold n beautiful.

ooo... slippery.

lotus @ the local wet market.